Councilman’s DWI another warning
In our Sunday editorial, “Resolve to fight DWIS this New Year’s,” we wrote about the deadly link between New Year’s Eve and drunken driving. More than any other holiday, this is when drunken driving-related fatalities spike, most of them after midnight.
Before the editorial saw the light of print, San Antonio City Councilman Marc Whyte was arrested, less than an hour before midnight on Friday, and charged with driving while intoxicated.
The first-term, District 10 representative was pulled over by the San Antonio Police Department’s DWI unit when he was allegedly seen driving 80 mph in a 65-mph zone and drifting between lanes without signaling.
According to the affidavit, Whyte had “glassy” and “red” eyes, swayed back and forth after getting out of his car, and smelled strongly of alcohol.
We don’t yet know all the facts. Whyte admitted to drinking three beers and said he was sober, but he refused to take a breathalyzer test or have his blood drawn to gauge his blood alcohol concentration. Police later obtained a warrant ordering Whyte to comply, and a sample of his blood will be sent to the Texas Department of Public
Safety lab.
Whyte’s arrest closed out a 13month period marked by the arrests of several San Antonio public officials and public figures accused of driving while intoxicated.
The most notorious and ironic was Whyte’s predecessor, former District 10 Councilman Clayton Perry, who in November 2022 fled the scene of a car crash before being found disoriented and unsteady in his backyard by police. He’d consumed 15 drinks by the time he left a North Side bar Nov. 6, ordering a beverage about every 18 minutes.
Perry’s decision to not seek another term paved the way for Whyte’s election.
High-profile DWI arrests in 2023 included Northside Independent School District trustee Karla Castillon Duran, KSAT sports anchor Greg Simmons, KSAT reporter John Paul Barajas and UTSA star receiver Joshua Cephus.
Fortunately, in none of these incidents was anyone injured. If the worst consequences they face are public embarrassment, an unflattering mug shot, and — if convicted — a fine and probation, they should be thankful.
We all make mistakes, but to get behind the wheel of a vehicle after drinking is to knowingly tempt fate and raise the odds that people will be hurt — or killed. Every person arrested for DWI should be grateful to the officer who stopped them.
In San Antonio, we are too lax when it comes to drinking and driving. This is inexcusable for any city but especially for this one, which has the highest per-capita rate of DWI crashes among large Texas cities.
We are all responsible for not getting behind the wheel after drinking. This is especially true of officials who are elected to serve, not endanger, the public.
To Whyte’s credit, he issued a statement Saturday that’s a model for taking accountability and serves as a warning.
“I did not feel intoxicated when I drove home last night. I never get behind the wheel when I feel as if I’ve had too much to drink. But that isn’t the point. Nobody should drive even if they have had just one drink,” Whyte said. “I take full ownership over my actions, and I apologize to the residents of District 10, my family, friends, council colleagues and anyone else who I have let down.”
It’s a powerful statement of contrition and a request for forgiveness. But its greatest power rests in the first two sentences: “I did not feel intoxicated when I drove home last night. I never get behind the wheel when I feel as if I’ve had too much to drink.”
That’s the warning for everyone thinking about driving after drinking. You may think it’s safe to get behind the wheel. Too many other drivers have thought that and never made it home — and stolen the lives of others who also never made it home.
To get behind the wheel after consuming alcohol is to put lives in danger