How Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones views her 1st year in office
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As Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones marks one year in office this week, she tells Axios she's proud of what she's done and is working with her City Council colleagues following what some consider a fragmented start to her tenure.
Why it matters: The mayor's publicly fraught relationships with councilmembers who share similar political views have drawn scrutiny and, in some instances, left the mayor on the losing end of major policy votes.
What they're saying: Conflict between Jones and councilmembers has limited the City Council's accomplishments, local political consultant Andrew Solano tells Axios.
- "At the end of the day, you need six votes" to get something passed, Solano says. That involves working with councilmembers you don't agree with.
- That's "so far removed from what we're seeing now," he adds.
- (Solano was the campaign manager for Beto Altamirano, who ran against Jones last year. He has not worked at City Hall since Jones took office.)
The other side: "I will always, and have always, made an effort to engage with my colleagues," Jones says.
- "At the end of the day, people are going to make decisions that they think serve their district and serve themselves, and that is reality," Jones says. "I will always, though, continue to show the data, continue to work with stakeholders in our community."
Zoom in: Early on, the council moved ahead with plans for a new downtown Spurs arena despite the mayor's wish to slow down the process. Councilmembers then blocked Jones' ability to unilaterally change their policymaking process.
- This spring, when the council didn't approve Jones' push for a commission to help boost voter turnout, saying it was rushed, the mayor bypassed councilmembers to create a task force that meets in private.
Yes, but: Jones has had victories, too — most prominently, the council moved city elections from May to November.
- Jones also lists the creation of the Mayor's Economic Security Advisory Group and her trip to Taiwan with conservative Councilmember Misty Spears among her year-one accomplishments.
The big picture: Roughly half of the council — including the mayor — lean politically progressive, but a coalition has yet to materialize.
- Jones says she was surprised some councilmembers didn't back her initial proposal to limit housing discrimination against veterans, instead supporting a similar one by progressive Councilmember Teri Castillo, who had previously worked on the issue.
- Jones' policy ultimately passed — which she counts among her wins — but the council watered it down.
State of play: Jones is the first San Antonio mayor in modern history to be censured by her colleagues. City Council voted 8-1 in February to hand Jones the formal reprimand, after the Express-News reported that Jones berated Councilmember Sukh Kaur, who filed a complaint over the incident.
- She's also struggled to keep staff, with eight departures. That could risk key relationships at City Hall.
Zoom out: "Chaos" at City Hall is a good thing, former councilmember and two-time conservative mayoral candidate Greg Brockhouse recently wrote in his newsletter about local politics.
- "For the first time in a very long time, nobody fully controls the room," Brockhouse wrote, arguing it's healthy that the real fighting happens in public rather than behind closed doors.
What we're watching: Jones soon faces some of the biggest votes of her tenure: how to handle major city budget cuts; whether to raise city property tax rates for the regular budget and bond program; and whether to raise rates for the San Antonio Water System and CPS Energy.