San Antonio has a problem with how it conducts local elections, namely the low $100 fee it requires of citizens who want to get their name on a local election ballot. As Andrea Drusch reported in the San Antonio Report last week, that fee has not risen since 1974. That’s 50 years ago.
This city’s obsession with low public wages and fees is misguided. The Charter Commission assembled by Mayor Ron Nirenberg to examine the length of terms in office, council salaries, and other issues actually discussed raising candidate registration fees, but balked in the face of a few objections in public meetings.
That was a failure of leadership. Individuals who can’t raise $500-1000 to run for office should not be on the ballot, much less presenting themselves as credible candidates. Do you want to cast a vote for an individual who can’t afford a basic fee adjusted for inflation, yet wants to govern as mayor? No, thank you.
Over the years, I’ve seen a parade of ill-suited people run for mayor in this city. Some are gadflies – familiar, if distracting voices at the microphone in public meetings. Some appear to have mental health issues. Others simply want to see their names on the ballot so they can say they’ve run for mayor or council, even if they are unable to raise even minimal sums of money or otherwise mount campaigns.
The result? We have 27 people running for mayor on the ballot. At least 20, by my count, stand no chance of winning or even making it into a runoff. Nor should they. Let’s ask the candidates this: If elected, will you agree to a charter election in which voters are asked to raise registration fees?
While most registered voters neglect to participate in local elections, those who do vote are highly engaged. As we approach the May 3 city election, voting into office the most competent candidates to serve on City Council, including San Antonio’s first new mayor in eight years, is an important undertaking that will have a real effect on the future trajectory of the city, for better or worse.
Bigcitysmalltown is a weekly podcast with a small crew, but we will step up our local news coverage this campaign season. Reader emails that arrived in my inbox all week after last week’s Monday Musings urged us to double down on the mayor’s race, in particular.
So we will.
San Antonio may be the fastest-growing city in the country, but the number of journalists at work for local media organizations continues to shrink. Layoffs and buyouts have become a cyclical reality in local newsrooms dating back to the Great Recession in 2008, so even one additional media voice can make a difference.
Here is what we have decided to do.
We will assemble a questionnaire to send to all 27 mayoral candidates. Do not expect all of them to respond with answers. Some people on the ballot are only there for reasons that elude rational thought. But at least six, perhaps seven candidates will actually raise funds and mount campaigns.
We will publish the Q&As on the bigcitysmalltown website and reserve most of April for podcast interviews with the most credible candidates. Engaging in candidate triage will inevitably draw protests, but most readers will trust us to base our decisions on uniform measures.
In that regard, one question we are certain to ask all candidates: What qualifies you to lead one of the fastest-growing U.S. cities as mayor? That’s just one of the questions readers added to my shortlist published last Monday. Other reader questions we have in hand will help fill out the questionnaire, which we will publish at the same time it goes out to candidates.
I am excited to see the campaign take shape. San Antonio, as I recently wrote, has many growing centers of excellence, and the opportunity for the next mayor to leverage that excellence while also addressing the city’s core needs and challenges is limitless. San Antonio is at an inflection point. Is there a bold, capable leader in the race capable of articulating a vision for the city, one with the skills to set an agenda and see it through to fruition?
Let’s find out.
Meanwhile, in its early weeks, this newsletter is attracting a steady flow of new subscribers. I ask you to help us continue that growth by sharing Monday Musings with friends, colleagues, and others you reach via social media, text, or email.
Thank you.
-Bob
