SA Sprints Into a June 8th Runoff Election

Photos by Jonathan Guajardo (Brockhouse Watch Party) & B Kay Richter (Nirenberg Watch Party).

NOTE: Scroll to bottom of article for full breakdown of election results.

May 5, 2019 - Multiple Locations Around San Antonio

Article By: Jonathan Guajardo - Editor, SA Sentinel

Councilman Brockhouse poses with supporters. (Photo by Jonathan Guajardo.)

On an otherwise peaceful Saturday night, the city quaked with tremors of change that would be felt soon throughout all of San Antonio. At Viola’s Ventanas on the far Northwest side of his home district, Greg Brockhouse would spend the evening in the company of friends, family, and supporters pacing about the airy outdoor patio monitoring the election numbers rolling in to the Bexar County election website. On the other side of town, Mayor Ron Nirenberg would spend the night at Augie’s Barbecue’s downtown location off Broadway playing the same waiting game surrounded by enthusiastic supporters and family members including his son and wife. Elsewhere throughout the city, prospective mayoral candidates and council members would sit glued to their computer screens and mobile devices watching the numbers update and, while many saw their dreams dashed to the side, others grinned from ear to ear with enthusiastic glee, their eyes aglow with the promise of a new term on the horizon.

With Runoff Looming, Nirenberg Campaign Slings Harsh Rhetoric on Election Night

Erica Prosper addresses the crowd. (Photo by B Kay Richter.)

Around 9:30 PM, most people knew that the race would head into a runoff and, over at Augie’s Barbecue, Erica Proper, Nirenberg’s wife would address this very topic. “Every race he’s run, we’ve gone to a runoff,” stated Prosper. A few sentences later, Prosper would again address the crowd, this time with an assault on Nirenberg’s opponent’s character. Prosper accused Brockhouse of “gaslighting” and referred to his campaign as a “long con.” “I hope you understand what a long con is, because that is what you are facing. A long con is when someone gets in a position and gaslights the heck out of you to believe that they are the best choice. That they know better than you,” declared Prosper. “And that’s what we face here…a long con-artist against a better man.”

Brockhouse addressed these accusatory comments during interviews with the media after he had received word that the election would be heading into a runoff. “When you’re desperate, you’ll do anything to win…when you’re the type of politician that Ron Nirenberg is. I’m not that type of politician,” stated Brockhouse. “I’ll take Ron to task for his failed leadership. I’ll talk about his lack of accomplishment and the things that he’s done at city hall, which amount to just about zero. The guy doesn’t understand San Antonio. I’ll talk about that all day long, but I’m not going to attack him as a man or a father or a person. He’ll do that because he’s desperate.”

When 100% of the votes had been tallied in the mayoral election, Ron Nirenberg led his opponent Greg Brockhouse 48.66% (49,539 votes) to 45.57% (46,388 votes). Enthusiastic challenger Matt Pina finished with only 0.75% of the vote (762 votes), while UIW professor John Velasquez came in third place with 1.61% of the vote (1,643 votes). Because neither Brockhouse or Nirenberg captured the 50 + 1% needed to secure a victory Saturday night, the candidates faced the looming future of a June 8th runoff contest.

Brockhouse embraces his wife after a speech. (Photo by: Jonathan Guajardo.)

At Viola’s Ventanas, Councilman Brockhouse delivered the news of the runoff election to a crowd of enthusiastic supporters. “We are going to a runoff and we are absolutely thrilled with that result,” stated Brockhouse. “When we started this campaign, we were the underdog by far. Nobody thought we were going to be here today. We took a giant leap of faith that we could do better in San Antonio, not by changing us into something we’re not but by capitalizing on who we are, and believing that there are better days ahead of us if we just do the things that matter most to residents and neighborhoods an families.”

At Augie’s Barbecue, Mayor Nirenberg addressed his own crowd. “We are ready to go win this election for the future of San Antonio,” proclaimed Nirenberg. “And boy oh boy, we have tough competition, especially when you’re grinding away and you’re making sustained effort to make sure our city moves forward.” Nirenberg ended his speech by stating, “Pick up the shield and the banner and know that you march for San Antonio and the future!”

M.J. Smoot, a Brockhouse supporter in attendance at his election watch party described her outlook on the mayoral race and why she supports Brockhouse in this tight race. “You know I really think Brockhouse will be a mayor to everyone and not just to a certain segment, any segment, of society. We need a mayor for everyone. Not playing to big government or picking winners and losers in business. That really is a bad deal,” said Smoot. “I mean fix the potholes and leave the commerce to the citizens.”

Three City Council Positions Up For Grabs in Runoff Election

Elsewhere in San Antonio, three city council positions would be headed towards a runoff election on June 8th. In District 2, Keith Toney will be heading into a runoff with Jada Andrews-Sullivan, in District 4, Johnny Arredondo will be facing Adriana Rocha Garcia, and in District 6, it will be Andy Greene versus Melissa Cabello Havrda.