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Gina Ortiz Jones was elected mayor after serving as the Biden administration\u2019s Under Secretary of the Air Force. Credit: Public Domain \/ U.S. Air Force<\/p>\nGina Ortiz Jones was elected mayor after serving as the Biden administration\u2019s Under Secretary of the Air Force. Credit: Public Domain \/ U.S. Air Force<\/p>\n
First-term Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones promised to bring radical change to City Hall during her first 100 days in office. <\/p>\n
Jones hit that milestone Sept. 25, and her tenure has certainly been rocky and unconventional, according to political analysts.<\/p>\n
Some worry she squandered both time and goodwill on unnecessary fights with City Council. Others give her better marks, saying the former Under Secretary of the Air Force and two-time Democratic congressional candidate is experiencing a learning curve as she tries to get a better handle on city politics.<\/p>\n
Either way, Jones has so far missed the mark on several key promises she said she\u2019d achieve during her first 100 days. For example, she pledged to streamline the approval process for low-income housing projects, develop a home-ownership program for frontline workers and update the city\u2019s Tenant Bill of Rights, according to her mayoral campaign website.<\/p>\n
She also said she\u2019d boost Pre-K 4 SA enrollment and hold \u201ccorporate landlords and investors accountable for their role in the housing crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n
So far, none of that\u2019s happened, largely because she\u2019s been saddled from her first day in office with defraying a major budget crisis, UT-San Antonio political scientist Jon Taylor said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose were ambitious and great [goals], and they would have been great if the budget situation was more stable,\u201d Taylor said. \u201c But, she has champagne dreams on what is a beer budget at best. We just don\u2019t have the money to do some of this stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jones didn\u2019t respond to the Current\u2019s request for comment on this article. However, in a statement marking her first 100 days in office, she blamed the city\u2019s lack of data collection for her delay in implementing portions of her agenda.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn exploring solutions on topics like early childhood education, affordable childcare and workforce development, the data is not readily available to inform our decision-making, and by working with city staff, we can better understand and address these gaps to put plans in place that build a strong foundation across the city,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n
Some experts said the data hasn\u2019t been the sole problem. San Antonio political consultant Bert Santiba\u00f1ez, a former staffer on Jones\u2019 mayoral campaign, characterized the statement as an attempt at deflection.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s a smoke screen,\u201d Santiba\u00f1ez said. \u201cI mean, whenever she\u2019s in a predicament, or she\u2019s looking to deflect, \u2018more data\u2019 is usually her go-to.\u201d<\/p>\n
Butting heads<\/strong><\/p>\n Observers point to Jones\u2019 so-far tumultuous relationship with City Council as another reason she\u2019s failed to rack up major victories during her first weeks in office.<\/p>\n Early on, Jones got sideways with potential allies on the dais when she tried to change how Council Consideration Requests \u2014 or proposals for introducing new ordinances \u2014 are brought up for public debate.<\/p>\n She subsequently lost a 10-1 vote on a pet dumping ordinance and seemingly underestimated the level of fan fervor over Project Marvel, the proposed $4 billion downtown sports and entertainment complex Bexar County voters will decide whether to move forward with in November, observers said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s disappointing,\u201d Santiba\u00f1ez said. \u201cShe came in as a change agent, kind of against the status quo, and there was something inspiring about that. I think the electorate wanted to change business as usual, and she embodied that. There was a lot of hope.\u201d<\/p>\n Half of City Council is new, which presented Jones an opportunity for a fresh start, Santiba\u00f1ez noted.<\/p>\n \u201cBut from the start, it just seemed antagonistic, tenuous and so much conflict,\u201d he added. \u201cThat kind of infighting, picking fights and that kind of thing. It just seemed counterproductive.\u201d<\/p>\n Crashing the presser<\/strong><\/p>\n Arguably, the most memorable moment during Jones\u2019 first 100 days wasn\u2019t her meeting with a Taiwanese trade delegation or her victory in getting the council to unanimously pass a City Charter amendment discouraging members of council from signing non-disclosure agreements.<\/p>\n Instead, it was when Jones crashed a press conference organized by the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce in support of Project Marvel. At the event, the mayor got into an argument with local demi-celebrity Spurs Jesus.<\/p>\n \u201cIt definitely made for good TV,\u201d UTSA\u2019s Taylor said. \u201cBut, I don\u2019t think it did anything for her cause. Had she instead worked with City Council members and expressed her concerns in informal meetings \u2026 . That\u2019s where I think she stumbled. She just didn\u2019t recognize the political landscape.\u201d<\/p>\n Even so, St. Mary\u2019s University political scientist Art Vega gives Jones\u2019 first 100 days a letter grade of a low B. Although her tenure has so far been unconventional, he\u2019s holding out hope that it could bring changes for the better.<\/p>\n \u201cI think because she\u2019s a bit of a maverick, she doesn\u2019t fit the norm, and that could be a very positive and refreshing idea,\u201d Vega said.<\/p>\n Staff exodus<\/strong><\/p>\n One of the first indications that Jones might be in for a rough ride came when former campaign manager Jordan Abelson, who\u2019d been promoted to chief of staff, resigned after serving only three weeks in the new position.<\/p>\n The exodus continued in July, when longtime media representative Gary Cooper was \u201creassigned\u201d from his position as Jones\u2019 spokesman after only a week on the job. The following month, Jones\u2019 events director and former campaign staffer, Rory Vance, left the mayor\u2019s office.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s winning at something: the record for most staff turnover in a 60-day period,\u201d longtime San Antonio political consultant Kelton Morgan said of Jones\u2019 tenure so far.<\/p>\n Morgan has seen the mayor\u2019s office up close, having worked as a political consultant and analyst during former Mayor Ron Nirenberg\u2019s 2017 and 2019 races.<\/p>\n \u201cRon\u2019s first 100 days weren\u2019t great,\u201d Morgan recalled. \u201cHe talked about crime, traffic and jobs when he ran. That was his exclusive focus. He takes office and immediately signs the Paris Climate Accords and establishes a Housing Task Force, neither of which was a focus of his campaign. He kinda threw some elbows and maybe misunderstood how much power the mayor had.\u201d<\/p>\n Morgan said Jones has shown a similar inability to read the room.<\/p>\n \u201cGina just came through the door guns blazing with demands and sharp elbows and began alienating to people on the council,\u201d he said. \u201cEven council members that would be her natural allies, including [District 5 progressive] Teri Castillo, who was the only council person to campaign for her, openly endorse her and back her campaign.\u201d<\/p>\n Building a majority<\/strong><\/p>\n San Antonio\u2019s city government operates under a system in which the mayor only has a single vote on council and can only request that the city manager add items to the agenda.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a weak-mayor system, but you can be strong,\u201d St. Mary\u2019s Vega said. \u201cAnd the way you can be strong is by building a working majority to support your agenda.\u201d<\/p>\n UTSA\u2019s Taylor agreed, saying that the way for a San Antonio mayor to be effective is by engaging in retail politics and building relationships and coalitions in casual conversations with others on council.<\/p>\n \u201cInformally, go and take each council member out for dinner,\u201d Taylor said. \u201cHave drinks somewhere. Just casually get to know them and cultivate potential alliances on certain issues.\u201d<\/p>\n However, Jones isn\u2019t building the relationships necessary to forge that kind of coalition, District 7 Councilwoman Marina Alderete Gavito told the Current. Instead, the only meetings she\u2019s had with the mayor are formal, monthly one-on-one meetings that feel more like a requirement than relationship-building sessions.<\/p>\n \u201cI would say the meetings that I have with my [other] colleagues are much more informal,\u201d Alderete Gavito added, pointing to late-night phone calls and casual meetings in other members\u2019 offices.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a lot of those relationships that I have that I\u2019m leaning on to get things done,\u201d she said. \u201cThat is not a monthly, formal one-on-one meeting that I have with Ric, or Leo, or Misty, or whoever. [It\u2019s] being able to pick up the phone and call each other as we need to, right?\u201d<\/p>\n Vega speculates that Jones\u2019 inability to build a functioning coalition on the dais stems from her background in the federal government.<\/p>\n On the campaign trail, Jones frequently mentioned she graduated from John Jay High School, but she attended college in the Northeast and spent most of her political career in Washington, D.C. While she did run to represent a South Texas district that included San Antonio in Congress, that\u2019s a federal office.<\/p>\n Although not necessarily a bad thing, Jones has no working relationships with folks at San Antonio City Hall. And in this often-insular city, that can be a major burden.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s bringing people in from D.C. that she knows and has worked with,\u201d Vega said. \u201cNow the question is finding people who will work with her style. I think she has a somewhat heavy-handed style of leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n Jones\u2019 current chief of staff, Jenise Carroll, last worked at the FBI, for example.<\/p>\n What\u2019s more, the mayor outsourced her communications to Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm Frontwood Strategies at a monthly taxpayer expense of $10,000. The Frontwood Strategies account executive who runs Jones\u2019 communications, Philippa Martinez-Berrier, is based in Austin.<\/p>\n \u201cThe best way to establish a working relationship with the mayor is to ensure there\u2019s a 65-mile buffer zone between you,\u201d consultant Morgan cheekily commented on the relationship.<\/p>\n Further, unlike Nirenberg, whose office was fully staffed within the first two weeks of being in office, Jones\u2019 office is still half vacant.<\/p>\n Taking on the world<\/strong><\/p>\n The last time San Antonio elected a mayor with no prior City Hall experience was in 2005, when attorney Phil Hardberger took office.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen Phil Hardberger was elected mayor, he went to every council member\u2019s house over the course of a few weeks and had dinner and said, \u2018What do you want, what are you looking to do the next two years, and how can I help you do that?\u2019\u201d Morgan recalled.<\/p>\n Instead, Jones has taken a different approach.<\/p>\n \u201cIt just seems like Gina Ortiz Jones against the world, and I don\u2019t know if that\u2019s a kind of default mechanism that she just operates under or what,\u201d former campaign staffer Santiba\u00f1ez said.<\/p>\n Both Vega and Taylor maintain that there\u2019s little problem with the issues Jones has tried to bring to the public\u2019s attention.<\/p>\n For example, Jones\u2019 call for an independent economic analysis on the Spurs\u2019 proposed downtown arena \u2014 a centerpiece of Project Marvel \u2014 is completely valid given the money involved, Taylor said.<\/p>\n \u201cShe may very well be right about Project Marvel in terms of the cost, whether the city can afford its part,\u201d the professor added. \u201cIf somehow the voters of Bexar County vote it down in November, what that means is that she actually might look like she was right.\u201d<\/p>\n To that point, Jones warned council colleagues on several occasions that if the city didn\u2019t complete more due diligence on Project Marvel, the public would likely vote it down in November.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Vega said Jones\u2019 proposed CCR change \u2014 throwing them out following every election \u2014 is exactly what Congress does every session.<\/p>\n However, Jones\u2019 combative efforts to push her agenda have yielded bad press and negative public perception, Taylor said.<\/p>\n \u201cPerception is everything in politics, and that perception that has been given is one of turmoil, instability and confrontation,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n The way forward<\/strong><\/p>\n Political consultant Morgan said it may be hard for Jones to hit \u201creset\u201d at City Hall without stepping back and engaging in some deep soul searching.<\/p>\n \u201cBased on what I\u2019ve seen from her so far, I don\u2019t think anyone is all that hopeful that there will be some kind of fundamental reset that will kind of set things right and establish a better working environment on that council,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Vega disagrees.<\/p>\n Indeed, he said Jones\u2019 apparent disinterest in business as usual feels \u201crefreshing,\u201d even if it came with negative side effects. The mayor also was handed a difficult situation, he added, since she was thrown into Project Marvel discussions while also trying to solve a $ 170 million-plus budget deficit.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the real question is going to be how things look at the end of the year,\u201d Vega said. \u201cIf you still have these same problems, then we have an atypical situation.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Taylor said Jones could reverse early perceptions by seeking \u201ceasy wins\u201d she can rack up over coming months.<\/p>\n \u201cLook at the Ready to Work program and jobs assistance programs,\u201d he suggested. \u201cLook at ways to assist lower-income people in ways that are supported by the community, supported by NGOs, and supported by the business community. There are ways she can do this.\u201d<\/p>\n Subscribe to SA Current newsletters.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Follow us:\u00a0Apple News<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Google News<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0NewsBreak<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Reddit<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Facebook\u00a0<\/a>| Twitter<\/a>\u00a0| Or sign up for our\u00a0RSS Feed<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Related Stories<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\tA GOP operative\u2019s filing alleges Gina Ortiz Jones violated the ethics code by using city letterhead in a memo to DNC Chair Ken Martin. \t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\tCouncil unanimously passed the $4 billion budget, which includes 25 fewer new police officers than planned. \t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\tFor the second time, City Council has unanimously rejected Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones\u2019 attempted rule change. \t\t\t\t<\/p>\n This article appears in Oct. 2-15<\/a>.<\/p>\n \t![\"Jones](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Instagram-mayorgoj-copy.jpg\")
Jones isn\u2019t building the relationships on City Council to effectively lead, some critics charge. Credit: Instagram \/ mayorgoj<\/p>\n
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