{"id":5888,"date":"2025-06-22T17:58:14","date_gmt":"2025-06-22T17:58:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/5888\/"},"modified":"2025-06-22T17:58:14","modified_gmt":"2025-06-22T17:58:14","slug":"after-brutal-election-jones-seeks-common-ground-with-past-critics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/5888\/","title":{"rendered":"After brutal election, Jones seeks common ground with past critics"},"content":{"rendered":"

A focus on more front-of-mind federal issues, a clear Democratic resume and, at times, a willingness to criticize current city leadership all helped Gina Ortiz Jones stand out<\/a> from the pack in San Antonio\u2019s 27-candidate mayoral race.<\/p>\n

Now as she takes office \u2014 at the same time San Antonio ushers in one of the most partisan councils<\/a> in recent memory \u2014 Jones is rapidly working to prove she can be a mayor for more than just her progressive supporters.<\/p>\n

Jones finished more than<\/a> 8 percentage points ahead of runoff opponent Rolando Pablos, a business attorney who had the backing of deep-pocketed business leaders and many political insiders he\u2019d worked with in the past.<\/p>\n

In the weeks since then she\u2019s been mending fences: attending the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce\u2019s investor meeting, appearing publicly with former Mayor Ron Nirenberg and even giving shoutouts to council conservatives\u2019 top policy priorities in her inaugural address.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether you voted for me, or didn\u2019t vote for me, or didn\u2019t vote, this council up here is committed to making sure you have the best possible opportunity to live your best possible life here in the greatest city,\u201d Jones said in her speech Wednesday.<\/p>\n

She takes office as San Antonio progressives, fired up over the first months of President Donald Trump\u2019s return to office, say they want to see local leaders continue fighting conservatives at all levels of government.<\/p>\n

They elected a number of like-minded candidates in the 2025 San Antonio city election and have been protesting over ICE deportations<\/a> and other GOP policies that local leaders have little power to influence.<\/p>\n

\"\"Gina Ortiz Jones attends the Flambeau parade with her staff after securing the highest number of votes on May 3 to make the runoff election. Credit: Brenda Baz\u00e1n \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n

\u201c[Jones\u2019 victory was] this massive message that [Gov. Greg] Abbott cannot buy San Antonio, and I hope that that thinking continues for folks over these next four years,\u201d said Ananda Tomas, leader of the progressive Act4SA action fund PAC \u2014 one of a large number of progressive groups<\/a> that spent money on Jones\u2019 behalf. <\/p>\n

The San Antonio Report caught up with Jones shortly after the election to talk about the lessons learned from an ugly race, feuds with the city\u2019s political elite and headwinds at the state and federal levels.<\/p>\n

It has been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.<\/p>\n

SAN ANTONIO REPORT: This was your third high-profile race after two multi-million dollar congressional campaigns that came up short<\/a>. A mayor\u2019s race is obviously very different from a federal race where the national party has a lot of influence over messaging and ads. Were there major differences in this race that you think led to a different outcome?<\/strong><\/p>\n

GINA ORTIZ JONES:<\/strong> I don\u2019t know that there was. I mean, the messaging is always my own. I say what I want to talk about, certainly in the other races [as well]. It\u2019s a different moment in time. <\/p>\n

In a congressional race, you\u2019re not necessarily talking about sports arenas and things like that. But I think what stayed true \u2014 and what came across \u2014 is my commitment to looking at the data, being objective and pushing back when things aren\u2019t necessarily making sense. <\/p>\n

Something isn\u2019t a good idea just because somebody said it is. [I\u2019m asking], \u201cWhat\u2019s the data that actually supports [an idea like Project Marvel], in light of the history on some of these things?\u201d<\/p>\n

I think people also appreciated my willingness to speak about how my own personal experiences in life have brought me to this point and have focused me on all the things that I want to get accomplished. When I talk about serving under Don\u2019t Ask, Don\u2019t Tell, and having the experience of not feeling seen or heard, I think people appreciated that and could see how that experience would shape how I lead.<\/p>\n

I have [always] tried to think strategically \u2026 but also make sure we were always thinking about the most vulnerable or those that have traditionally been underserved.<\/p>\n

SAR:<\/strong> In the runoff we saw a number of political insiders \u2014 including ones with left-leaning backgrounds \u2014 siding with Rolando Pablos, someone who they don\u2019t necessarily agree with ideologically but believed they\u2019d be able to work with more easily than you.<\/strong><\/p>\n

How do you think they arrived at that conclusion? And now that the race is over, are those critics going to find that they actually can work with you, or is this a new era in city government where insiders will have less power? <\/strong><\/p>\n

GOJ: <\/strong>You\u2019d have to ask them. \u2026 I think they\u2019re going to find a person they can work with, and I think they\u2019re going to find a person they enjoy working with.<\/p>\n

My approach is going to be based on what any good leader would base their decisions on, which is data, questioning people\u2019s assumptions, and understanding what is, in fact, the logic used to arrive at certain decisions.<\/p>\n

At the end of the day, we\u2019re accountable to the people, and the people have to understand what is being done with their resources \u2026 and how [those things] are in the interest of serving the people. If we can\u2019t answer those questions, that\u2019s a problem.<\/p>\n

So I think they\u2019ll find a good partner in me. They will also find somebody that is going to ask questions that are pretty basic: How does the community benefit? How did we get here? And what does this ultimately mean for our city moving forward? <\/p>\n

SAR: Many people will be looking at this race<\/a> to see what was on voters\u2019 minds just a few months out from a major presidential election. What takeaways would you point to?<\/strong> <\/p>\n

GOJ: <\/strong>I don\u2019t know if there was any one thing, [but] I think it is important when we\u2019re a city of our size, and with the challenges we have, that we are cognizant of what is happening at the federal level.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re Military City, USA \u201416% of our population is active duty or veteran. So of course we\u2019re going to talk about the federal cuts to the Department of Veterans Affairs, right? Because when they\u2019re fired, they\u2019re fired right here in San Antonio, and now we have to support those folks that have now lost their jobs, and all the veterans that are now impacted, or their parents are impacted.<\/p>\n

So I think we have to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time. <\/p>\n

That\u2019ll be important as we\u2019re looking at closing gaps in the [2025 city] budget<\/a>. It\u2019s not just closing that gap, but it\u2019s also being cognizant of how other changes in our neighbors\u2019 lives are impacting their ability to thrive. What is going to be the impact of those Medicare cuts, Social Security, Medicaid, SNAP? All of those things are going to inform what is the best way to [address the budget deficit].<\/p>\n

SAR:<\/strong> You spoke often on the campaign trail about making sure San Antonio cares for its most vulnerable communities. As residents grapple with ICE deportations and a lot of fear surrounding immigration issues\u00a0\u2014 where the city doesn\u2019t have much influence \u2014how do you approach this?<\/strong><\/p>\n

GOJ: <\/strong>I think it\u2019s important that local law enforcement is focused on those things that are actually threats to our community. I do not think local law enforcement should be used as ICE agents. That is taking those officers away from responding to robberies, responding to rapes, responding to actual things that are threatening our community.<\/p>\n

I think it\u2019s really important that for federal, state and local leaders, there are clear lines of communication and open lines of communication, so that we\u2019re doing all we can to keep people informed and keep people safe. That would be my priority.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s heartbreaking to see what is what is happening. My mom came to this country over 40 years ago from the Philippines chasing the American dream, and so I know what our country represents for so many. <\/p>\n

[After watching a video of a mother<\/a> being deported while her children were in school], I had to think \u2026 If this woman was, in fact, the sole provider for that family, what is going to happen to those kids?<\/p>\n

That\u2019s my real concern with the approach that\u2019s being taken at the federal level, there seems to be a real disregard for kind of the second- and third-order consequences of these decisions, and they\u2019re impacting families and the most vulnerable.<\/p>\n

When families are not sending their kids to school because they\u2019re fearful of who may show up, when people are not showing up to work, when people don\u2019t feel comfortable going to their religious service based on what may happen, \u2026 when people are are being preyed upon or being taken advantage of because there is no recourse for them, I think that actually makes all of us less safe.<\/p>\n

SAR: Do you envision a more dramatic response from city leaders if the situation worsens?<\/strong><\/p>\n

GOJ: <\/strong>I think that depends on what worse looks like, right? I think as American citizens, we\u2019re all concerned when we read stories about fellow American citizens being deported or not being afforded due process. We\u2019re still a nation of laws, and regardless of where we live in our country, those actions should be concerning, and they certainly are concerning to me. <\/p>\n

\"\"Over 4,000 protestors gather June 16 at Travis Park for the \u201cNo Kings\u201d protest through downtown San Antonio. Credit: Miranda Rodriguez for the San Antonio Report<\/p>\n

SAR: In recent years San Antonio has largely steered clear of kind of large-scale, escalated protest movements that other cities experienced, such as those in the wake of George Floyd\u2019s death in 2020.<\/strong> Do you think that will continue to be the case under more progressive city leadership?<\/strong><\/p>\n

GOJ: <\/strong>People have their First Amendment rights. They can peacefully protest. Obviously, though, people should not engage in crimes or damage property, because there will be consequences as a result of that.<\/p>\n

SAR:<\/strong> In this election voters seemed to prefer candidates with more partisan backgrounds, including yourself. Do you think that speaks to the direction city government is headed or what people want from their local leaders in these polarizing times?<\/strong><\/p>\n

GOJ: <\/strong>I think what is going to matter is how what we\u2019re able to get across the finish line, and that is going to be based on how well we can articulate the case as to why this is good for San Antonio. <\/p>\n

I don\u2019t ascribe somebody\u2019s current political affiliation to how they might support something moving forward. If we can all show that, \u201cHey, this is good for San Antonio,\u201d I have faith in City Council members to be able to to look at the data objectively and and frankly, vote in the best interest of San Antonio.<\/p>\n

SAR: Do you consider yourself a progressive?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I struggle with that word because people define it every other way. I think myself as somebody that is pragmatic \u2026 a leader that is focused on uplifting as many as possible in the course of our actions. I think I\u2019m future-oriented. I think I\u2019m focused on execution.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A focus on more front-of-mind federal issues, a clear Democratic resume and, at times, a willingness to criticize…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5889,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5133],"tags":[7451,5229,7452,7202,7203,358,7453,3187,7454,67,586,132,5230,68,2969,7455],"class_list":{"0":"post-5888","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-antonio","8":"tag-2025-mayoral-race","9":"tag-america","10":"tag-gina-ortiz-jones","11":"tag-san-antonio","12":"tag-sanantonio","13":"tag-texas","14":"tag-top-story","15":"tag-tx","16":"tag-typeq_a","17":"tag-united-states","18":"tag-united-states-of-america","19":"tag-unitedstates","20":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","21":"tag-us","22":"tag-usa","23":"tag-wc-1500-2000"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114728317923563781","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5888","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5888"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5888\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5889"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5888"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5888"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5888"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}