* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:01:13] IN SAN ANTONIO. [ ITEMS] GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. WELCOME TO OUR SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL SESSION THIS MORNING. PRIMARY PURPOSE OF CONVENING TODAY IS TO, UH, MAKE OFFICIAL THE RESULTS OF THE RUNOFF ELECTION, UH, THAT JUST OCCURRED HERE IN JUNE. UM, I WAS SLOW ROLLING AT A BIT BECAUSE I KNOW THERE ARE SOME FOLKS STUCK IN TRAFFIC. BUT WELCOME TO OUR CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS. THE TIME IS 10:10 AM ON THE 21ST DAY OF JUNE, 2023. MADAM CLERK, COULD YOU READ THE ROLE? COUNCIL MEMBER BRAVO HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER MCKEE RODRIGUEZ. PRESENT, COUNCIL MEMBER BRAN. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER CAB BERDA. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER CASTRO. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER PALAI. COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE PRESENT. COUNCIL MEMBER WHITE. HERE. MAYOR NIRENBERG. HERE. MAYOR, WE HAVE A QUORUM. ALRIGHT, AND GOOD MORNING AGAIN. WELCOME EVERYONE. UH, THE, WE WILL GO AHEAD AND CALL OUR MEETING TO ORDER. UH, TODAY'S ITEM TODAY IS CANVASSING OF THE JUNE 10TH, 2023 RUNOFF ELECTIONS IN SAN ANTONIO. SO I'LL TURN IT OVER TO OUR CLERK TO GET US STARTED. GOOD MORNING, MAYOR AND, AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. UH, MY NAME IS DEBBIE ROCK SITTER AND I'M THE CITY CLERK, AND I'M GONNA PRESENT TO YOU THE CANVASSING REPORT FOR THE JUNE 10TH, 2023 RUNOFF ELECTION. AS A PART OF THE BACKGROUND FOR THE TIMELINE OF THE ELECTION, THE ELECTION AND THE RUNOFF WERE BOTH ORDERED BY CITY COUNCIL ON FEBRUARY 17TH, 2023. EARLY VOTING FOR THE RUNOFF ELECTION WAS APRIL 24TH THROUGH MAY 2ND. UM, I'M SORRY, THAT WAS FOR THE REGULAR ELECTION. ELECTION DAY WAS MAY 6TH. CITY COUNCIL CANVASED THE OFFICIAL TABULATION MAY 17TH, AND ESTABLISHED THE EARLY VOTING SITES FOR THE RUNOFF ELECTION. ALSO, ON MAY 17TH, I PRESENTED RESULTS FROM BEXAR COUNTY AND PREPARED THE CANVASSING REPORT, UH, YESTERDAY. AND TODAY WE'RE GOING, CITY COUNCIL WILL CANVAS THE OFFICIAL TABULATION THE CANVASSING REPORT FOR MEMBER OF COUNCIL PLACE. ONE, UH, THE CANDIDATES IN BALLOT ORDER ARE SUK CORE 5,240 VOTES, OR 59 POINT 12%, AND MARIO BRAVO 3,623 VOTES, OR 40.88%. THERE WERE UNDER VOTES. UNDER VOTES REPRESENT ELECTRONIC AND PAPER BALLOTS, WHICH WERE NOT MARKED OVER. VOTES REPRESENT ONE MORE THAN ONE MARK ON A PAPER BALLOT. THERE WERE TOTAL OF 8,880 VOTES IN PLACE, ONE PLACE SEVEN DAN ROSSITER HAD 2,658 VOTES, WHICH WAS 37.89%. AND MARINA RETE GRITO WAS 4,357 VOTES, WHICH IS 62 POINT 11%. THERE WERE EIGHT UNDER VOTES AND NO O OVER VOTES PLACED. SEVEN TOTAL VOTES WERE 7,023. AS A RESULT OF THE JUNE 10TH, 2023 RUNOFF ELECTION, THE FOLLOWING PERSONS ARE DECLARED, ELECTED FOR A TWO YEAR TERM OF OFFICE COMMITTING JUNE 21ST TODAY, 2023. COUNCIL DISTRICT ONE, DR. SUKO COUNCIL, DISTRICT SEVEN MARINA ALTE GATO. THE ORDINANCE [00:05:01] WAS PREPARED BY THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, AND I RECOMMEND ADOPTION OF THE PROPOSED CANVASSING ORDINANCE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MADAM CLERK. I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION FOR ITEM NUMBER ONE SECOND. OKAY. THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF THE CANVASSING ORDINANCE. I DO HAVE A FEW FOLKS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK, UH, THIS MORNING ON ITEM NUMBER ONE. SO I'LL CALL THEM IN ORDER. YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES TO SPEAK. UH, WE'LL FIRST BEGIN WITH JERRY PETERS. IS JERRY PETERS HERE. OKAY. BETTY ECKERT. MS. BETTY, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEAK ON ITEM NUMBER ONE? I, I CAN'T, I CAN'T HEAR WHAT YOU, I'M CALLING YOU UP TO SPEAK SO YOU CAN HAVE TIME TO SPEAK ON ITEM NUMBER ONE. YOU'RE SIGNED UP. WOULD YOU LIKE TO SAY THAT AT THE PODIUM? I CAN'T HEAR YOU. . WHY DON'T WE, UH, BRING BETTY A, A HANDHELD MIC. PERFECT. OKAY. BETTY, YOU CAN STAY THERE. THANK YOU. AS YOU KNOW, I DON'T HEAR WELL AND IN THE CITY COUNCIL, IT'S TERRIBLE. I DIDN'T HEAR. I AM HERE TO COMPLIMENT OUR LIE COUNCIL PERSON AND THE OFFICE OF IT WAS HARD TO SEE WHAT YOU'RE SIGNING UP FOR. I KNOW THAT WE JUST DID THE COUNT AND, AND WE UNDERSTAND THAT, UH, WE'LL HAVE A NEW COUNCILMAN THIS YEAR AND, AND WE CERTAINLY, UH, ARE GOING TO MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO WORK WITH OUR NEW COUNCILMAN AS WE HAVE DONE IN OUR, IN THE PAST. UH, WE, WE APPRECIATE, UH, ALL THE HELP THAT WE CAN GET FROM, FROM OUR CITY. WE HAVE MUCH TO DO IN DISTRICT ONE, AND I HOPE THAT, UH, THE NEW COUNCILMAN WILL BE READY. MANY NEIGHBORHOODS WANT A LOT OF THINGS, AND WE NEED A LOT OF THINGS IN DISTRICT ONE. SO CONGRATULATIONS TO THE NEW, UH, COUNCIL PERSON. DR. CARR WILL BE COUNCILWOMAN, UH, CARR. AND TO THANK, UH, COUNCILMAN BRAVO AND HIS STAFF FOR THE CONTINUED EFFORT THAT THEY MADE THE LAST TWO YEARS. WE TRULY APPRECIATE ALL THE HELP THAT WE RECEIVED FROM STAFF AND FROM HIS STAFF. THE CONTINUOUS STAFF CONTINUOUSLY HELP US, AND WE TRULY APPRECIATE IT. WE KNOW WE'RE GONNA GO FORWARD. IT'S THE ONLY WAY TO GO. AND, UH, WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO THE NEW TWO NEW COUNCIL PEOPLE, BOTH OF 'EM. CONGRATULATIONS IN DISTRICT SEVEN. ALSO, UM, FROM THE ALRE FAMILY. WE'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT. WE DO KNOW 'EM, AND WE'RE, WE'RE VERY FAMILIAR WITH THEM IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD. SO, UH, THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR DOING THIS. AND, UH, THANK YOU COUNCILMAN BRAVO FOR YOUR PAST SERVICE. WE, WE DO APPRECIATE IT. AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOU NOT, NOT DISAPPEARING, UH, BEING ACTIVE. AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AGAIN AND AGAIN, CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR NEW COUNCILWOMAN, HONORABLE COUNCILWOMAN, DR. CARR. WE, WE APPRECIATE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MS. ECKERT. SARAH GOLD. GOOD MORNING. UH, MY NAME IS SARAH GOULD. I'M A DISTRICT SEVEN RESIDENT AND THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE MEXICAN AMERICAN CIVIL RIGHTS INSTITUTE, AN ORGANIZATION THAT HIGHLIGHTS MEXICAN AMERICAN CIVIL RIGHTS HISTORY. AND THAT EXISTS BECAUSE OF THE SUPPORT OF THE CITY COUNCIL AND MAYOR. I WANNA CONGRATULATE THE NEW MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL AS WELL AS THEIR RETURNING MEMBERS. I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH ALL OF YOU OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS. I ALSO WANNA CONGRATULATE MOCKNEY, BOARD MEMBER AND MEXICAN AMERICAN CIVIL RIGHTS TRAILBLAZER, ROSIE CASTRO, WHO HAS SERVED MY HOME DISTRICT WITH PASSION ENERGY FOR THE LAST FEW MONTHS. WITNESSING THIS LIVING LEGEND STEP INTO THE DISTRICT SEVEN COUNCIL SEAT, EVEN ON A TEMPORARY BASIS, WAS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR CITY TO WITNESS HISTORY. THE WOMAN WHO WAS DENIED A COUNCIL SEAT IN 19 70 71, BUT THEN HELPED PAVE THE WAY FOR SINGLE MEMBER DISTRICTS IN SAN ANTONIO, MAKING IT [00:10:01] POSSIBLE FOR MORE DIVERSE REPRESENTATION ON SAN ANTONIO CITY COUNCIL. FINALLY GOT HER SEAT. SHE'S AN INSPIRATION TO SO MANY OF US, AND I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT YOU DO NEXT. CONGRATULATIONS, COUNCILWOMAN CASTRO. THANK YOU, MS. GOLD. OKAY. UH, WE DO HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM NUMBER ONE. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE, PLEASE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES. OKAY. UH, AT THIS TIME I'M GOING TO PRESENT OUR OUTGOING COUNCIL MEMBERS WITH PLAQUES FOR RECOGNITION OF THEIR SERVICE. AND SO I'LL HAVE THE CLERK, UH, CALL THOSE DOWN MOMENTARILY FROM COUNCIL DISTRICT ONE, COUNCIL MEMBER MARIO BRAVO. FROM COUNCIL DISTRICT SEVEN. COUNCIL MEMBER ROSIE CASTRO. YES. ONE MORE. ONE MORE. ONE MORE. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. WE ARE NOT DONE. AND SO AT THIS TIME, I'D LIKE TO TURN THE FLOOR OVER TO OUR OUTGOING COLLEAGUES WHO HAVE SPENT, UH, A NUMBER OF HOURS AND DAYS AND MONTHS IN HERE WORKING WITH US TO IMPROVE OUR CITY. AND SO WE'LL START WITH COUNCIL MEMBER. BRAVO. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND, UM, FORGIVE ME 'CAUSE I'M NOT GONNA GET THIS COMPLETELY RIGHT, BUT THERE ARE WAY TOO MANY PEOPLE TO THANK, AND I CAN'T GET TO ALL OF 'EM. I KNOW I CAN'T. UM, I WANNA START WITH MY COUNCIL STAFF WHO, UM, WERE ENTIRELY DEDICATED TO THE DISTRICT AND TO THIS CITY, AND WHETHER YOU'D AGREE WITH ALL THE DECISION DECISIONS THEY MADE OR NOT. YOU KNOW, THEY WORKED TIRELESSLY AND THEY, UM, YOU KNOW, THEY WORKED WITH SERVANT'S HEARTS AND THEY WORKED TO SERVE EVERYBODY. WHETHER YOU AGREED WITH 'EM OR NOT, THEY WORKED TO SERVE YOU. UM, AND, UH, THEY DID AN OUTSTANDING JOB. AND I'LL TELL YOU, UH, TO EVERY COUNCIL MEMBER UP HERE, OR EVERY INCOMING COUNCIL MEMBER, YOU SHOULD BE FIGHTING OVER HIRING THE CONSTITUENT SERVICES STAFF OUT OF OUR DISTRICT ONE FIELD OFFICE, UH, BECAUSE THEY WERE THAT GOOD AND BECAUSE THEY CAN WORK INDEPENDENTLY AND, UM, JUST DO A, A FANTASTIC JOB. AND SO, I'M, I'M JUST SO PROUD OF THEM. UH, I WANT TO THANK, UH, CITY STAFF, AND I CAN'T GO THROUGH ALL THE NAMES, BUT, YOU KNOW, SO MANY OF YOU WERE TEAM PLAYERS. YOU, YOU, YOU KNOW, TOOK PHONE CALLS AT ALL HOURS OF THE NIGHT NIGHT. YOU, UM, SHOWED UP WHEN, UH, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE NEEDED YOU ON SITE TO SEE THINGS WITH YOUR OWN, UH, EYES. AND, UM, AND, AND SO MANY OF YOU JUST WORKED PROFESSIONALLY [00:15:02] AND COLLABORATIVELY. AND, UM, THAT SAYS A LOT. UM, AND SO I'M GRATEFUL FOR THAT. UM, I WANT TO THANK MY CAMPAIGN STAFF WHO, YOU KNOW, WORKED SO HARD, UM, AT FIGHTING FOR EVERY VOTE. AND, UM, YOU, YOU ALL MADE IT SO THAT LOOKING BACK, WE DON'T HAVE ANY REGRETS. YOU KNOW, WE, WE, WE, WE PUT IT ALL OUT THERE. AND, UH, AND I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT. I WANT TO THANK THE DISTRICT ONE CONSTITUENTS BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THE DISTRICT ONE CONSTITUENTS ARE JUST AMAZING. THEY'RE SO TALENTED AND SO ENGAGED, AND IT MAKES DISTRICT ONE A REALLY EXCITING DISTRICT TO BE ABLE TO REPRESENT. UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE TALENT POOL IS SO DEEP FOR BEING ABLE TO APPOINT PEOPLE TO ALL THE DIFFERENT COMMITTEES. AND, UH, SO IT MAKES IT AN EXCITING DISTRICT, A CHALLENGING DISTRICT. UM, BUT, UH, YOU ALL WERE FANTASTIC TO WORK WITH. UH, I WANNA THANK ALL MY COLLEAGUES UP HERE, UM, FOR THE ADVICE YOU'VE GIVEN ME FOR, UM, FOR, FOR REACHING OUT TO ME AND, AND JUST COLLABORATING WITH ME, SIGNING MY, MY COUNCIL CONSIDERATION REQUESTS, AND, UM, UH, JUST, YOU KNOW, THE DAILY INTERACTIONS. UM, YOU KNOW, YOU ALL AND, UH, AND CITY STAFF ARE VERY MUCH MY FAMILY. AND SO I'M GONNA MISS A LOT OF YOU. UM, I WANNA THANK OTHER COUNCIL STAFFERS THAT WEREN'T ON IN THE DISTRICT ONE TEAM FOR BEING SO SUPPORTIVE, UM, THROUGH THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE TWO YEARS. UM, A LOT OF YOU GUYS WERE GREAT, UH, TO WORK WITH. SOME OF YOU I KNEW BEFORE I GOT HERE. SOME OF YOU I KNEW, YOU KNOW, MET WHEN I GOT HERE. UH, BUT YOU WERE ALWAYS AVAILABLE AND THERE TO LEND, UH, A HELPING HAND AND TO BE TEAM PLAYERS. AND THAT WAS AMAZING. AND YOU WERE THERE WHEN I NEEDED YOU MOST. I WANNA THANK MY FAMILY FOR BEING THERE AND SUPPORTING ME IN WAYS SO THAT I COULD RUN FOR OFFICE, FOR DOING EVERYTHING TO HELP ME BE THE PERSON I AM TODAY SO THAT I COULD RUN AND SO THAT I COULD SERVE TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITIES. UH, I WANT TO THANK BURGUNDY, MY, MY SON, MY MOON AND MY STARS. AND BABY, I KNOW YOU DIDN'T SIGN UP FOR THIS, AND IT, IT WAS A ROUGH RIDE FOR YOU. UM, AND I APPRECIATE YOU STICKING BY MY SIDE. SO, SO ONE THING I WANT EVERYBODY TO KNOW IS THIS WAS LIKE, THIS WAS AN INCREDIBLY BUSY COUNCIL TERM. AND SO, YOU KNOW, IF YOU LOOK AT, UM, WE HAD TO DISTRIBUTE THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT FUNDS, FEDERAL FUNDS, RIGHT? AND I REMEMBER THE MAYOR SAYING THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, MORE MONEY, MORE PROBLEMS, UH, ONE TIME, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE IT'S LIKE EVERYBODY WANTS TO FIGHT OVER THAT MONEY, AND THAT EATS UP A LOT OF YOUR TIME. UM, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO GET IT RIGHT, YOU KNOW? AND I THINK WE DID A GREAT JOB. I THINK WE DID A GREAT JOB DISTRIBUTING THOSE FUNDS, BUT IT TOOK UP A LOT OF TIME, RIGHT? REDISTRICTING ONLY HAPPENS EVERY 10 YEARS. IT LANDED IN THIS TERM. UM, BUILDING CODE UPDATES, YOU KNOW, ONLY EVERY FIVE YEARS THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN DURING COVID, BUT IT GOT PUSHED BACK. AND SO WE ENDED UP DOING IT IN THIS TERM. UH, THE POLICE CONTRACT, YOU KNOW, ALWAYS, UM, YOU KNOW, CAN TAKE UP A LOT OF TIME. THE 2022 BOND, THOSE BONDS ONLY HAPPEN EVERY FIVE YEARS HAPPEN IN THIS TERM. UM, WE HAD TO RESTRUCTURE AND REPURPOSE ONE OF OUR TAX INCREMENT REINVESTMENT ZONE BOARDS. UM, AND, UH, SO THERE WAS A LOT TO DO, TO DO BEFORE YOU EVEN GOT TO THE BASICS OF SERVING YOUR CONSTITUENTS. AND YOU HAVE TO PUT THOSE, ALL THOSE BASIC NEEDS FIRST BEFORE YOU CAN START TO WORK ON THE BIG, THE BIG VISIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE, THE BIG POLICY PROPOSALS, UM, THAT, THAT MIGHT BE THE REASON THINGS THAT'S INSPIRED YOU TO RUN IN THE FIRST PLACE, RIGHT? AND SO, LOOKING BACK NOW, REFLECTING OVER THIS LAST WEEK OR SO, I'VE REALIZED, YOU KNOW, NOW I'M FREED UP TO ACTUALLY WORK ON SOME OF THOSE, SOME OF, SOME OF MY, THE THINGS THAT I'M MOST INSPIRED TO WORK ON. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, I GOT TO, I GOT TO SIT IN THIS CHAIR, I GOT TO PEEK BEHIND THE CURTAIN. I GOT TO SEE HOW THE SAUSAGE IS MADE, YOU KNOW, THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY. AND I'VE LEARNED FROM IT AND, AND SERVING IN COUNCIL, FOR ME, IT'S A LOT LIKE GETTING A GRADUATE DEGREE, RIGHT? ONLY I GUESS, COMPARED TO MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES, I GRADUATED EARLY, I GUESS, TODAY. BUT, UM, BUT YOU LEARN SO MUCH HERE AND NOW I'M ABLE TO TAKE THAT WITH ME AND WORK ON SOME OF THE THINGS THAT, THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, WERE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT INSPIRED ME TO RUN, TO BEGIN WITH. UM, SO, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE THINGS I'M PROUD OF THAT I ACCOMPLISHED, UM, WERE, UM, BEING ABLE [00:20:01] TO GET SOME TOP TO BOTTOM EVALUATIONS OF C P SS ENERGY. UM, SO, YOU KNOW, AND IT WAS SOMETHING THAT I'M SAYING IS A ROADMAP FOR SUCCESS FOR THE NEW C E O RUDY GARZA. AND, YOU KNOW, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT, THAT I HOPE THE MUNICIPAL UTILITY COMMITTEE WILL CHECK IN WITH ON THEM TO SEE HOW THEY ARE, ARE MOVING ALONG TO CHECK THOSE BOXES. UM, BUT I HAVE A LOT OF FAITH IN, IN THE DIRECTION THEY'RE HEADED IN NOW. UM, YOU KNOW, FIGHTING FOR SMALL BUSINESSES WAS TOUGH WITH ALL THESE CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS, UH, BUT WE DID GET FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR THEM. WE GOT GRANTS FOR THEM. WE DIDN'T GET IT FOR EVERYBODY. UH, BUT WE GOT MORE THAN IS IT THAN WE'VE EVER GIVEN TO THEM IN THE PAST. AND WE DID IT, YOU KNOW, WE GOT, WE GOT HELP TO THOSE WHO NEEDED THE HELP MOST. AND THAT WAS IMPORTANT, NOT JUST FOR THOSE SMALL BUSINESSES, THAT WAS IMPORTANT FOR THEIR EMPLOYEES. AND SO I'M GLAD THAT WE GOT THAT DONE. UM, ON HOMELESSNESS, YOU KNOW, UH, OVER THIS LAST TERM, WE GOT $43 MILLION FOR PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, 32 MILLION ALREADY CONTRACTED OUT. WE'RE BUILDING HOUSING, NOT JUST HOUSING, BUT ALSO THEY'RE GONNA HAVE WRAPAROUND SERVICES. SO THIS IS FOR MANAGERS TO MAKE SURE EVERYBODY WHO NEEDS ACCESS TO OR ACCESS TO MENTAL HEALTH MEDICATION IS GONNA HAVE ACCESS TO IT. MAKING SURE EVERYBODY HAS, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE'S GONNA BE ONSITE DRUG COUNSELORS, ONSITE MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELORS TO HELP THESE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE LIVING ON THE STREET HAVE A MORE DIGNIFIED LIFE, UM, AND STABILIZE THEM. AND, AND IT'S GONNA SAVE TAXPAYER DOLLARS. 'CAUSE A LOT OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS ARE USING EMERGENCY RE SERVICES RESOURCES CONSTANTLY. AND SO WE CAN SAVE ON THE BACK END BY DOING THAT. AND SO IT'S A WIN-WIN. UM, FINALLY, YOU KNOW, I, I THINK BACK TO LIKE WHEN I WAS A KID AND WAS TAKEN TO PARKS AND HOW, YOU KNOW, MY PARENTS OR MY FRIEND'S PARENTS WOULD ALWAYS SAY, LEAVE IT BETTER THAN YOU FOUND IT. AND, UH, I THINK WE'RE LEAVING THIS OFFICE BETTER THAN WE FOUND IT RIGHT NOW. AND EVEN LITERALLY THE, UM, THE DISTRICT ONE FIELD OFFICE, YOU KNOW, THAT WAS A BUILDING THAT WAS OVER 50 YEARS OLD. IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A TEMPORARY DISTRICT, ONE FIELD OFFICE 10 YEARS AGO, MAYBE 12 YEARS AGO. AND, UH, IT JUST, IT ISN'T CONDUCIVE TO SERVING THE COMMUNITY. IT'S NOT A GREAT PLACE FOR THE STAFF TO WORK. IT'S NOT A GREAT PLACE FOR COMMUNITY, THE COMMUNITY TO HAVE EVENTS. AND SO WE, WE SECURED FUNDING TO REMODEL IT, AND WE, UM, SAT DOWN WITH ARCHITECTS, LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS, AND, UH, BUILDING ARCHITECTS. AND WE HAVE A TOTAL REDESIGN FOR THAT BUILDING. AND WE'RE READY TO HAND THOSE, THAT SET OF PLANS OVER TO DR. KO, WHO I WANT TO CONGRATULATE ON HER VICTORY IN COMING IN. BUT, BUT, UM, IT'S, THOSE SET OF PLANS ARE GONNA BE THERE FOR HER FINAL REVIEW, AND SHE CAN GET TO WORK RIGHT AWAY REMODELING IT AND MAKING IT A GREAT SPACE FOR HER STAFF AND FOR SERVING THE COMMUNITY. UM, I WANNA SAY HOW PROUD I AM OF MY TEAM, BECAUSE I WAS TALKING TO THEM LAST WEEK AND THEY HAD PUT, BEEN PUTTING TOGETHER, UH, SUMMARIES OF THE WORK THEY'D BEEN DOING FOR EACH NEIGHBORHOOD AND WHERE WE ARE IN THE ASKS THAT WE'VE GOTTEN OUTTA THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS WHERE WE ARE IN THAT PROGRESS TO BE ABLE TO HAND OFF TO THE NEW TEAM. AND SO WE CAN TRY AND MAKE SURE THAT NOTHING'S FALLING IN THE CRACKS, UH, WITH THIS TRANSITION, BECAUSE WE WANNA SUPPORT THIS TRANSITION AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. UM, IN ADDITION TO THAT, THEY SAID THE DISTRICT ONE FIELD OFFICE HAS NEVER BEEN CLEANER. THEY WANNA LEAVE EVERYTHING GREAT FOR THE NEW TEAM. UM, AND I'M SO PROUD OF THEM BECAUSE THEY WERE DOING ALL OF THIS WORK WITHOUT ME EVEN ASKING. AND THAT JUST, YOU KNOW, THAT TELLS YOU HOW DEDICATED THEY ARE TO SERVING THE COMMUNITY. SO I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR THAT. UM, I WANNA ADDRESS, UH, DR. KO'S PARENTS. UM, I KNOW THIS IS AN EXTREMELY EXCI EXCITING DAY FOR YOU, AND I KNOW YOU MUST BE REALLY PROUD BECAUSE I REMEMBER HOW PROUD MY PARENTS WERE TWO YEARS AGO. PARENTS WERE TWO YEARS AGO WHEN WE DID THIS. AND SO I'M EXCITED FOR YOU. UM, AND YOU KNOW, TO DR. KO, YOUR SUCCESS IS THE DISTRICT SUCCESS. AND SO WE'RE HERE TO SUPPORT YOU IN ANY WAY AT ANY TIME. AND ISAAC FELLOWS IS, UM, ONE OF OUR DISTRICT ONE'S STAFFERS, AND HE DESIGNED A DISTRICT ONE LOGO. AND SO WE HAD THESE WATER BOTTLES MADE WITH THEM, AND I WANT TO PRESENT ONE TO DR. K. SO I'M GONNA HAND THIS OFF. UH, THIS IS LIKE HANDING THE BATON. AND, UH, GOOD LUCK TO YOU, AND WE'RE HERE TO HELP IN ANY WAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER BRAVO. COUNCIL MEMBER CASTRO. THANK YOU, MAYOR. FIRST OF ALL, I WANT TO THANK YOU, MAYOR AND THE COUNCIL FOR GIVING ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO LIVE THE DREAM. I HAD HOPED TO LIVE WHEN I WAS 23, NOW AT 76. YOU'VE GIVEN ME THAT OPPORTUNITY. AND DESPITE THE FACT THAT I SAW MY SONS WORK HARD, UH, IN PUBLIC SERVICE, I STILL LEARNED SO MUCH FROM YOU AND [00:25:01] THE ACTIVITIES, UH, THE EVENTS, ALL OF THE WORK THAT YOU DO, AND THAT THE CITY STAFF DOES. UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT CHARACTERIZES FOR ME, THE CITY STAFF, BESIDES THEIR HARD WORK, IS THE FACT THAT THEY ARE SO KIND. EVERYONE HERE HAS BEEN SO KIND. UM, AND THAT TO ME IS A WELCOMING THING FOR THE CITY. I REMEMBER YEARS AGO, PEOPLE WOULD SAY ABOUT SAN ANTONIO, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU GO TO SAN ANTONIO, PEOPLE SAY HELLO TO YOU. THEY SMILED AT YOU. THEY CARE ABOUT MEETING SOMEONE. AND THIS CITY STAFF REALLY PERSONIFIED THAT. I FELT, BESIDES ALL THE HARD WORK, UM, IT WAS SO ENJOYABLE TO BE HERE AND TO BE AT THE DISTRICT OFFICE, UH, BUT TO MEET ALL THIS WONDERFUL STAFF AND TO MEET THE WONDERFUL COUNCIL PERSONS, ALTHOUGH I KNEW A LOT OF YOU ALREADY, UM, I KNOW THAT YOU'RE GONNA GO ON TO DO GREAT THINGS. I'M VERY EXCITED BY THE FACT THAT THIS WILL BE A MAJORITY FEMALE COUNCIL. UM, I THINK IT'S THE THIRD ONE IN OUR HISTORY, UH, BUT I'M VERY EXCITED BECAUSE I THINK THAT IT, IT REALLY PRESENTS AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO SOME GREAT THINGS, UH, WITH ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE IN MIND. I ALSO WANT TO THANK MY STAFF. UH, IT'S BEEN SO WONDERFUL TO BE ABLE TO STEP INTO ANA'S SHOES AND BE ABLE TO HAVE SUCH A WONDERFUL STAFF OF PEOPLE WHO, IN THEIR HEARTS CARED ABOUT EVERY INDIVIDUAL CASE THEY HAD, ABOUT EVERY PERSON. AND NOT ONLY DID SOMETHING ONCE, BUT WENT BACK OVER AND OVER AND CALLED OVER AND OVER AND CHECKED ON PEOPLE AND MADE SURE THAT THEY WERE CONNECTING CITY STAFF SO THAT THEY MIGHT BE ABLE TO HELP SOLVE PROBLEMS. I WAS VERY PROUD AND AM VERY PROUD OF OUR STAFF, AND I KNOW THAT THEY'LL, THEY'LL GO ON TO DO GREAT THINGS. ONE OF OUR STAFF MEMBERS WILL NOW BE, UH, UH, CHIEF FOR DIS FOR MARINA AND DISTRICT SEVEN, AND THAT'S REALLY WONDERFUL TO SEE. BUT ALL OUR STAFF WAS REALLY A, A WONDERFUL GROUP OF PEOPLE, AND I AM SORRY TO LEAVE THEM. UM, I WANNA THANK ANNA SANDAL TOO, BECAUSE ANNA SANDAL DID A LOT OF WORK IN ALL THOSE YEARS THAT SHE WAS HERE. UM, AND I JUST FELL INTO THE, BEING ABLE TO TRY TO FOLLOW UP ON SOME OF THAT WORK. SOME OF IT WAS REALLY BEAUTIFUL, LIKE POET'S POINT, IT WAS WONDERFUL. THE LIBRARY OPENINGS, THERE WAS A LOT OF GREAT STUFF. AND THEN THERE WERE THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE WORKED ON THAT MADE ME VERY SAD. BUT BECAUSE OF OUR STAFF, I FELT GOOD ABOUT THE FACT THAT, AND BECAUSE THE D SEVEN STAFF AND THE CITY STAFF, I FELT SO GOOD ABOUT, WE TRIED TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND DO THE BEST THAT WE COULD. UM, I ALSO HAVE TO THANK MY FRIENDS, MANY OF WHO ARE HERE, THE FOLKS I'VE KNOWN OVER THE YEARS AND RESPECTED. UM, YOU REALLY DON'T REALIZE HOW WEALTHY YOU ARE UNTIL YOU SEE ALL THE FRIENDS THAT YOU HAVE. SO THANK YOU FOR ALWAYS BEING THERE. UH, I APPRECIATE IT VERY MUCH. AND THEN FINALLY, MY FAMILY, ALTHOUGH MY SONS ARE NOT HERE TODAY, BOTH ARE OUT OF TOWN, THE STORY OF OUR LIFE. UH, BUT IF THEY, IF THEY COULD BE, THEY WOULD BE HERE. UM, I USED TO TELL MY SONS ALWAYS, LOOK GUYS, YOU'RE ONLY AS GOOD AS YOUR STAFF IS. AND I THINK THIS REALLY SHOWED ME THAT THAT WAS VERY TRUE. SO THANK YOU ALL. UM, I'LL BE AROUND IF I CAN EVER DO ANYTHING OF, BE OF ANY SERVICE. AND I REALLY, REALLY APPRECIATE A HEARTFELT APPRECIATE FOR ALL OF YOU, FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO NOW AND ALL THE HARD WORK YOU PUT IN TO MAKING THIS CITY AN ALL AMERICAN CITY AND TO MAKING THIS CITY A COMPASSIONATE CITY. THOSE ARE TWO WONDERFUL, INCREDIBLE THINGS. UM, IF YOU KNOW DISTRICT SEVEN, I'VE BEEN REAL PROUD OF IT, BECAUSE WHENEVER YOU ASK ANYTHING OF DISTRICT SEVEN, THEY STAND UP. BUT THAT'S TRUE OF THIS COUNCIL TOO. YOU DO IT AND YOU DO IT UNSELFISHLY. YOU PUT THE TIME IN, YOU PUT THE WORK IN. AND I'VE APPRECIATED THAT. THANK YOU, MAYOR. [00:30:04] THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER CASTRO. UH, AND BEFORE, UH, WE CLOSE OUR MEETING, UM, WE HAVE A COUPLE OF THINGS TO GO TO, LEFT TO DO, BUT FIRST IS TO HEAR FROM YOUR COLLEAGUES WHO WOULD LIKE TO ALSO MAKE SOME REMARKS ABOUT. UH, AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE. UH, WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND START WITH COUNCIL MEMBER BRAVO, I, I'M SORRY, COUNCIL MEMBER MCKEE RODRIGUEZ. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND I'M FEELING A MILD ROAST FOR TODAY, AND I'D LIKE TO OFFER MY GOODBYES TO MY EXITING COLLEAGUES AND SOME WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT TO MY NEW COLLEAGUES, TO MY NEW COLLEAGUES. I HAVE VOWED TO BE, UM, AN AGENT OF CHANGE, WHICH MAY FEEL LIKE CHAOS IN A SYSTEM THAT SOMETIMES FEELS DESIGNED FOR THE STATUS QUO. UM, I'M COMMITTED TO REMAINING A FIERY AND COMMITTED ADVOCATE, AND I WILL CHALLENGE YOU AND MAYBE ARGUE WITH YOU A LITTLE BIT. I WILL CONTINUE TO GROW AND LEARN AND LISTEN TO UNDERSTAND. AND I WILL DO IT IN THE SPARKLIEST MOST COLORFUL BLAZERS I CAN FIND ON THE JCPENNEY CLEARANCE RACK, BECAUSE SOMETIMES THAT'S THE ONLY CHAOS I CAN PROVIDE WHEN DISCUSSING SEXY ISSUES LIKE AN AUDIT OR JOB ORDER CONTRACT. IT'S BEEN, UM, QUITE A FEW WEEKS SINCE, UH, THE REST OF US WERE SWORN IN. AND I WANT TO TELL YOU, IT HAS FELT LIKE PURGATORY WAITING TO SEE WHAT THE NEW MAKEUP OF COUNSEL WOULD BE. MARK WHITE GOT A LITTLE BIT OF A HEADSTART AND DIDN'T HAVE A RUNOFF. SO I WANNA SAY CONGRATULATIONS. THAT IS A HUGE, HUGE FEAT. BUT THE REST OF OUR COUNCIL NEWBIES, UH, YOU MAY NOT THINK IT'S FAIR. HE'S BEEN CHILLING THESE PAST FEW WEEKS WHILE Y'ALL WERE OUT WALKING IN THE HEAT, BUT PLEASE DON'T WORRY BECAUSE IT'S GIVEN ME A LOT OF TIME TO THINK ABOUT HOW I WAS GOING TO HAZE HIM. SO IN CASE YOU ARE WONDERING WHERE MY TEAM IS TODAY, THEY'RE IN THE DISTRICT 10 OFFICE UNPLUGGING HIS POWER CORDS AND FLIPPING HIS FURNITURE OVER AS WE SPEAK, SUKUK MARINA AND MARK, IT IS INCREDIBLY EXCITING TO WELCOME YOU ALL. UH, DURING THESE NEXT FEW MONTHS, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO USE YOUR VOICE TO ADVOCATE FOR THE ISSUES THAT MATTER MOST TO YOUR CONSTITUENTS. AND THESE NEXT FEW MONTHS ARE MAYBE THE MOST IMPORTANT BECAUSE WE ARE ALL LISTENING ATTENTIVELY TO, TO YOUR EVERY WORD. BUT ABOUT TWO MONTHS FROM NOW, YOU'LL BE SPEAKING TO A CAPTIVE AUDIENCE MADE UP ONLY OF CITY STAFF AND THE EIGHT OTHER PEOPLE WHO WILL WATCH THIS LIVE ONT V S A OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS. YOU'LL ALSO PROBABLY RECEIVE DOZENS OF REQUESTS FOR INTRODUCTORY MEETINGS. AND I WANT YOU TO KNOW TWO, TWO THINGS. ONE, THAT THEY ALMOST ALWAYS END WITH SOME SORT OF FUNDING REQUEST. AND TWO, THAT NO MATTER HOW MANY MEETINGS YOU HAVE, COUNCILMAN GRO WILL ALWAYS HAVE MORE POINTS OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE IN A SINGLE COUNCIL SESSION. , SHE IS SINGLE HANDEDLY FILLING THESE CHAMBERS EVERY SINGLE WEEK. SO THANK YOU. I KNOW YOU ALL MAY STILL BE, UH, FINISHING YOUR HIRING PROCESSES AND WORKING TO FIND A TEAM THAT CAN BE ATTENTIVE DURING EVERY COUNCIL MEETING, EVERY COMMITTEE MEETING, EVEN THE ONES YOU AREN'T ON. UM, SOMEONE WHO CAN ASK A THOUSAND QUESTIONS DURING INDIVIDUAL BRIEFING SO THEY CAN BE ASKED AGAIN AT FULL SESSION. SOMEONE WHO CAN PREPARE YOU BINDERS AND BINDERS FULL OF COORDINATED STICKY NOTES. UH, SOMEONE WHO CAN DO SITE VISITS AT 4:00 AM MAYBE SOMEONE WHO CAN RECITE PARAGRAPHS FROM THE CITY CHARTER AT THE DROP OF A HAT. UH, BUT UNFORTUNATELY, COUNCILMAN ROCHA GARCIA IS UNAVAILABLE. SO GOOD LUCK. THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW COUNCILMAN CASTILLO AND I WERE GOING TO MANAGE NOW THAT THERE ARE ONLY TWO MEMBERS IN OUR PROGRESSIVE VOTING BLOCK, BUT WE ARE PLANNING ON HAVING A MEMBERSHIP DRIVE NEXT WEEK. AND MUCH LIKE A JEHOVAH'S WITNESS OR A BLOCK WALKER FOR BETTER ESSAY MEMBERS OF D S A WILL BE AT YOUR DOOR FOR RECRUITMENT. TERRY, I SENSE A LOT, I SENSE MANY A LOSING VOTE IN OUR FUTURE, AND THERE'S NO ONE I'D RATHER DO IT WITH. FOLLOWING DOWN THE LINE, UH, YOU WILL BUILD UNLIKELY FRIENDSHIPS ON COUNCIL. YOU MAY BE LUCKY ENOUGH TO FIND A COUNCIL BESTIE WHO IS FASHIONABLE, COMPASSIONATE, KIND, UM, QUITE HONESTLY, ONE OF THE MOST BRILLIANT MINDS IN OUR CITY. SOMEONE WHO IS A CONSENSUS FINDER AND A BRIDGE BUILDER. BUT ENOUGH ABOUT ME, UH, MELISSA, UH, COUNCILMAN CABER, YOU ARE ONE OF MY FAVORITES. AND ALL OF WHAT I SAID WAS HOW I WOULD DESCRIBE YOU. AND IF ANYONE ELSE, ESPECIALLY THE NEW COUNCIL, UH, MEMBERS ARE LOOKING FOR A MENTOR ON COUNCIL, I'M SORRY Y'ALL CAN'T HAVE HER. , MARIA AND I, WE'VE HAD PLENTY OF DISCUSSIONS AND I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU. UH, NO ONE HAS TO TELL YOU THAT YOU'LL HAVE BIG SHOES TO FILL. COUNCILMAN CASTRO. UH, I FEEL LIKE I'VE LEARNED SO MUCH FROM YOU IN THIS SHORT TIME. YOU FIRST RAN FOR OFFICE JUST A FEW YEARS OR SO AGO. UH, AND SINCE THEN, YOU'VE RAISED A GENERATION OF LEADERS BLAZED A TRAIL FOR ALL PEOPLE OF COLOR TO GAIN REPRESENTATION THROUGH SINGLE MEMBER DISTRICTS AND ADVOCATED FOR THE WORKING CLASS EVERY STEP OF THE WAY. UM, AND THAT IS ALMOST AS LONG AS COUNCILMAN COURAGE IS WAITING ON THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION WILL BE APPROVING TOMORROW. ROSIE, ALL JOKES ASIDE, UH, A FEW PEOPLE WILL HAVE THE HONOR OF WITNESSING AMERICAN HISTORY AND MOTION. AND LAST WEEK DURING COUNCIL DISCUSSION, YOU MADE A COMPASSIONATE, UH, PITCH THAT I HOPE WILL BE STUDIED BY ALL WHO FOLLOW. AND SOMETHING I'VE GROWN TO APPRECIATE IS THAT ON THIS DAIS, SOME OF US HAVE AN OPEN DOOR POLICY. FOR EXAMPLE, UH, COUNCILMAN COURAGES DOOR IS PHYSICALLY ALWAYS OPEN, NOT BECAUSE HE WANTS YOU TO COME IN, BUT BECAUSE THE MAINTENANCE TEAM HASN'T FIXED IT IN TWO YEARS. MARIO, UH, COUNCILMAN BRAVO [00:35:01] SAYING GOODBYE TO YOU IS PROBABLY GONNA BE THE HARDEST BECAUSE YOU'VE BEEN JUST LIKE A BROTHER TO, YOU'VE BEEN JUST LIKE A FATHER TO, YOU'VE BEEN JUST LIKE A GRANDFATHER TO ME, . I'M JUST KIDDING. AND, AND THESE PAST TWO YEARS, WE'VE NAVIGATED TWO BUDGETS TOGETHER. WE'VE SORTED THROUGH, UM, EVERYTHING PERTAINING TO BRACKENRIDGE PARK DEALT WITH CONTENTIOUS CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS. AND I KNEW THAT WHEN I WAS HAVING A CHALLENGING DAY, AND WE SHOWED UP FOR COUNCIL SESSION, THAT I'D SIT NEXT TO YOU AND YOU'D MAKE ME LAUGH, AND WE'D TELL JOKES AND TALK ABOUT OUR DAY, AND YOU'D BE AN ALLY WHEN I NEEDED ONE. SO I KNOW THAT WHATEVER THE NEXT STAGE OF YOUR JOURNEY IS, YOU'LL BE SET SUK. I LOOK FORWARD TO SERVING RIGHT NEXT TO YOU. AND WHEN I, I LOOK TO MY LEFT, I WILL LITERALLY LOOK TO SUCK. UH, IT IS GOING TO BE A GRAND OLD TIME, BUT YOU MAY HAVE TO DYE YOUR HAIR A DIFFERENT COLOR SO IT DOESN'T CLASH WITH MINE. . LASTLY, I, I HOPE YOU ALL WILL ENJOY SERVING UNDER RON'S LEADERSHIP. I P W WAS HERE JUST A FEW WEEKS AGO, AND THE VISITORS FROM THE, FROM ACROSS THE WORLD, UH, WERE SO EXCITED TO SEE HIM. OF COURSE, THEY WERE ALSO CONFUSED TO FIND OUT ANDERSON COOPER WAS A MILDLY ASIAN, SOMEWHAT JEWISH MAN, , IT IS NOT HARD TO MIX HIM UP WITH A SUPERSTAR. UH, MY GRANDMA WAS IN TOWN DURING THE PANDEMIC, AND SHE WAS DOWNSTAIRS, AND I ASKED WHAT SHE WAS DOING, AND SHE SAID SHE WAS WATCHING HER SOAP OPERAS WHOLE TIME. IT WAS RERUNS OF RON GIVING COVID UPDATES. , I CAN'T BELIEVE IT IS GOING TO BE YOUR LAST TERM. AND NORMALLY, I'M NOT A FAN OF NAMING BUILDINGS AFTER LIVING PEOPLE, BUT I ALSO BELIEVE IN GIVING PEOPLE, UH, THEIR FLOWERS WHILE THEY'RE AROUND TO RECEIVE THEM. SO I MIGHT SUGGEST WE ALL CHIP IN SOME OF OUR C C P F FUNDS TO RENAME A PLANET FITNESS. AFTER YOU , IN TWO YEARS, WE WILL BE LOOKING TO ELECT A NEW MAYOR. AND I'M SURE MANY CONTENDERS WILL ARISE FROM THIS DAIS. SO, NEW COUNCIL MEMBERS, I HOPE THAT MEANS THEY WILL ALL BE VERY, VERY, VERY NICE TO YOU AND TO THE MAYORAL ASPIRANTS. I HOPE YOU REMEMBER THAT THE WAY YOU TREAT PEOPLE SPEAKS TO YOUR CHARACTER AND YOUR ABILITY TO LEAD FAR MORE THAN ANY AMOUNT OF MONEY OR ANY TITLE COULD. GOOD LUCK TO MY NEW COLLEAGUES, AND I HOPE THIS TERM BRINGS YOU FULFILLMENT. I HOPE YOU FIND JOY IN THE LITTLE LITTLEST VICTORIES, THE HUGS FROM CONSTITUENTS, AND IN THE RESOLUTIONS OF MILD CONFLICT, UH, IN THE DAY TO DAY. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND THANK YOU TO MY COLLEAGUES WHO HAVE SERVED AND THOSE WHO WILL CONTINUE TO SERVE. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER MCKEE RODRIGUEZ. NOW, UM, AFTER BEING UP HERE FOR A WHILE, I KNOW THE DANGERS OF GETTING IN FRONT OF A COUNCIL MEMBER WHO'S ON A ROLL, BUT I'M GONNA REMIND MY COLLEAGUES THAT TODAY'S AGENDA ITEM IS ON DISTRICTS ONE AND SEVEN, UH, FOR, TO COMMENTS FOR THE REST OF THE COUNCIL WILL BE TONIGHT. SO YOU'LL HAVE TO PRACTICE THAT AGAIN, COUNCIL MEMBER MAKI RODRIGUEZ. BUT, UH, THE COMMENTS TODAY FOR CANVASSING OF DISTRICT ONE AND DISTRICT SEVEN. I'LL HAVE NEW ONES READY. GREAT. ALRIGHT. COUNT, COUNCIL MEMBER VIRON. THANK YOU. UM, I, I, IT'S, IT'S HARD TO SAY GOODBYE, AND I'M GONNA TRY NOT TO GET EMOTIONAL, BUT, UM, WE'LL SEE HOW THIS GOES. UH, I WANNA START WITH MARIO. MARIO. UH, I THINK WE NEED TO THINK HE'S HERE. AND WHEN HE WAS ELECTED TWO YEARS AGO, THE OUTGOING COUNCIL MEMBER WAS NOT. SO THE FIRST THING OFF, I WANNA THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. AND I KNOW MOST OF US ARE SITTING HERE AND WE'RE LIKE, WE SHOULDN'T DO THAT, BUT WE HAVE TO BECAUSE IN THE PAST, PEOPLE HAVE NOT SHOWN UP AND SHOWING UP IS HALF, IS HALF OF IT, OR MOST OF IT ACTUALLY. SO THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. THANK YOU FOR BEING SO GRACIOUS. UH, THINGS I LEARNED FROM YOU THAT I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE IS YOUR CREATIVITY AND CON CON YOUR YOUR ABILITY TO CONVERSE ON THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN. YOU CAME IN WITH GREAT IDEAS. YOU CAME IN WITH PASSION, BUT YOU, YOU WERE, UM, YOU WERE WILLING TO LISTEN, AND I APPRECIATE THAT, AND I'M GOING TO TAKE THAT AS WE MOVE FORWARD. AND WE FOCUS ON SUSTAINABILITY HERE IN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. AND I HOPE THAT YOU STAY INVOLVED BECAUSE YOU CAME WITH THAT PERSPECTIVE. AND I THINK IT, IT HAS SHOWN IN THE DECISIONS THIS COUNCIL HAS MADE. THE SECOND I WANT YOU INHERITED A MESS ON ST. MARY'S, BUT YOU PREVAILED AND WORKED TOWARDS SMALL BUSINESS, WORKING ON CONSTRUCTION UNDERSTANDING. AND, AND IN THAT, I WAS ABLE TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH MY TEAM. AND THE ONE THING WE KEEP ON SAYING IS, I DON'T WANNA BE ST. MARY'S. SO YOU STRUGGLED WITH THAT. SO THERE WERE CHALLENGES, BUT YOU, YOU PUSHED THROUGH THE CHALLENGES. THE OTHER THING YOU DID WAS YOU INTRODUCED ME TO A NEW CIRCLE OF FRIENDS. AND I APPRECIATE THAT. NOT, AND NOT JUST THE CLIMATE ACTION FRIENDS, BUT I REALLY APPRECIATE THE NEW CIRCLE OF FRIENDS AND IN PARTICULARLY A BURGUNDY AND HER ENTHUSIASM AND HER JOY THAT SHE BROUGHT. SO YOU WILL BE MISSED, BUT I KNOW THAT YOU HAVE GREAT THINGS AHEAD OF YOU, AND I KNOW YOU'RE NOT GONNA MISS THIS PAY . SO, UM, YOU KNOW, JUST GOOD LUCK AND BEST WISHES ON YOUR NEXT CHAPTER. THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME, ROSIE. [00:40:03] AND THIS IS ONE, UH, WHEN PEOPLE ASK ME WHAT ARE SOME OF THE GREATEST HITS OF VOTES IN MY FIRST TWO YEARS, IT WILL BE APPOINTING ROSIE VOTING TO APPOINT ROSIE CASTRO AS THE DISTRICT SEVEN COUNCILWOMAN. THIS WAS HISTORY MAKING. 'CAUSE SHE HAD TWO SONS THAT SERVED AND, AND HER, ONE OF 'EM SERVED WITH MY SISTER, AND SHE STARTED THIS JOURNEY BACK IN 23, AND SHE MADE HISTORY AT GETTING TO HER DREAM AT 76. AND, AND IT'S, IT'S A STORY WE NEED TO TELL. IT'S A SAN ANTONIO STORY, AND I'M SO EXCITED ABOUT THAT. BUT IT DIDN'T STOP THERE. SHE WAS AN ENCOURAGER TO ME ON THE DAIS BY THE WAY SHE SPOKE, BY THE WAY, SHE WAS THOUGHTFUL, AND BY THE WAY, SHE VOTED. AND LAST WEEK WE HAD A VOTE, AND I WAS FULLY PREPARED TO VOTE NO AND VOTE SOLO. NO. AND SHE VOTED WITH ME. AND I WENT HOME, AND I CALLED MY SISTER, AND I WAS LIKE, ROSIE JUST VOTED NO WITH ME, BECAUSE SHE UNDERSTOOD WHAT WE WERE DOING. AND IT REMINDED ME OF WHO WE ARE IN OUR ROOTS AND WHAT IT IS TO BE MEXICAN AMERICAN IN SAN ANTONIO AND WHAT IT MEANS TO STICK TOGETHER. SO YOUR WORDS, YOUR, YOUR, YOUR, YOUR ENCOURAGEMENT, THE FACT THAT YOU'VE PAID ATTENTION TO WHAT WE'VE SAID, NOT JUST SINCE SHE'S BEEN ON THE DAIS, BUT SINCE BEFORE, EVEN BEFORE, UH, HER SONS WERE ON THERE, HAS JUST BEEN, BEEN SO ENCOURAGING. AND I'M GONNA MISS THAT. BUT I, I'M ENCOURAGED ABOUT THE, THE NEW FEMALE, UM, MAJORITY COUNCIL THAT WE'RE GOING TO GET. AND THE OTHER THING IS, YOU'VE ALWAYS BEEN A ROLE MODEL AND YOU CONTINUE TO BE A ROLE MODEL FOR LATINAS, UM, GOING THROUGH AN UNDERSTANDING. AND I SO WISH THAT THE STRUGGLE WASN'T AS DIFFICULT FOR US AS WOMEN AND LATINAS AS IT IS, BUT IT STILL IS. BUT IT'S NOT AS BAD AS IT COULD BE BECAUSE OF THE WORK YOU DID. SO THANK YOU. AND YOU'LL BE MISSED, AND I'VE ENJOYED SERVING ON THIS TWO YEARS WITH THIS COUNCIL. AND, UM, JUST BEST WISHES TO, TO YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER VRAN. COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHE GARCIA. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND I WANNA START OFF BY THANKING MY COLLEAGUE, UH, COUNCILMAN BRAVO AND, AND HIS ENTIRE STAFF. AND, UH, COUNCILMAN BRAVO'S STAFF WAS ALWAYS A JOY TO SEE IN THE HALLWAY, AND THEY WERE ALWAYS BUSY AND, UH, ALWAYS WANTING TO, TO REACH OUT TO THEIR CONSTITUENTS. AND I WANNA LET YOU KNOW THAT I APPRECIATED EVERYTHING THAT YOUR STAFF AND MY STAFF, UH, WORKED ON TOGETHER. UM, AND, AND COUNCILMAN, UH, WE KNOW THAT IT'S BEEN A ROUGH COUPLE OF YEARS, UM, BUT NOBODY'S PERFECT. NOBODY GETS IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME, RIGHT? AND SO THIS WAS YOUR FIRST TIME. AND SO, UM, I'M EXCITED ABOUT WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS FOR YOU. I ALSO WANNA, UM, THANK BURGUNDY. UH, SHE REALLY DOES BRING A WHOLE LOT OF JOY. SO SHE IS SUCH A, A FUN PERSON, AND SHE'S THE REASON I WAS ADVOCATING FOR YESTERDAY FOR ARTS TEACHERS. YOU CAN GO AND TELL HER. I WAS TRYING TO, UM, UH, BE AN ADVOCATE FOR, FOR ARTS. UM, BUT, UM, I ALSO WANNA SAY THANK YOU. UM, UM, MY COLLEAGUES ON, ON THE DAIS, UM, KNOW THAT WE, UM, KIND OF COACH EACH OTHER. WE'LL COME TO EACH OTHER, WE'LL ASK FOR EACH OTHER FOR HELP. AND COUNCILMAN BRAVO, UM, WOULD COME TO ME SOMETIMES. AND, UM, I REALLY LIKE HAVING THOSE HEARTFELT CONVERSATIONS. AND SO EVERY TIME THAT I TALKED TO YOU, I WAS COMPLETELY HONEST WITH YOU. YOU MIGHT NOT HAVE LIKED IT A FEW TIMES, BUT I WAS COMPLETELY HONEST. AND I APPRECIATE THAT YOU LISTENED, UM, AND THAT YOU TOOK THAT TO HEART AND THEN YOU WANTED TO, TO TRY AND CHANGE. SO, SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. I'M SURE YOU'RE GONNA DO WONDERFUL THINGS. UM, AND I'M, I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO CONTINUED WORK WITH YOU, UM, TO COUNCILWOMAN CASTRO. UH, I'VE KNOWN YOU FOR A REALLY LONG TIME. I REMEMBER, UM, BEING AT YOUR HOME LICKING ENVELOPES FOR, I THINK IT WAS JULIAN'S MAYBE FIRST FRIEND, OR MAYBE IT'S JOAQUIN RUNNING FOR STATE REP. UM, AND YOU WERE ALWAYS SUCH A MOTHERLY FIGURE, AND I WAS A SINGLE MOM AT THE, THE TIME. AND I FEEL LIKE YOU KIND OF TOOK ME IN AND YOU KIND OF LET ME KNOW THAT, THAT I COULD STILL HELP, EVEN IF IT WAS LITTLE BITS, UH, AT A TIME. UM, YOU SHOWED ME HOW TO USE, UM, THE, THE CLIPBOARD AND GO DOOR TO DOOR, RIGHT? AND WHAT I WAS SUPPOSED TO ASK AND WHAT I WAS SUPPOSED TO LEARN ABOUT FROM CONSTITUENTS. SO, UM, YOU REALLY TAUGHT ME TO, TO TEACH, TO TALK TO MY CONSTITUENTS AND LEARN FROM THEM. SO IT WAS AN HONOR WHEN, UM, I GOT TO VOTE FOR YOU TO REPRESENT THE DISTRICT THAT YOU, UM, HAVE [00:45:01] BEEN RESIDING IN WITH, WITH YOUR SONS. AND, UM, I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW EXCITING IT IS THAT WE GET TO SIT UP HERE TODAY AND HAVE A FEMALE MAJORITY COUNCIL ONCE AGAIN. UM, AND WE'RE STANDING ON YOUR SHOULDERS. WE'RE STANDING ON THE SHOULDERS OF MANY PEOPLE. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU ALL REALIZE, BUT TODAY, UH, NORMA CHAVEZ IS HERE. SHE IS THE FIRST LATINA C F O FOR THE CITY. SHE IS HERE IN THE CHAMBERS, AND I WANNA RECOGNIZE HER. AND, UM, NORA, IF YOU COULD JUST STAND, UM, PLEASE, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU ALL REALIZE THIS, BUT ALSO IN THE CHAMBERS IS NORMA RODRIGUEZ, WHO THE CHAMBER IS NAMED AFTER THE FIRST LATINA CITY CLERK. THE ROOM IS FULL OF POWERFUL WOMEN WHO HAVE LED THE WAY, LIKE SENATOR LETICIA VAN DEPU, WHO I WON'T ASK TO STAND BECAUSE, UH, SHE'S, SHE'S A LITTLE INJURED STILL, BUT SHE'S WAVING. SO MARY ALICE CISNEROS, WHO AGAIN, HELPED PAVE THE WAY AND CHAMPION THE SAME THINGS THAT ROSIE CASTRO CHAMPIONED SO THAT WE COULD BE HERE TODAY AS A, AS A FEMALE MAJ MAJORITY, UH, DR. LAVA BARENA, WHO CONTINUES TO INFLUENCE THE WOMEN, UH, IN POLITICS. UM, AND THEN, UH, FINALLY, UM, WE SIT UP HERE TODAY, YES, ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS, BUT WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE A, A WHOLE COMMUNITY BEHIND US. AND, UH, MISS, UH, COUNCILWOMAN CASTRO, YOU HAVE DONE A PHENOMENAL JOB OF REPRESENTING YOUR COMMUNITY. YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT ABOUT FRIENDS. YOUR FRIENDS ARE PRICELESS. YOUR FRIENDS HAVE SHAPED HISTORY. UM, AND I JUST WANTED TO, TO FOCUS ON THAT AND JUST HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THE OTHER WOMEN THAT I'M SO VERY PROUD OF. BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, SAY THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU'VE DONE. I'M SO HAPPY THAT I WAS ABLE TO HELP YOUR DREAM COME TRUE IN A SMALL LITTLE PART. WE'LL MISS YOU. I ALWAYS LIKE WALKING ACROSS THE STREET, UM, WITH YOU. ALTHOUGH, HEY, ERIC, THEY TOOK OFF THAT SIGN WHERE IT SAYS PEDESTRIAN CROSSING. I THINK SOMEONE'S TRYING TO TAKE US OUT. SO, UH, AND I'M AT HEELS, SO I CAN'T WALK THAT FAST. UM, BUT ANYWAY, SO, SO THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN. WE WILL MISS YOU. AND, UH, THANK YOU COUNCILMAN, AND WELCOME TO MY NEW, UH, COLLEAGUES, UH, DR. SUKKAR, AND ALSO MARINA, UM, RETE, WHO WILL BE UP HERE SOON. I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO ALL THE THINGS THAT WE CAN DO. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ROJA GARCIA, COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO. SURE. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, IT HAS BEEN A GREAT HONOR SERVING THE PEOPLE OF DISTRICT FIVE, AND EVEN MORE SO ALONGSIDE COLLEAGUES AT BORDER DISTRICT FIVE. UH, COUNCILMAN BRAVO. YOU'VE BEEN AN ADVOCATE LEADING WITH VALUES AND PRINCIPLES FROM ENSURING THAT WE PROTECT RENTERS AND HAVE TENANT PROTECTIONS TO SMALL BUSINESS GRANTS. AND AS WE'RE IN THE MIDST OF RECORD BREAKING HEAT INDEX, THE IMPORTANCE OF ENSURING THAT WE ADDRESS OUR CLIMATE CRISIS, ENSURING THAT OUR CHILDREN HAVE ACCESS TO CLEAN AIR AND ESSENTIALLY CREATING A SUSTAINABLE SAN ANTONIO, THAT'S BETTER FOR ALL OF US. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. AND I ALSO WANNA THANK YOUR STAFF, UH, AGAIN, RIGHT? WE SHARE THOSE BORDERS. SO AT NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS, MANY OF YOUR TEAM MEMBERS THERE WE'RE TACKLING THOSE ISSUES. UH, AND I ALWAYS LIKE TO POINT AND EMPHASIZE, RIGHT, THAT YOU AND I AND D ONE, WE SHARE THE CITY'S MOST ECONOMICALLY DIVESTED CENSUS TRACK IN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, IF NOT IN THE STATE OF TEXAS. AND THAT'S A COMMUNITY THAT HAS BEEN LONG NEGLECTED. AND WHAT I'VE HEARD FROM COMMUNITY MEMBERS IS THE ATTENTION AND MATERIAL IMPACT THAT HAS BEEN MADE, UH, UNDER YOUR TENURE. AND I, AND I'M, I'M SURE THAT WILL CONTINUE. UM, BUT I, I WANNA ALSO SHIFT OVER TO COUNCILMAN GASTRO. IT HAS BEEN A AMAZING SERVING ALONGSIDE YOU AS WELL, UH, AS, UM, SOMEONE WHO STUDIED, UH, METROPOLITAN HISTORY, RIGHT? WE LEARN ABOUT THE, THE CHANGE MAKERS AND, AND THE HISTORY OF SINGLE MEMBER DISTRICTS HERE IN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. AND YEARS AGO, I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE BREAKFAST WITH MARIO CAMPON, AND HE'S, WHO SHARED WITH ME THE PLATFORM FOR VAIO BETTERMENT AND THE CANDIDATES WHO RAN ON THIS VISION OF ENSURING THAT THERE'S A SAN ANTONIO THAT WORKS FOR EVERYONE. THAT IT COMES FROM THE BOTTOM UP, UH, ENSURING THAT EVERYDAY WORKERS ARE FAIRLY REPRESENTED. SO I, I WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR THAT ADVOCACY, AND A LOT OF FOLKS HAVE TOUCHED ON, UH, HISTORY AND ALL OF THAT, UM, MOVEMENT AND CHANGE THAT YOU'VE HELPED FACILITATE, AND YOU AND YOUR COLLEAGUES AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS. AND RECENTLY I'VE BEEN READING ANTONIO GROMS. SHE'S LETTERS FROM PRISON AND HE WRITES TO HIS SON, I THINK YOU LIKE HISTORY JUST AS MUCH AS I DID WHEN I WAS YOUR AGE, BECAUSE IT DEALS WITH HUMAN BEINGS AND EVERYTHING THAT DEALS WITH PEOPLE, AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE, ALL THE PEOPLE IN THE WORLD AS THEY JOIN TOGETHER IN SOCIETY AND WORK AND STRUGGLE AND BETTER THEMSELVES. SHOULD YOU PLEASE MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE? UM, THAT'S WHAT HE WRITES TO HIS SON, RIGHT? AND I THINK OFTENTIMES WHEN [00:50:01] WE TALK ABOUT, ABOUT HISTORY, IT'S THINGS OF THE PAST. AND I DON'T THINK WE ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE WORK THAT WE'RE HERE DOING ON THE DAIS, WHETHER IT'S A A, A HISTORICAL C P S VOTE TO PUT INVESTMENT BACK INTO COMMUNITIES. THAT'S THE SHAPING AND THE CREATION OF HISTORY, THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING UP HERE. UM, AND, AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT I'M SURE HISTORIANS, UH, THAT ARE, ARE WORKING ON, THEIR PHDS ARE GOING TO BE RESEARCHING THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING, UM, THE CHANGE THAT WE, WE MADE, THE CHANGE THAT WE DIDN'T MAKE. UH, AND ALL THAT TO SAY IT'S BEEN AN HONOR TO SERVE ALONGSIDE YOU. COUNCILMAN BRAVO, AND YOU COUNCILWOMAN CASTRO. UH, I, I AM SURE THERE'S SO MUCH MORE IN STORE FOR THE BOTH OF YOU ALL. AND I WILL SAY COUNCILWOMAN, I DON'T THINK THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO HAS HAD A LATINA MAYOR. SO IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING TO DO, UM, , UM, WITH THAT, I, I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING ALONGSIDE MY NEW COLLEAGUES WHO ALSO BORDER DISTRICT FIVE, UH, MARINA, UH, IN DISTRICT SEVEN. I'M REALLY EXCITED TO SEE THE CONTINUED ADVOCACY, UH, AND ENSURING THAT WE WORK TO CLOSE THE DIGITAL DIVIDE. AND I KNOW THAT YOU ARE A WEALTH OF KNOWLEDGE AND SO MUCH, AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO LEARNING FROM YOU AND CONTINUE TO ADVOCATE FOR OUR COMMUNITY. AND WITH DRS LIKEWISE, I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO ENSURE THAT WE CONTINUE TO PUT OUR CONSTITUENTS FIRST TO CONTINUE TO BUILD A SAN ANTONIO THAT WORKS FOR EVERYONE. SO THANK Y'ALL, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO THE CONTINUED WORK, UM, TO MY COLLEAGUES LEAVING AND THOSE COMING IN. UM, WE HAVE SO MUCH WORK AHEAD OF US, SO I'M READY FOR A SESSION. , THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO, COUNCIL MEMBER KIWATO, THANK YOU MAYOR. AND THANK YOU EVERYBODY FOR BEING HERE TODAY. UM, OF COURSE, BIGGEST THANK YOU TO COUNCILMAN BRAVO, COUNCILWOMAN GUSTO, AND ALSO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO COUNCILMAN PERRY FOR YOUR SERVICE, TO OUR, OUR CITY PEOPLE. UM, UNLESS YOU, SO I'VE BEEN A COUNCIL LATE. I WAS VERY, VERY CLOSE TO CITY HALL WHEN I WAS YOUNG, BUT I STILL HAD NO IDEA WHAT IT WAS LIKE WHEN YOUR, YOUR BUTT'S IN THE CHAIR, YOUR NAME'S ON THE DOOR. IT'S VERY DIFFERENT. AND SO I, I, I THANK YOU. I COMMEND YOU FOR THE HARD WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE, UM, AND YOUR CASE, WELL, REALLY ALL OF YOUR CASES IN, IN YOUR WHOLE LIVES FOR OUR CITY. AND THIS IS, UM, A PINNACLE TO, UM, A PROFESSIONAL CAREER. BUT I KNOW THAT IT'S, IT'S NOT ENDING FOR ANY OF YOU. UH, AND SO I THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR, YOUR DEDICATION, YOUR LOVE FOR OUR CITY. I THINK PEOPLE DON'T ENTIRELY UNDERSTAND, UM, THAT WE GIVE OUR LIVES TO THIS FOR THE TIME THAT WE'RE HERE, UM, FOR HOWEVER LONG YOU'RE HERE. AND SO I THANK YOU FOR THAT. UM, SPECIFICALLY TO COUNCILMAN BRAVO, UH, I THINK, YOU KNOW, COUNCILMAN VRAN MENTIONED, UM, THAT YOU'RE HERE, AND I TOLD YOU YESTERDAY AFTER PUBLIC SAFETY. I THANK YOU FOR THAT FORTITUDE AND THAT, UM, REAL PASSION. IT SHOWS YOUR TRUE LOVE FOR YOUR CITY. YOU, UH, YOU KNEW THAT YOU HAD, HAD ONLY A FEW DAYS LEFT, AND YOU DIDN'T ELECT TO STAY HOME. YOU CHOSE TO COME HERE EVERY DAY AND FACE US ALL AND, AND CONTINUE TO WORK AND ENGAGE. AND I THANK YOU FOR THAT. UM, THE, WHEN I THINK OF COUNCILMAN MARIO BRAVO, THE FIRST THING I THINK ABOUT IS PASSION. YOU HAVE YOUR UNRELENTING LOVE FOR YOUR DISTRICT, FOR OUR CITY, AND YOUR INCREDIBLE PASSION FOR THE, THE THINGS THAT YOU BELIEVE IN. SO I THANK YOU FOR THAT. I THINK YOUR ADVOCACY SOMETIMES GETS LOST IN ALL OF THE, UM, YOU KNOW, THE OTHER THINGS THAT HAPPEN HERE AT COUNCIL, BUT IT, IT, IT'S, IT REALLY SHINES THROUGH, UM, A LOT. SO I WANNA LET YOU KNOW THAT, THAT, THAT YOU'RE NOT LEAVING YOU, YOU LEAVE WITH YOUR HEAD HELD HIGH. AND, AND EVERYBODY HERE KNOWS THAT YOU HAVE A PASSION AND LOVE AND, UH, AND FOR THE CITY AND FOR YOUR ADVOCACY FOR, UM, COUNCILWOMAN CASTRO, UH, UH, AGAIN, I'M GONNA MENTION COUNCILWOMAN LAN'S SPEECH. WHEN YOU SAID THE GREATEST HIT, I THOUGHT YOU WERE GONNA SAY THAT TIME, SHE SAID, UH, CHINOS, BECAUSE THAT WAS THE GREATEST HIT . UM, IT WAS MAYBE ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF, UH, OF ME SITTING HERE. BUT, UM, WHEN SHE SAID THAT IT WAS MAYBE ONE OF YOUR FIRST COUNCIL MEETINGS, UH, COUNCILWOMAN CASTRO, AND IT REALLY SET A TONE LIKE, THIS IS WHO YOU ARE. THIS IS WHO YOU'RE GONNA BE, THIS IS WHO YOU'RE ALWAYS GONNA BE. AND SITTING UP HERE WAS NEVER GONNA CHANGE THAT. SO I'M, I'M GRATEFUL TO YOUR LIFELONG WORK, UM, IN OUR COMMUNITY, AND I, UH, HAVE A SPECIAL GRATITUDE TO YOU. AND I SAID THIS WHEN YOU WERE APPOINTED, BUT BECAUSE OF YOUR WORK, YOUR LIFE'S WORK, I AM HERE. AND THE WOMEN OF COLOR, OR THE PEOPLE OF COLOR ON THIS DAIS ARE HERE BECAUSE OF YOU, BECAUSE BEFORE YOU, AND BEFORE YOUR FIGHT AND YOUR, AND YOUR FIGHT, UM, THERE WAS, IT WAS PEOPLE WERE PRETTY MUCH APPOINTED TO COUNCIL. THEY WERE, THEY WERE HAND CHOSEN. SO WE ARE A, UH, COUNCIL, OR WE'RE A DAIS OF TRUE REPRESENTATION, AND THAT IS BECAUSE OF, UM, THE LIVING LEGEND THAT IS SITTING NEXT TO ME NOW. SO I THANK YOU FOR THAT. UM, IT, IT IS, UH, TO, TO MARINA AND SUK AND, AND MARK, UH, YOU, THIS IS, AND I JUST SAID KIND OF, THERE'S A LOT OF, THERE'S A LOT GOING ON HERE, AND IT'S, IT REALLY KIND OF ENGULFS OUR LIVES, BUT IN A REALLY GREAT WAY. I MEAN, YOU, YOU, YOU GET TO GO TO A SENIOR CENTER AND CELEBRATE MOTHER'S DAY WITH THEM, OR JUST ON A RANDOM WEDNESDAY, AND IT'S JUST THE BEST FEELING WHEN THEY, THEY TALK TO YOU ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON IN THEIR LIVES. AND THESE ARE THE REAL PEOPLE THAT YOU REPRESENT. GOING TO SCHOOLS, GOING OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY, TALKING [00:55:01] TO, UH, THE PEOPLE THAT YOU REPRESENT. I MEAN, THEY ARE OUR NEIGHBORS. THEY'RE OUR FAMILY. THERE ARE FRIENDS. WE, WE LIVE THERE. AND SO, UH, I MEAN, I, I TELL THIS STORY OF I, UM, I WAS RUNNING ONE DAY IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD. I WAS JUST HAPPY TO KIND OF GET OUT AND GO RUNNING, AND SOMEBODY STOPPED ME, HEY, ARE YOU THE COUNCILWOMAN? AND THERE WAS A SECOND WHERE I THOUGHT I'D SAY, NOPE. YOU KNOW, KEEP RUNNING . BUT I STOPPED AND I TALKED TO HER AND HER LITTLE BABY GRANDDAUGHTER AND PET THE DOG. AND IT WAS JUST ONE OF THE BEST RUNS I EVER HAD. , YOU KNOW, I STOPPED TO TALK TO HER FOR PROBABLY 30 MINUTES. BUT, UH, IT'S A BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL, UM, JOB THAT WE GET TO HAVE. AND SO I WELCOME YOU, AND I'LL SAY TO YOU WHAT I SAID TO, UH, THE NEW COUNCIL MEMBERS A COUPLE YEARS AGO. I REALLY LOOK FORWARD TO LEARNING FROM YOU EVERY DAY IN THIS SEAT, YOU GET TO LEARN SOMETHING NEW. I'M BORN AND RAISED IN THIS CITY, AND YOU THINK YOU KNOW YOUR CITY, BUT, UH, THERE'S ALWAYS SOMETHING NEW FOR YOU TO LEARN. AND SO EMBRACE THAT AND, AND, UM, AND LEARN TO LOVE IT. AND IT'S, IT'S THE BEST JOB IN THE WORLD, IN MY OPINION. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER KIO VARDA, COUNCIL MEMBER PALS. THANK YOU. UM, COUNCILMAN BRAVO. CONGRATULATIONS ON GETTING TO LIVE A NORMAL LIFE. UH, AND, UM, WE, UH, I APPRECIATE YOUR SERVICE. I THINK THAT YOU DID AN EXCELLENT JOB IN SERVING YOUR CONSTITUENTS, AND YOU SHOULD BE PROUD OF EVERY DAY THAT YOU SPENT HERE. UM, COUNCILWOMAN CASTRO. UM, I'LL, I'LL, I'LL TELL, TELL YOU, I'M ALWAYS REMINDING MY DAUGHTER THAT SHE HAS NO EXCUSES TO DO SMALL THINGS. UM, AND THE REASON SHE'S GOT NO EXCUSES TO DO SMALL THINGS IS BECAUSE, UH, WOMEN LIKE YOU, UH, HAVE PAVED THE WAY AHEAD FOR HER. UM, AND I HAVE THE HONOR OF HAVING MET THIS CITY'S FEMALE GIANTS. I HAD THE HONOR OF, OF MEETING AND GETTING TO KNOW LILA COCKRELL BEFORE, UM, SHE PASSED AWAY. I, I HAVE THE HONOR OF, OF KNOWING AND LOVING MARIA AL. UM, I HAVE THE HONOR OF KNOWING JANE MACON AND ROSEMARY KOWALSKI. AND I GOTTA TELL YOU, UM, GETTING TO SERVE WITH YOU, UH, JUST MEANS THAT I GET TO TELL MORE STORIES ABOUT YET ANOTHER GIANT THAT, UH, I GET TO, UH, THAT I GET TO CALL A FRIEND. I'M, I'M SAD, I'M SAD TO SEE YOU GO. UM, AND I ALSO AM HAPPY THAT YOU GET TO LIVE THE REST OF YOUR LIFE WITHOUT B SESSIONS AND BRIEFINGS. UM, AND, BUT I'M, I'M ALL THE BETTER FOR HAVING SAT NEXT TO YOU AND LEARNED FROM YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE, MA'AM. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ELAS, COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. OH BOY, THIS IS SOMETHING FOR ME. UH, ROSIE, IT, IT'S BEEN GREAT HAVING YOU ON THE COUNCIL. AND, UH, ONE OF THE REASONS WHY IS, UH, FOR THE LONGEST TIME I WAS ABLE TO SAY CLAYTON PERRY FROM D 10 WAS THE OLDEST MEMBER OF THE COUNCIL BECAUSE HE LOOKED OLDER THAN ME. AND FOR A WHILE WHEN YOU CAME IN, YOU KNOW, THEN YOU KIND OF FILLED THAT ROLE. UH, BUT NOW I TRULY AM THE ELDER STATESMAN AND I CAN'T HIDE IT ANYMORE. BUT THANK YOU, UH, FOR THAT TIME. UH, MARIO, UH, YEAH, I REMEMBER VISITING WITH YOU WHEN I WAS FIRST ELECTED, UH, AND IT WAS A C P SS ENERGY MEETINGS. AND, UH, I WAS, I THINK, THE FIRST COUNCILMAN BESIDES THE MAYOR TO EVER GO AND WATCH ONE AND LISTEN IN. AND YOU WERE THERE EVERY MEETING THAT I WENT TO FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS, AND YOU ALWAYS WENT UP AND TALKED ABOUT WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN AT C P S ENERGY, WHAT WE, WHAT SHOULD WE BE DOING ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT. YOU ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT THAT, AND I KNOW YOU STILL ARE, YOU KNOW, IT'S PROBABLY BECAUSE OF YOUR PASSION THAT WE HAVE TODAY, THE MUNICIPAL UTILITIES COMMITTEE THAT THE MAYOR SET UP JUST A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, BECAUSE WORK, UH, YOU AND OTHER PEOPLE SAYING WE NEED AS A COUNCIL TO BE MORE INVOLVED IN UNDERSTANDING WHAT GOES ON WITH OUR UTILITIES. UH, AND SO I COMMEND YOU FOR THAT, AND I'M SURE THAT YOU'RE GONNA BE CONTINUING TO DO THAT OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS OR HOWEVER LONG, UH, YOU CHOOSE TO DO. SO, YOU KNOW, I LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUE SEEING YOU INVOLVED IN THE COMMUNITY, UH, AND, AND REALLY TAKING WHATEVER OPPORTUNITIES TO BE A LEADER THAT MAY COME YOUR WAY. AND, UH, I'VE APPRECIATED, UH, ALL THE WORK THAT YOU HAVE PUT IN AS A COUNCIL MEMBER. UH, I KNOW DOING ALL THE WORK YOU DID WITH YOUR STAFF HELPED YOU AND HELPED YOUR, YOUR COMMUNITY. I UNDERSTAND HOW IMPORTANT THE STAFF IS. I HOPE ALL YOUR STAFF, UH, FIND A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO CONTINUE TO SERVE AS I KNOW YOU WILL ONE WAY OR ANOTHER. AND I HOPE WE REMAIN, YOU KNOW, GOOD FRIENDS AND ACQUAINTANCES ALONG THE WAY. SO THANK YOU AND ROSIE, UM, YOU KNOW, YOU EARNED THE SEAT THAT YOU SIT IN TODAY. [01:00:01] YOU EARN THAT BECAUSE YOU SERVE THIS COMMUNITY FOR MORE THAN 50 YEARS, AND WE ALL KNOW THAT. UH, AND YOU BRING WISDOM AND EXPERIENCE WITH YOU EVERYWHERE YOU GO, WHETHER YOU'RE SERVING HERE OR DOING THINGS IN ANY OTHER PART OF THE COMMUNITY THAT YOU CHOOSE TO DO THAT. AND THAT'S SO IMPORTANT. THAT'S SUCH A VALUABLE ASSET TO US AS, AS IT WAS ON THE COUNCIL. AND I THINK IT WILL CONTINUE TO BE IN THE COMMUNITY. SO WE ALL LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING MORE OF ROSIE CASTRO DOING THINGS AND COMING AND HELPING US UNDERSTAND WHAT WE CAN DO BETTER AS A COUNCIL. SO THANK YOU. I WISH YOU GOOD HEALTH, GOOD HEALTH FOR YOUR FAMILY, AND CONTINUED SUCCESS IN EVERYTHING YOU DO. THANK YOU, ROSIE. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. COUNCIL MEMBER WHITE. YEAH. UM, COUNCILWOMAN CASTRO. I'VE, I'VE ONLY BEEN HERE A FEW WEEKS AND, AND DON'T KNOW YOU AS WELL AS, UH, THE REST OF MY COLLEAGUES, BUT, UM, I'VE HEARD ALL THE STORIES AND I KNOW HOW MUCH YOU'VE MEANT TO THIS COMMUNITY AND, AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, VERY MUCH APPRECIATIVE OF, OF YOUR SERVICE TO SAN ANTONIO AND, AND YOUR TIME ON COUNCIL. COUNCILMAN BRAVO. UM, I'VE GOTTEN TO KNOW YOU A LITTLE BIT OVER THE PAST, UH, SIX WEEKS. I THINK WE REALLY MET FOR THE FIRST TIME DURING THE CAMPAIGN. AND, UM, AND I'LL TELL YOU WHEN, WHEN FOLKS ASK ME, UM, ABOUT YOU, THE FIRST WORD THAT THAT COMES TO THE, COMES TO MIND IS, IS PASSION. UM, YOU, YOU JUST WERE SO PASSIONATE, UM, ABOUT THIS JOB, UH, ABOUT THE CITY. UM, AND THAT WAS REALLY INSPIRING TO ME, UM, DURING MY CAMPAIGN. UM, YOU'VE BEEN HELPFUL TO ME, UH, IN THE TRANSITION TO, TO COMING ONTO THE COUNCIL. UM, I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT AND WISH YOU NOTHING BUT THE BEST, UM, MOVING FORWARD, UH, TO MY NEW COLLEAGUES, TO DR. CARR, TO, UH, TO MARINA, UM, AND TO EVERYBODY ELSE, UH, SITTING UP HERE. UM, I'M EXCITED. I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING WITH ALL OF YOU, UM, TO MAKE SAN ANTONIO A BETTER PLACE. SO, UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH, UH, TO THE MAYOR, UH, AND EVERYONE FOR BEING SO OVER THE PAST FEW WEEKS, AND, UM, I'M READY TO GET TO WORK. THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER WHITE, AND I'LL, UH, CLOSE. I'LL BE BRIEF. UM, FIRST OF ALL, CONGRATULATIONS TO MAR ALTE, UH, VETO AND THE ENTIRE, UH, RETE FAMILY. UH, YOU WILL SPEND NO BETTER DAYS IN THIS CITY THAN THE WORK THAT YOU'LL DO OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS, UH, AND TO THE CORE FAMILY AS WELL. SUKUK, UH, LOOK FORWARD TO SERVING WITH YOU, AND CONGRATULATIONS TO YOUR FAMILY AS WELL. UM, MARIO, I THINK MY COLLEAGUES HAVE SAID IT BEST ABOUT YOUR PASSION, AND I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THAT. UH, THAT PASSION COMES FROM SOMEPLACE THOUGH. AND, AND ANYONE WHO SPENT A DAY, UH, IN THESE SEATS KNOWS THAT THIS WORK IS DEEPLY PERSONAL. AND SO, UH, THE FACT THAT YOU EVERY DAY NEVER HAD TO WORRY ABOUT YOU BRINGING A HUNDRED PERCENT TO YOUR JOB AND TO YOU GIVING A HUNDRED PERCENT OF YOURSELF TO YOUR COMMUNITY, I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THAT WORK. IT WON'T BE FORGOTTEN, ROSIE. THANK YOU, UH, ON BEHALF OF OUR ENTIRE COMMUNITY FOR CONTINUING TO SET THE BAR FOR PUBLIC SERVICE. UM, YOU, UH, AND SOMEONE ELSE SAID IT HAVE PAVED THE PATH FOR MOST OF US TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE IN THE WAY THAT WE HAVE. UH, AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT, UH, OF COURSE, STANDS AT THE FOUNDATION OF ALL OF OUR STORIES. SO, UH, THAT ALSO CAN'T BE OVERSTATED. BUT I DO RECOGNIZE THE FACT THAT WHEN YOUR NAME IS ROSIE CASTRO, THERE'S A MYTHOLOGY ABOUT YOU THAT'S CREATED, UH, BY A LOT OF YOUNGER FOLKS HERE, INCLUDING MYSELF. AND, YOU KNOW, YOU ARE LARGER THAN LIFE IN SO MANY WAYS. UM, AND THE STORIES THAT WE TELL ABOUT YOUR TIME AS A COUNCIL CANDIDATE AND THE WORK THAT YOU HAVE CONTINUED TO DO OVER THE NEXT, UH, OVER THE NEXT, UM, YOU KNOW, FOUR OR FIVE DECADES IS ALSO INSPIRATIONAL TO US ALL. BUT WHAT I WANT TO THANK YOU MOST FOR IS THE FACT THAT WHEN YOU TOOK YOUR PLACE ON THE DAAS, YOU CONTINUED TO SET THAT STANDARD IN THE COUPLE OF MONTHS THAT YOU SERVED HERE, UH, IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT. AND WE ALL KNOW THAT LOCAL GOVERNMENT IS NOT GLAMOROUS. THE THE DAILY DECISIONS THAT WE MAKE ARE NOT THINGS THAT YOU'D SEE, YOU KNOW, ON YOUR NIGHTLY NEWS, UH, NATIONAL NEWS. UH, IT'S GRINDING AWAY TO MAKE OUR COMMUNITY A BETTER PLACE. AND A LOT OF THEM, A LOT OF THOSE DECISIONS ARE JUST BASIC SERVICES AND INFRASTRUCTURE DECISIONS. BUT I'LL SHARE WITH YOU THAT WHEN YOUR SON WAS HERE LAST WEEK AFTER HAVING WATCHED OUR CITY COUNCIL MEETING, [01:05:01] UH, WE HAD A BRIEF CONVERSATION. AND I CAN'T SHARE WITH WITH PUBLIC WHAT HE SAID, BUT NEEDLESS TO SAY, UM, YOUR BRIEF TIME AS A LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL HERE ALSO LEFT THE IMPRESSION THAT YOU WILL CONTINUE TO SET THE STANDARD FOR PUBLIC SERVICE. UM, AND YOU DID THAT IN, UH, AS A CITY COUNCIL MEMBER. UH, AND THAT IS, UH, SOMETHING THAT I WILL TREASURE. AND, UM, AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR YOUR, YOUR CONTINUED SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY. WE KNOW YOU'RE NOT, YOU'RE NOT THROUGH, UH, WE WILL CONTINUE TO SEEK YOUR WISDOM AND ADVICE AND, UM, CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CASTRO FAMILY FOR YOUR CONTINUED LEGACY. I, I HEARD SOME AUDIBLE GASP, BUT I MENTIONED YOUNG PEOPLE. I, I WAS COUNTING MYSELF IN THAT, BY THE WAY. SO, UM, AT LEAST I USED TO BE. ANYWAYS, UH, SO THAT IS, UH, THE DURATION OF OUR MEETING EXCEPT FOR ONE THING. AND THAT IS THAT WE NOW HAVE TO SWEAR IN OUR NEW CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS IN DISTRICT ONE, IN DISTRICT SEVEN. SO IF I COULD ASK, UH, DR. COR AS WELL AS, UH, UH, MARINA GTO TO STEP FORWARD TO THE PODIUM, WE WILL COMMENCE WITH THE SWEARING IN. IF YOU CAN RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND AND REPEAT AFTER ME. I STATE YOUR NAME. I, I, SO FOR MARINA GTO, DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR, DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR THAT I WILL FAITHFULLY EXECUTE THAT, THAT I'LL FAITHFULLY EXECUTE THE DUTIES OF THE OFFICE. THE DUTIES OF THE OFFICE OF COUNCIL. MEMBER OF COUNCIL MEMBER OF CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. OF CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. OF THE STATE OF TEXAS. OF THE STATE OF TEXAS. AND WILL TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITIES, AND WILL TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITIES, PRESERVE, PRESERVE, PRESERVE, PROTECT, PROTECT, AND DEFEND AND DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION AND LAWS, CONSTITUTION AND LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES. OF THE UNITED STATES. AND OF THE STATE. AND OF THE STATE. SO HELP ME GOD. SO HELP ME GOD. CONGRATULATIONS. THANKS. ALL RIGHT. IF I CAN ASK MY COLLEAGUES TO STAY IN THEIR SEATS, WE DO HAVE TO, UH, WELCOME OUR NEW COLLEAGUES TO THE DIOCESE BEFORE WE CAN OFFICIALLY ADJOURN OUR MEETING. ALL RIGHT. IF THE, UH, COUNCIL CAN TAKE THEIR SEATS. MADAM CLERK, COULD YOU READ THE ROLE? COUNCIL MEMBER COR PRESENT, COUNCIL MEMBER MCKEE RODRIGUEZ. PRESENT, COUNCIL MEMBER VRAN. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO PRESENTE. COUNCIL MEMBER GAO VARDA. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER GATO. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER BEIS. COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE PRESENT. COUNCIL MEMBER WHITE. HERE. MAYOR NIERENBERG. HERE. MAYOR. WE HAVE A QUORUM. ALL RIGHT, WELL, THIS IS YOUR 2023. 2025 CITY COUNCIL. AND, UM, [01:10:06] DO I HAVE A MOTION TO ADJOURN? SECOND. ALL RIGHT. UH, ANY DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. ALL RIGHT. AT 11:19 AM ON THE 21ST OF JUNE, 2023, OUR SPECIAL MEETING IS ADJOURNED. THANK YOU EVERYBODY. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.