San Antonio Mayor Ivy R. Taylor is really liking her new job. So much so, that she wants to keep it. The Interim Mayor despite being appointed last July in part because she promised not to seek the position, has had a change of mind. Here’s more from Josh Baugh of the San Antonio Express-News…
Mayor Ivy Taylor declared her candidacy for mayor Monday in an exclusive interview with the San Antonio Express-News.
Taylor, who was appointed mayor last summer by her council colleagues, said that she made the decision after significant thought and prayer and consultation with trusted advisers.
The mayor said she’s been “honored and excited, humbled” by leading the seventh-largest city in the U.S. since her July appointment.
“I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to be able to make an impact here,” she said. “And just after really thinking about it further, I realize how important that experience is that I have to bring to the table, that municipal-level experience.”
[…]
With less than three months until Election Day, she joins an already-crowded field of candidates.
That field includes former state Rep. Mike Villarreal, who has been campaigning since last summer; state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, who entered the race in November after losing her bid for lieutenant governor; and former Bexar County Commissioner Tommy Adkisson, who gave up his county seat to challenge Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff in the 2014 Democratic primary.
The Mayor’s flip-flop in position may be offensive to some, but it’s far from unique for this race and unlikely to do any damage to her candidacy. Former State Senator Leticia Van de Putte also originally stated that she would not run for Mayor during her campaign for Lieutenant Governor.
However Taylor’s opposition to the 2013 Non-Discrimination Ordinance could prove troublesome, in particular the comment she made stating that the struggles of the LGBT community “aren’t a Civil Rights issue.” Given the strong positions of both Villarreal and Van de Putte with the Pro-Equality community, Taylor’s anti-LGBT sentiment could come back to haunt her in the Mayor’s race. And for Equality advocates, now is the time to press Taylor and see if her views have also evolved on this subject.
With this newest entrant into the contest to lead Texas’ 2nd-largest city, equality has found its way back into the spotlight. More to come on this.
(Photo credit: San Antonio Airport promotional video)
