By Edmond Ortiz
Schertz’s Nov. 4 elections will feature a contest between the incumbent mayor and the fire chief of a rural Bexar County first responder agency. Each elected position carries a three-year term.
Schertz voters will also be asked to weigh in on an annexation proposal.
Focus On San Antonio recently sent questions to filed candidates in contested races, inviting them to share experiences and backgrounds that are relevant to the public office that they are seeking, and to have them offer their priority issues and goals.
MAYOR
Ralph Gutierrez, a U.S. Air Force veteran, spent three years as a Schertz City Council member before being elected mayor in 2019. He is now seeking a third term as the town’s top elected leader.
Gutierrez has a business administration degree from the University of Maryland, and has managed the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) system for the federal courts.
Gutierrez said he feels the city has achieved many things during his mayoral tenure, including boosting public safety, improving infrastructure, supporting business growth and responsible development, creating new jobs, and expanding local parks and recreation programs for families and youth.
Gutierrez has indicated his priorities include hiring more first responders and improving emergency response times; modernizing roads, sidewalks, and drainage systems; attracting small businesses and creating jobs; and supporting senior programs, youth, and working families.
Focus On San Antonio did not receive a response from Gutierrez in response to questions posed to him.
Ralph Rodriguez is chief of Bexar County Emergency Service District No. 2. A Clemens High School graduate, Rodriguez has been active as a youth and now a coach with the Buffalo Valley Youth Association.
Rodriguez was a volunteer firefighter and was one of the first professional firefighters to be hired by Schertz. He said his having served in leadership with key organizations enables him to lead Schertz. Those roles have included the Texas Fire Chiefs’ Legislative Committee, Alamo Area Fire Chiefs’ Association, and the Bexar County Emergency Services District Association.
Rodriguez has indicated his top issues include strengthening emergency first responders and bolstering public safety, and ensuring residents in areas eyed for annexation have a voice to use on such delicate matters.
Focus On San Antonio did not receive a response from Rodriguez in response to questions posed to him.
COUNCIL PLACE 1
Incumbent Mark Davis is running unopposed for a fourth term in office. The retired Air Force chief master sergeant has been active as a community volunteer in his nearly 20 years residing in Schertz.
COUNCIL PLACE 2
John Carbon is a U.S. Air Force veteran who has worked as an AFJROTC instructor. He currently serves on the city’s planning and zoning commission and on the capital improvements advisory committee.
Focus On San Antonio did not receive a response from Carbon in response to questions posed to him.
Incumbent Michelle Watson, who works in medical marketing, is seeking a second term in office. She has served on the Tri-County Chamber of Commerce board, and the Kellum Cares Foundation board. She also oversaw business development and community relations for Kellum Physician Partners.
Watson has indicated that one of her top priorities is promoting economic development, and streamlining city regulations to help ensure the growth of local businesses.
Focus On San Antonio did not receive a response from Watson in response to questions posed to her.
Also of note
In addition to the City Council elections, Schertz voters living in Bexar County are asked to consider two options in the case of an annexation issue that faces local officials.
One option would require the city to fully annex multiple Bexar County properties south of Farm Road 78 and south and west of Cibolo Creek, providing affected property owners there full city services, taxation and representation. The affected property owners, who presently receive county services there, live within Schertz’s extraterritorial jurisdiction and five miles of Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph’s boundaries.
If Schertz voters in Bexar County reject Option No. 1, they could choose Option No. 2 on the ballot, which would reject full city annexation of those properties, but let the city provide limited services to the properties in question.
What’s next
The following locations are the early voting sites nearest to Schertz residents, but polling times depend on which county a voter casts a ballot:
*Guadalupe County Elections Office Annex, 1101 Elbel Road, Schertz: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 20-24; 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Oct. 25 and Oct. 27-31; and noon-6 p.m. Oct. 26. Several Election Day polling sites in Guadalupe County will be open 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Nov. 4.
*Universal City Library, 100 Northview Drive: 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Oct. 20-24; 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Oct. 25 or Oct. 27-31; or noon-6 p.m. Oct. 26. Election Day polls will be open 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Nov. 4 at several locations for Bexar County residents in Schertz.
*Garden Ridge City Hall, 9400 Municipal Pkwy.: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 20-24; 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Oct. 25 and Oct. 27-31; and noon-6 p.m. Oct. 26. Several Comal County polling sites will be open 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Election Day.
