News
Dec
07
“I HAVE A VISION FOR OUR CITY’S FUTURE”
Julian Castro Announces Campaign
for San Antonio Mayor Today
San Antonio, Texas - Today in San Pedro Park, Julian Castro kicked off his forward-thinking campaign to succeed term-limited incumbent Phil Hardberger as San Antonio Mayor, promising continued prosperity while preserving the city’s unique character.
“San Antonio’s great challenge in the coming years will be twofold: to continue to prosper in every way that a city can prosper— attracting and retaining good jobs, enhancing quality of life and making neighborhoods safer—and to maintain the fundamental character of our city, the sense of community and neighborliness that sets San Antonio apart among America’s big cities,” said Castro. “I am running for Mayor because I know San Antonio can meet that challenge and because I have a vision for our city’s future that will help us get there.”
Castro’s economic prosperity agenda includes attracting new jobs, pursuing strategies to boost education to make San Antonio competitive in the knowledge-based economy, building a solar energy plant in Antonio, and making San Antonio the state’s leader in green collar jobs by 2020.
“The first job of the next mayor will be to keep San Antonio’s economy growing,” said Castro. “If elected, I will be America’s most tireless mayor in attracting new jobs and retaining the jobs of our city’s large and small companies alike. As a small business owner, I know that small businesses are our economic engines, and I will make sure they have the information, resources and support they need to thrive in San Antonio.”
On quality of life issues, Castro promised to make San Antonio America’s most livable big city. “From Central Park to Hyde Park and Golden Gate Park, the world’s greatest cities boast great parks. Brackenridge, Voelker, Woodlawn—these are the places where our lives intertwine, and we must commit to building on Mayor Hardberger’s contribution to our parks by maintaining the ones we have and creating new ones. Our city has a rich heritage of creativity, and we must nurture the creative culture by investing in our arts, our museums and our libraries. We must also create a 24/7 downtown—a vibrant, alive and welcoming heart of San Antonio that serves visitors and residents alike,” said Castro.
Castro wants to make San Antonio America’s safest big city.
“Our police and firefighters do an excellent job, and over the past two years, under Mayor Hardberger’s leadership, more than 150 new police officers have been put on the beat. That’s a good start—and we need to keep going. Just a couple of weeks ago, Erica and I awoke after midnight, startled by gun shots near our home. It was a pointed reminder that the first obligation of city government is to make you feel safe in your home. We will make San Antonio America’s safest big city by putting hundreds more police on our streets, by adding firefighters, and by giving them the resources they need to respond swiftly to emergencies, anytime and anywhere they happen in our city,” said Castro.
Castro, a native of San Antonio and twin brother of state Rep. Joaquin Castro, is a graduate of Stanford and Harvard Law School. He served on the city council from 2001 to 2005 before running unsuccessfully in that year’s race for mayor. Julián is married to Erica Lira Castro, a school teacher, and they are expecting a baby girl in March.
