News
Apr
25From the San Antonio Express-News:
...The relatively low-key competition among the leading contenders has done little to excite the public.
Nor has the campaign inspired confidence that the winner will grab the job with the skill that Hardberger exhibited.
But Castro is the best prepared candidate, and he offers the best option for voters in this race.
Since his loss to Hardberger in 2005, Castro has not taken his eye off the goal of succeeding his formal rival.
He has determinedly courted a business community that was skeptical of him four years ago.
And, notably, Castro cites economic growth as the mayor's first job.
Meanwhile, an effort by some in the business community to recruit a candidate in the Hardberger mold failed.
And as a result of those factors, Castro has earned a significant share of support from a business community that is split between the three leading contenders. He already enjoyed considerable grass-roots strength.
Castro, now 34, has matured in the four years since he faced Hardberger.
And his 2009 campaign has avoided the many missteps that doomed his earlier run.
On the key issues facing the city — such as whether to expand the South Texas Project nuclear plant — the differences between the major candidates aren't significant.
All three leading candidates are willing to consider expanding nuclear energy production, but want to see the price tag, and support the aggressive pursuit of renewable energy sources, too.
The biggest conflict has revolved around DeBerry-Mejia's and Cibrian's attacks on Castro's support for a meet-and-confer law requiring the city manager to meet with union representatives.
Cibrian voted to lend City Council's support to the legislation, although she now opposes it.
The meet-and-confer law is a bad idea and an unnecessary step that will serve mainly to strengthen a particular union, but it is not the central issue facing the next mayor.
And Castro is opposed to instituting collective bargaining for civilian city employees.
The city will need steady, thoughtful leadership to guide huge decisions and keep the city on the long-term path of continued prosperity.
Castro, a lawyer educated at Stanford University and Harvard Law School, has spent years contemplating the job. During his four years on City Council from 2001 to 2005, it was clear he intended to run for the city's top elected job.
Castro's foes criticize him as overly ambitious, although he has not publicly expressed a desire for any political job other than mayor.
While Hardberger's lack of ambition was refreshing, the issue can cut two ways.
In this race, none of these candidates is near the end of his or her professional life. Doing a good job as mayor would be crucial to fulfilling further political ambitions.
...Castro has long dreamed of being mayor, and has been studying municipal government for years.
He has demonstrated admirable discipline that has propelled him to front-runner status in the mayoral race despite having been out of the spotlight for four years.
A vastly experienced public servant would be comforting at this difficult economic juncture, but such a candidate is not on the ballot.
Castro is the city's best bet for moving forward.
For the full endorsement visit: http://www.mysanantonio.com/opinion/Castro_best_pick_in_mayoral_race.html
