The field of candidates interested in leading San Antonio is getting larger. (Wednesday night, Democratic State Senator from San Antonio, Leticia Van de Putte, announced her plans to run for mayor.
Inside her West San Antonio home, a block away from where she grew up, Leticia Van de Putte sat on her couch and talked about the tough decision it was to throw her name into the hat.
Van de Putte just finished a campaign for Lieutenant Governor and by all accounts, after losing she was going back to the Senate. But she said people in the community played an important part in choosing to run.
"This call, this outcry from the people of San Antonio, from people I respect - past mayors, current business leaders, current and former members of city council, not for profit community leaders, grassroots leaders, from all sectors, asking me to come home - I do what I've always done is I've listened and I answered their call," she said.
Sunday, State Representative Mike Villarreal, also a San Antonio Democrat, kicked off his campaign for mayor at Maverick Park. There, he released his platform to focus on the economic sustainability in San Antonio, telling a crowd of supporters he wants to be the first mayor to have an "economics background." His overall platform, called "SA Strong," included other ideas like improving public transportation, unclogging congested roadways, and focusing on new industries.
Van de Putte just finished a campaign for Lieutenant Governor and by all accounts, after losing the race she was going back to the Senate. She looked forward to the challenge of working with Lt. Gov.-elect Dan Patrick.
"I was really looking forward to kind of going back. I love the legislature. And yet in the years that I've been a pharmacist, 30 years plus, I listen to my patients," she said.
She said they feel strong enough that she'll have a great chance to use her leadership skills in the mayor's seat.
Others like current Mayor Ivy Taylor have not said whether they're running. Several city council members, past and present, could be eyeing the seat as well.
