San Antonio Mayor Ivy Taylor said on Tuesday that she would not be seeking an endorsement from the police and fire unions, in her quest for a full term in the office where she has stand-in duties for the moment.
For six months there has been speculation that Mayor Taylor would join the race to the election for mayor, scheduled for May 9. It is a title she has held since July after former mayor, Julian Castro, left to head the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.
In the summer, Taylor had initially said that she would not be running for a full term, but has since, clearly had a change of heart. She told Texas Public Radio that she was encouraged by numerous people to run, and believed she could keep the momentum she now had. “I’d like to provide voters some continuity in the office. I bring a lot of experience at the municipal level, having served on the council, and as mayor, and formerly, as a city employee as well.”
Taylor’s time in office has included a contentious battle with police and fire unions over contract negotiations. With the long running effort still on her plate, she said she hoped voters understood that it was a complicated issue. “I’ve taken a strong leadership stance in doing everything possible to try and get that to a conclusion. In fact, in order to show my continued commitment, I won’t be seeking an endorsement from the unions because I want folks to know I’m still very serious about that as a policy issue, and that we need to get to the point of having a signed contact.”
The addition of Taylor makes it one of the most crowded mayoral races in 14 years. There are now 12 people seeking the office, including familiar political faces like State Rep. Mike Villarreal, State Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, and former county commissioner Tommy Adkission.
