By David Griggs, Political Chair, Lone Star Chapter
Photo: KENS 5
Electoral success for pro-environment candidates is often hard to come by in the current political climate, but in the recent municipal elections in Dallas and San Antonio, pro-environment candidates proved to be quite popular with voters. Time will tell whether or not these latest results will show the beginning of good things to come, but for now, the future looks bright at the local level in at least two of Texas’ largest cities.
Citizens in San Antonio elected Council member Ron Nirenberg as their new mayor, along with six new Council members, four of whom had received Sierra Club endorsements in addition to Mayor Nirenberg.
Ron Nirenberg (Mayor) WON!
Rey Saldana (District 4) WON!
Shirley Gonzales (District 5) WON!
Ana Sandoval (District 7) WON!
John Courage (District 9) WON!
This is all great news for the Alamo Sierra Club which just last year reinvigorated its local political committee with several new, energetic volunteers. Election of a new mayor was a key goal of the local committee’s work this year. Terry Burns, Alamo Group Chair, stated that the Sierra Club “has worked with Council member Nirenberg on a variety of environmental issues, and because of his Council experience and strong environmental positions, we believe that he will help San Antonio achieve the goals of clean air, clean water, and better heath and transportation for our citizens.”
The San Antonio Express-News declared the newly elected city leaders the “most progressive” City Council ever. Progressive candidates did well even in traditional conservative areas. Alamo Sierra Club leaders are hopeful that San Antonio will make strong gains with their new City Council in transportation, smart growth, air quality, water conservation, renewable energy, and transparency in government.
Dallas also saw positive results from its municipal election. Although the mayor was not up for election this year, four incumbents were defeated and two new progressive City Council members were elected, along with the re-election of five green-leaning incumbents who received Sierra Club support. Our winning endorsed candidates included:
District 1 – Scott Griggs (incumbent) – WON!
District 2 – Adam Medrano (incumbent) – WON!
District 7 – Kevin Felder – WON!
District 9 – Mark Clayton (Incumbent) – WON!
District 14 – Philip Kingston (Incumbent) – WON!
In some low-income neighborhoods, opposition to the development of pollution sources such as cement batch plants played a big role in the election of new members who made clean air an important neighborhood issue. David Griggs, Political Chair of the Dallas Sierra Club and of the Lone Star Chapter PAC, stated that “with the election of at least seven reliably progressive members, together with a couple of swing votes, the Dallas Council has now achieved a true environmental majority. We hope the long-running fight against the high-speed Trinity Toll Road now finally may be won.”
In Dallas, issues of local control weigh heavy on the minds of the newly elected progressive leaders. Dallas led the way a few years ago with one of the toughest ordinances on set back distances for fracking, only to see HB 40 pass in 2015, which put the validity of the Dallas ordinance, along with those of other municipalities, in jeopardy. Currently, the city is considering revisions to strengthen its tree preservation ordinance, which faces an uncertain future depending on what happens in Governor Abbott’s Special Legislative Session this summer.
Progress on environmental protection and justice is challenging at both the state and federal level today. With Donald Trump’s recent decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement, local governments can make a stand to continue to support the goals of the accord. The mayor of Dallas recently reaffirmed Dallas’ support for the agreement, as have representatives of other Texas local governments. In fact, on Thursday, San Antonio passed a resolution in support of the Paris Climate Accords on a 9-1 vote. Leaders are needed in every city who will continue to advocate for environmental justice despite the rhetoric from state and national government. The newly elected city councils in Dallas and San Antonio may now have the majorities they need to move forward.
The Sierra Club Political Committee of Texas (PAC) was actively involved in the city council races in both cities this year and made significant PAC contributions to endorsed candidates in key districts. Group political committees in both cities sent questionnaires to the candidates, made endorsement recommendations, and helped raise critical funds which helped our PAC make much needed contributions. Dallas and Alamo Sierra Club volunteers also contacted local Sierra Club members by mail and by phone in key districts to encourage voting and volunteer efforts.
For more information about the PAC, to learn the names of the endorsed winners, or to make a contribution, go to TurnTexasGreen.org, and stay tuned to this blog and our newsletter for updates on our political work.