Cibrian is in the race – officially
Dianne Cibrian officially entered the race for mayor of San Antonio Sunday in an announcement ceremony at the Tower of the Americas. While it has been no secret of her entry the announcement on Sunday served as a means to showcase her support base. In an article in the Express-News some of the supporters mentioned included longtime Democratic and civic activist Bill Sinkin, BJ “Red” McCombs, developer Marty Wender, and DPT Labs head John Feik. That list seems to confirm that Cibrian is the developer-friendly candidate as has been rumored.
Now that all three of the major candidates are in the race voters can start to see the contrast of positions and issues by the candidates. One of the first events scheduled to help delineate these issues is a televised debated to be held on Feb. 10th at KRLN and sponsored by the Alamo Asian American Chamber of Commerce. However, I’m sure that the positions will be clarified even more through public events prior to the debate.
Cibrian is no stranger to the microphone and will leverage every opportunity to tout her accomplishments. She has cited her drive to bring solar energy to San Antonio, her work at lower property taxes and work by her to increase police protection. Further research into each item reveals that the claims are much greater than the actual accomplishment. Cibrian’s claim of adding 200 police officers to the force was countered by the actual numbers produced by the San Antonio Police Officers Association. The actual increase will end up at 180 by then end of this year and has been a gradual add.
Cibrian will have to fight the impression that she is tightly in bed with developers in San Antonio, an issue in a city that must constantly protect its water supply, the Edwards Aquifer, from overdevelopment in the recharge zone in the northern section of the city. In an article last year Cibrian was cited for accepting a trip to a Mexican resort by a developer and not claiming it in her ethics report. The article also talks about possible conflict of interest surrounding her appointee to the city’s zoning board.
Cibrian has been a lightening rod to criticism about some of her actions and stands. One involved shutting down a strip club called Booby Rock which became instant news during her crusade. Sentiment of residents in her district is not high with many residents ready for her to exit city council. It will be interesting to see how she fares city-wide as the race progresses.
