Just Another...

Round of endorsements.

In the spirit of tomorrow being early voting I am officially announcing who we support here at Just Another Blog.

Mayor:
This should be no surprise to any of you, but Just Another Blog is throwing its support behind Julian Castro. Julian Castro is the only one who has worked on a budget like this, and he has done it 4 times now. The major job for a member of city council and the mayor is developing a budget and implementing it. I would like to have someone in office that has actually done this before.

It's not just the 1.5 billion dollar budget though. Julian Castro is also a candidate that pushes the envelope and does not just settle for the status quo. Julian Castro will take meetings with various groups such as environmentalist, unions, and local grassroots organizations. These same groups can honestly believe that Castro has not been purchased by developers and lobbyist groups, and that is political capital that is invaluable.

The most important reason I am voting for Castro is simple. Castro supporters tend to talk about the positives of Castro and Hardberger supporters tend to talk about why Castro is so bad. I am not saying that Hardberger or his supporters are bad, but this is an example of the way the Hardberger campaign has decided to message people. I believe that city government and local activist should be rallied around hope and encouragement, not fear and alienation. Castro is the man for the job and has the experience to prove it.

District 6: Express-News Article
Here comes a surprise. I am officially endorsing Delicia Herrera. Does this make me a flip-flopper? Who knows, and who cares. This is a tight endorsement to make. It comes under the same circumstances as the mayoral race.

Delicia has increased the voting base in District 6. She is campaigning on the philosophy of an, "open door policy with an open mind philosophy", and she means it too. If you need proof, then look no further than the fact that all of her challengers on June 7th have endorsed her except Dominic Dina (who has not endorsed anyone).

She has nothing but donations from the grassroots and has captured endorsements from unions and environmental groups as well as grassroots partisan groups. She is young. She has fresh ideas. She has been able to mobilize voters in a district not known for a high voter turn out.
Delicia Herrera will push the envelope and will do everything in her power to make district 6 better for everyone.

District 7:
This is the easy race to call. Elena Guajardo is the woman for the job. She has put together a fabulous ground game and David Fisher needs to be proud of what he done there. Her resume is a who's who of organization and reasons to vote for her. As the Jeffersonian and Elena are quick to say she has worked with the League of Women Voters, Catholic Family and Children's Services, Respite Care of San Antonio, NOW, The San Antonio Affirmative Action Advisory Committee, and the HRC. Her presence on city council will be invaluable, and I am excited to just have the chance to endorse a wonderful Latina candidate like her.

In the end you all need to vote. This week our mayor could be selected my a meger 45,000 people city wide. Our next city council members could be picked by a mere 3,000 voters. Whether you agree with me or my counter-parts go vote and make a lasting difference in our community.