Kelly Ann Gonzalez, Ric Galvan will head to June 7 runoff

Find more election coverage on the Vote 2025 page.

UPDATE AT 11:16 P.M.:

In a tight race for San Antonio City Council District 6, Kelly Ann Gonzalez and Ric Galvan will head to the June 7 runoff election.

With 100% of precincts reporting, Gonzalez ended the night with 19.70% of the vote, while Galvan took 19.37%. Twenty-eight votes separated the front-runners.

Bexar County had a 7.81% voter turnout in the May 3 election, according to the Bexar County Elections Department. Out of 1,257,459 registered voters in Bexar County, 20,201 voted on Election Day and 74,238 cast a ballot during early voting. Another 3,751 were absentee ballots.

Compared to the last city election in 2023, Bexar County saw a 15.34% voter turnout.

The election is nonpartisan, meaning candidates are not affiliated with political parties.

The winner of the June 7 runoff will replace longtime Councilwoman Melissa Cabello Havrda, who stepped down to run for San Antonio mayor.

The crowded race featured a mix of former city staffers, educators, organizers and veterans who would like to represent the fast-growing district.

BACKGROUND

Vanessa Chavez, a 30-year public servant and former City Council district director, is campaigning on her deep experience navigating City Hall.

“This district deserves a representative who knows the community, understands the system and can hit the ground running on Day 1,” Chavez said.

Chavez’s “Neighborhoods First” plan includes opening a field office on Saturdays, conducting neighborhood needs assessments, prioritizing street repairs, public safety and homelessness.

Ric Galvan, a City Hall staffer and president of the Pipers Meadow Neighborhood Association, emphasized affordability and infrastructure.

“With District 6 taking on a lot of San Antonio’s rapid growth, many of our working families, like my own, have experienced significant challenges,” Galvan said, highlighting housing costs, traffic safety and public investment in underserved areas.

Bobby Herrera, who represented the district in the 1990s, is running again. Herrera said his leadership is rooted in experience and “deeds, not words.”

“I have the ability coupled with the onus to help our district grow,” Herrera said, citing aggressive driving, elder care and transparent city spending as his campaign’s top concerns.

Lawson Alaniz-Picasso, a former council staffer and marketing professional, is focused on responsiveness and quality-of-life issues, from street lighting to illegal dumping.

“These may seem like basic issues, but they have a real impact on quality of life,” Alaniz-Picasso said.

Her platform includes improved 311 responsiveness, enhanced beautification efforts and expanded resources for Animal Care Services.

Chris Baecker, an economics teacher at BASIS Middle School and Northwest Vista College, is calling for City Council to return to its core responsibilities.

“Until all stray/aggressive animals are under control, streets are sufficiently maintained and lit, we have no time or resources for taxpayer-funded boondoggles,” Baecker said. He opposes large-scale transportation projects like rail lines and symbolic resolutions on global issues, saying they distract from basic city services.

Baecker also wants to reduce the city’s property tax rate and remove red tape for small businesses.

“From one side of their mouth, Council promotes small businesses, ‘shop local,’ etc.,” Baecker said. “From the other, they funnel taxpayer dollars to billion-dollar companies.”

Kelly Ann Gonzalez, a labor organizer and small business owner, is a lifelong resident of District 6 and is advocating for better wages, stronger services and equitable investment in neighborhoods.

Gonzalez said she aims to ensure infrastructure and bond funding is “equitably distributed to the areas that have been left behind.”

“I’m running because I believe District 6 deserves a councilmember who shows up, listens, and delivers real results for working families,” Gonzalez said.

The remaining candidates include Carlos Antonio Raymond, a U.S. Army veteran and realtor, and Gerald Lopez, a former Northside ISD board member and current trustee at Alamo Colleges.

As of publication, KSAT has reached out to Raymond and Lopez but has not received responses.

Sign up for the free KSAT election newsletter in the prompt below for a wrap-up of the results.

More election coverage from KSAT: