In local government, a person can have a profound positive impact, and I wanted to be a...
San Antonio changed significantly under Nelson Wolff’s leadership as mayor and then Bexar County judge.Fifty-one years ago, in January 1971, I walked on the Texas House floor as a freshman member. Two years later, I was elected to the Texas Senate and, at 31, became its youngest member. It was a time when civility and bipartisanship were cherished. Unfortunately, that time has passed in Texas.
In 1985, Mayor Henry Cisneros asked me to chair Target ’90, an organization created by City Council to adopt goals that could be enacted within seven years. During my two years as chairman, I realized City Council and Bexar County Commissioners Court could have a profound positive impact on the quality of life for our residents, and I wanted to be a part of it.
We built the 24,000-square-foot Central Library, Missions baseball park, City Council Chambers in the Municipal Plaza building and the Alamodome, and approved funding to double the size of the Convention Center. We created several new departments, including Economic and Community Development, Public Information Office, Office of Criminal Justice, the Public Defender’s Office, the Managed Assigned Counsel, and Preventive Health and Environmental Services.government, we were able to accomplish major projects that included an extensive restoration and renovation of the 300,000-square-foot historic courthouse, including a new 10,000-square-foot children’s court that became a model for the nation.
In 2008, Commissioners Court approved a $900 million plan backed by bonds for our Bexar County Hospital District to build a 10-story hospital and a new six-story clinical building. In 2017 we approved bonds to build a 12-story, 300-bed women and children’s hospital. We were the first Texas county to implement a touch-screen voting system, and then in 2019 we upgraded it to include printing a paper ballot.
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