Bexar County voters in Precincts 1 and 3 will be asked to choose a county commissioner for their corresponding precinct during the general election this November.
The Mesquite spoke to each candidate so voters could get to know them a bit more before heading to the polls.
Precinct 3 Incumbent Republican Candidate Grant Moody
Grant Moody, a Marine combat veteran who served 10 years on active duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, moved to San Antonio with his family and worked in leadership positions at the United Services Automobile Association and at Valero Energy. The incumbent Bexar County commissioner is up for reelection and he aims to work hard, be responsive to constituents, and try to solve their problems to make their lives better in a cost-effective way.
Q: What are some issues you would like to target if elected into office?
A: Well, our priority number one has always been public safety and trying to address crime and keep our streets safe. Over the last two years, we’ve added 130 new law enforcement officers at Bexar County. Going forward, we still need to be mindful of making sure that public safety is the priority and that we, uh, we do whatever we need to do to make sure, you know, law enforcement has the resources to keep us all safe.
Q: Do you think this focus on both security and economics sets you apart from other candidates in the race?
A: I’ve led the push to have some serious discussions around our debt and supported this two-year moratorium on new bond issuance and new debt issuance for the county. Our budgets over the coming years and also our capital plan probably need to, we need to go back and scrub it and remove unnecessary projects or projects that no longer are priorities for the county. I just know from where I sit and my experience with it that I’ve proven to be an effective voice for fiscal restraint and making sure that we protect our AAA credit rating and make smart decisions on public safety.
Q: What are the most significant accomplishments your office has done?
The two big ones that we’ve talked about the most on the campaign trail have been 130 new law enforcement officers that we’ve added to the streets, between the sheriff’s office and our constables. The 20% homestead exemption for the hospital district that we got for taxpayers, is the maximum statutory cap for the homestead exemption. That’s a huge tax break for taxpayers, for property owners here in Bexar County.
Precinct 3 Democratic Candidate Susan Korbel
Susan Korbel is the Democratic candidate running for Bexar County Commissioner Precinct 3 in Texas. Korbel has a strong academic background with a Ph.D. in Public Administration from the University of Michigan. She has extensive experience in public and commercial media, having worked in TV and radio for over six years. She also served on the Board of Trustees for Alamo Colleges.
Korbel said that it was the community that asked her to run and after considering it, she decided to be the voice for the community to face off against Commissioner Moody once again, a narrow loss to him in the 2022 special elections that were held.
“I will listen to you and I will do my very best to take the resources that we have and best serve you” expressed the candidate after being asked what message she would like for the community of not just her precinct but all of San Antonio from North to South.
With Susan Korbel as their selected candidate, the party believes that the chances of Korbel becoming the first female commissioner of the region will be high.
“Biden only lost by 0.7% during the last general election. We have watched the polls” Korbel said. “We know what’s going to happen. The power will pass. It will pass this time or not, but we have a pretty good idea. Precinct 3 is going blue.”
Precinct 1 Democratic Incumbent Candidate Rebeca Clay-Flores
Incumbent Rebeca Clay-Flores is running for re-election as county commissioner of Precinct 1 and said her focus will continue to be on the needs of her constituents. Those needs include mental health services, economic development, and support for local schools in Precinct 1
Q: What is your role as a Bexar County Commissioner? What are the challenges of overseeing a large area of socioeconomic differences in Precinct 1?
A: As the commissioner for Precinct 1, my background in education and having grown up here has made me aware of the lack of progress in my community. One issue we face is the school-to-prison pipeline, which is really troubling. In Texas, our jails are the largest providers of mental health services. It’s as if they wait for young people to make a mistake, incarcerate them, and then realize maybe they aren’t bad people—they just need mental health support.
I represent the largest geographic area, and it is very diverse both racially and economically. It’s crucial to stay engaged, as I am, by attending Neighborhood Association meetings and community events. Constant communication with residents allows me to hear their needs and work together toward common goals.
Q: Do you stand true to your initiatives in your campaign for Economic and Community Development, Public Safety, and supporting the schools in Precinct 1? What steps have you taken to achieve your initiatives?
A: Yes, economic development is about bringing more businesses and resources to the community. As these resources come, they lead to more infrastructure, which, in turn, attracts even more resources. This also means higher-paying jobs for our constituents. A perfect example is my work with the University Health System to bring the Southside Hospital, which is being built across from Texas A&M University-San Antonio. This will give the community, especially those living on the Southside, easier access to healthcare.
Q: With the continued growth in the southside, what kind of support is the community going to have in necessities as far as grocery stores, hospitals, and accommodations?
A: As we invest in more economic development, it brings in more dollars for infrastructure, which leads to additional community resources. These resources include grocery stores and hospitals. For example, as a vegan, I often have to drive across town to find food options that suit my dietary needs. It’s also about providing entertainment and general resources within our community—places where we can access healthcare and attend doctor’s appointments.
Precinct 1 Republican Challenger Candidate Lina Prado
Lina Prado is a former aircraft mechanic and current supply chain senior manager at the aviation company Boeing, which delivers $100 million every month.She is running for Bexar County Commissioner in Precinct 1 for the 2024 election. Born in the Dominican Republic, she now resides in San Antonio, and she’s planning to bring her success to the office.
Q: What drove you to decide to run for office?
A: I moved here in 2010 to San Antonio, and just over time, as a business owner in the business world, a homeowner and being in business and owning a nonprofit, I see a lot of the inequities and gaps of precinct one. So to give you an example, a reason I’m running, in the southside of San Antonio, close to where I live, we still have sand roads, areas where it’s an entire neighborhood with sand roads, and they keep getting promised. Every commissioner, promises, but nobody ever delivers. Those that cannot speak for themselves are only going to be the ones that are suffering. It’s the same people that continue to suffer from not having access to grocery stores, not having access to pharmacies, not having access to jobs so they can maintain their family. So that’s why I decided to run, to be a voice of the people and be able to, know the landscape, how to help and be of service.
Q: What is your plan to take care of the budget in Bexar County?
A: “The most important issue is that we don’t have a good strategy for the county to get us out of debt. My plan first starts with we need to reduce that debt. We need to become more efficient and we still need to pay for the things that are government requirements. I plan to not do a zero-based budget, meaning the budget is zero. What that does is every month or every period when different organizations public works, come to the meetings and explain “hey I need this amount of money for project XYZ, and this is why this is the cost for those materials.” It drives a culture of efficiency. It drives a culture of not overspending. Then you put it in place and you reduce the plan there. So that changes the mentality of everyone.”
