SAN ANTONIO — Following Saturday's runoff elections, San Antonio will get a new city councilmember in District 1.
Dr. Sukh Kaur will replace incumbent Mario Bravo after securing nearly 60% of the votes. This district represents parts of downtown, including Tobin Hill and the St. Mary's Strip. The strip has been an area of conflict with issues over noise, parking and construction.
An ongoing city project has left businesses frustrated with city leadership and the former councilperson. Some businesses told KENS 5 the area needs a leader who can solve the complicated problems plaguing the strip.
North St. Mary's Street has been under construction since 2021. Progress has been slow, but the city project is expected to be finished this summer after delays.
The owner of Little Death, a wine bar along the strip, said the next representative needs to be a better advocate for the area. Last November, Bravo was briefly suspended from council assignments.
Bravo was disciplined by his council colleagues for berating Ana Sandoval, the District 7 representative with whom he had been in a relationship.
"We had no real representation for our district since he was suspended for a quarter of his term," said Carey.
Carey also wants the next leader to be a fair and impartial arbitrator when it comes to resolving conflicts between the business owners and residents of Tobin Hill.
"They need to figure out how we are all going to coexist. A leader needs to figure out how we are going to do that," said Chad Carey.
Before Saturday's victory, Dr. Kaur had already met with several of the business owners along the strip. In May, she held a meet and greet at Paper Tiger, also owned by Carey.
Kaur, a former teacher, campaigned on small business outreach. One of her proposals includes a program that would support small businesses when construction is planned.