SAN ANTONIO — On Thursday, San Antonio City Council gave a heartfelt goodbye to City Council District 7's Ana Sandoval.
Last week, Councilwoman Ana Sandoval announced her resignation citing personal and financial reasons.
"I’m in a different place in my life than I was in 2017 and it's time for me to focus more on my personal life, because I feel and I know this moment won’t ever return,” Sandoval told reporters last week that she dealt with a lot of change in the past year and a half.
The councilwoman welcomed a baby girl, and says she has also had to take care of her elderly mother after her dad died in 2021.
Sandoval invoked New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in her final address.
“'I know what this job takes, and I know that I no longer have enough in the tank to do it justice.' It's that simple. As you all know I’m sharing my tank with my family and my daughter,” Sandoval said to the council.
After her speech, each council member shared fond memories and supported her decision, as tough as it was for many members to say goodbye.
"We're losing from the dais an experienced member of council who has quite a long list of accomplishments and dedication to this city," Mayor Ron Nirenberg said during the meeting.
Nirenberg championed Sandoval's work to improve Bandera Road and also establish an environmental sustainability and resiliency fund, and her work on the city's climate adaptation and action plan.
With a May 6 Election looming, the city council announced no person filing for the District 7 seat in the general election will be considered for the temporary replacement.
According to city staff, ads for the position will begin on February 12, applications will be open from February 13 to February 24, and a temporary council member will be appointed at the March 2 meeting.
The city council will follow a similar process to finding a temporary replacement for Councilman Clayton Perry. Three finalists will be selected in the B session and they will be interviewed in an open setting at the A session. A candidate will be selected at that meeting.
One potential candidate for the temporary seat is political matriarch Rosie Castro, mother of Joaquin Castro and Julian Castro, a US Congressman and former San Antonio mayor, respectively. She wrote in a Facebook post that she would want to be approved for the interim position.
Two candidates including Dan Rossiter and Marina Alderete Gavito have filed to run for the office. The application deadline for the May ballot is February 17.
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