SAN ANTONIO — Six years after he was first elected mayor of San Antonio, Ron Nirenberg calls it "a day I still go back to."
As he embarks on his fourth and final term as the Alamo City's top official – having been sworn in Wednesday evening alongside his City Council counterparts – he reflects on the day it all began.
"The vision I articulated for this office hasn't changed," Nirenberg tells KENS 5. "And in many ways, it won't change long after I am gone, I hope."
Nirenberg's latest election victory was historic, putting him in line to become the first person since Henry Cisneros in the '80s to serve four straight terms as San Antonio's mayor.
He calls it the "honor of a lifetime," while noting some other changes.
"More grey hair," he says, laughing. "We track the time by how white my hair has gotten."
Nirenberg's focus heading into the next two years remains the same: better quality of life for Alamo City families, primarily through infrastructure improvements.
He highlights affordable housing as a pillar of that plan, and says modernized transportation and construction of a massive new airport terminal has him energized for the city's future.
"We will have a new terminal in 2028," he said. "(We're) building a world-class airport in the middle of our city, and finally bringing mass transit to San Antonio."
The projects are long-term ones, he says, but added they're essential for the future.
"We are on our way," Nirenberg said. "The city is no doubt on the right track. I am very confident that the most important job I can do for this city will be done, and it is to leave it a better place by virtue of being here."
He is also set to serve with new faces on City Council, which will be a majority-female cohort for only the second time in history. The next big priority: carving out next year's budget.
"We are going to be talking about significant property tax savings for our community in terms of a rate reduction, and also an increase in homestead exemption."
That work begins Thursday, with City Council meeting to vote on property tax cuts and increasing the homestead exemption to 20%.
Nirenberg says the focus will include core city departments like Animal Care Services and Public Safety, while about 100 more officers are expected to join the San Antonio Police Department's ranks.
Time is ticking, and the mayor hopes to continue moving forward with his plans. But looking even further, Nirenberg told KENS 5 he wants his legacy to be that of a mayor who worked to improve the lives of as many San Antonians as possible.
"I want to be remembered as a mayor that is a good dad, a good husband and a good mayor that did the right thing," he said. "I think when we look back on it, this will be a period of time that we made the right moves to ensure that San Antonio is a prosperous city, but also one that is inclusive of our community."
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