Andrew Padilla
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Andrew J. Padilla was a candidate for District 10 representative on the San Antonio City Council in Texas. Padilla was defeated in the general election on May 6, 2017. This was his first campaign for elected office.[1]
As of the 2017 election cycle, Padilla identified as a Republican. He had been a Democrat from 1972 to 1976, before switching to the GOP. Padilla described his political philosophy to Ballotpedia, saying, "However, I believe in voting for the Candidate, not the party. I am a Liberal/Moderate, and pro-Life. And for smaller Government, with greater access to the people."[1]
Biography
Padilla attended City College of New York. He served in the U.S. Army Reserve from 1980 to 2004. Padilla completed basic training at Fort Leonard Wood and advanced individual training (AIT) at Fort Sam Houston. He achieved the rank of staff sergeant (SSG) before leaving the military.[1]
Padilla was involved in George McGovern's presidential campaign and Richard Ottinger's congressional campaign in 1972, as well as Susan Narvaiz's congressional campaign in 2016.[1]
Elections
2017
The city of San Antonio, Texas, held general elections for mayor and all 10 of its city council seats on May 6, 2017. Candidates had to earn a majority of the votes cast in this election to win. Any race where no candidate received a majority (50 percent plus one) of the general election votes cast for that position advanced to a runoff election on June 10, 2017. The following candidates ran in the general election for the District 10 seat on the San Antonio City Council.[2]
| San Antonio City Council, District 10 General Election, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Ezra Johnson |
21.69% | 2,733 |
| Clayton Perry |
21.55% | 2,715 |
| Jonathan Delmer | 15.85% | 1,997 |
| Reinette King | 11.79% | 1,486 |
| Diana Kenny | 11.26% | 1,419 |
| John Alvarez | 9.60% | 1,209 |
| Celeste Montez-Tidwell | 3.05% | 384 |
| Andrew Padilla | 2.66% | 335 |
| Eric Morse | 1.54% | 194 |
| Lon Jett IV | 1.01% | 127 |
| Total Votes | 12,599 | |
| Source: Bexar County, Texas, "May 6, 2017 Media Report," May 18, 2017 | ||
Campaign themes
2018
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Andrew Padilla completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Padilla's responses.
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
petition the State Legislature to change the charter of San Antonio, eliminating the office of City Manager, and creating a City Comptroller(financial), elected by the people.....Construct a Commuter Rail, North to South, and East to West, to make commuting less stressful, and to get some of the crazy and/or drunk drivers off the roads. Third, I would make the Police and Fire chiefs Commissioners, and...try to consolidate City Services.
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
Smaller City Government. The people should not have to pay for big government. Lets trim the City agencies, and offices down to a respectable size, thereby saving taxpayers money and making City agencies and officals more accountable to the public...
Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?
I dont look up to anyone , but my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I dont believe in following people; one must make their own way , and study others, and leaders, in order to create a policy and stand on the issues that...IS ONES OWN.
Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?
No. My Political philosophy is not republican or Democratic...It is based on what the people want, and what the people need. Too many politicians get into office and forget WHY they are there: Its not to push their own agendas, it is to do the will of the people they represent/the people they serve.
What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?
Honesty, and openness, and a willingness to listen to the people they represent, and to do the Peoples will.
What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?
I came from a working class family, I have worked in factories, in fast food, in temp jobs, and in civil service. I am from humble roots, so I can get a feel for what the people want and/or need in order to make their lives better.
What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?
Do the will of the people(within reason), and make their daily lives better.
What legacy would you like to leave?
Do I need to leave a legacy? Does Any office holder need to leave a legacy? We are not elected to leave legacies, but to serve and to make and to leave office, having made the lives of the people we represent better. I dont seek office for fame or fortune: I am fully retired, with 3 pensions. I live humbly with my wife and 5 cats.
What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?
Hmm. Meeting and marrying my wife, after 49 yrs of being single.
What was your very first job? How long did you have it?
My first job was working in a woodworking factory. I had it for 5 months(summers). Burger King, my second job,: I had for 2 and a half years.
What happened on your most awkward date?
I havent had any arkward dates: And all my ex GFs are now just friends to me.
What is your favorite holiday? Why?
Christmas....The Birth of Jesus, My Lord and Savior.
What is your favorite book? Why?
Patton...I thought he was a great military commander.
If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?
Hmmm.....Would have to be: a Detective on Law and Order SVU.
What is your favorite thing in your home or apartment? Why?
The Kitchen...I love to cook, and bake(Im a retired Army Reserve cook/baker, of 22 yrs).
What was the last song that got stuck in your head?
"Come on People now, shine on your brother, everybody get togeather...right now" Why? Goes to my philosophy: People as People, NOT people as colors, ethnicities, or sexual identities; God Judges, not man or woman.
What is something that has been a struggle in your life?
A struggle in my life? I havent really had many, although I did give up heavy drinking.....And, I realize that we dont fight these struggles or battles alone: God is with us.
A mayor is a leader in his or her city. What does that mean to you?
It means being Accountable...Not to the Special Interests, but to the People he/she represents.
Mayors have many responsibilities, which vary from city to city. Which of those do you personally consider the most important in your city?
Being in charge of the budget, and seeing what budgetary idems can be pared, to save the people money. A mayor of a city is like a QB in Football: If you appoint the right people(and I believe in promotion from within the agency), then...they do a good job, and...you look good. Its a win, win situation.
If the mayor in your city is a member of the city council and there's a city manager appointed to handle the day-to-day administration of the city government, what do you believe should be the mayor's top priority in office?
Getting rid of the City Manager, making the Mayor top executive, with a City Comptroller. Then, one of my ;dep mayors(I will only have 2) will sit on the City Council.
If the mayor in your city is not a member of the city council and oversees the day-to-day administration of the city government, what do you believe is the ideal relationship between the mayor and city council?
It should be one of compromise, and encouraging indepent ideas and thoughts, but...The mayor has and should have Veto power.
What do you love most about your city?
The Riverwalk, and the History.
What do you perceive to be your city's greatest challenges over the next decade?
Employment and training, or college, for all.
What do you believe is the ideal relationship between your city and the state government?
Same as the mayor and the City Council...Compromise, and cooperation, to get thingsdone for the people, not the special interests.
What do you believe is the ideal relationship between your city and the federal government?
Well, I think Texas should be as independent of the Feds as possible, and interact only when ness.(Such as my program to give undocumented conditional/for work purposes only) Social security cards. After 10 yrs, they get a green card, if no felonies or misdeminors. Win, win situation.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
2017
Padilla participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of municipal government candidates.[3] The following sections display his responses to the survey questions. When asked what his top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | Fire Contract, Police, Transportation[4] | ” |
| —Andrew Padilla (March 28, 2017)[1] | ||
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues by importance in the city, with 1 being the most important and 12 being the least important: city services (trash, utilities, etc.), civil rights, crime reduction/prevention, environment, government transparency, homelessness, housing, K-12 education, public pensions/retirement funds, recreational opportunities, transportation, and unemployment. This table displays this candidate's rankings from most to least important.
| Issue importance ranking | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking |
Issue | Candidate's ranking |
Issue |
| Environment | Unemployment | ||
| Transportation | Public pensions/retirement funds | ||
| Government transparency | Housing | ||
| Civil rights | City services (trash, utilities, etc.) | ||
| Homelessness | K-12 education | ||
| Recreational opportunities | Crime reduction/prevention | ||
Local topics
Ballotpedia asked candidates specific questions regarding recent issues in the city. The questions are in the left column and the candidate's responses are in the right column.
| Question | Response |
|---|---|
| Given its high cost, and the fact that it is a SAWS pass-along cost to the rate payers, I am opposed to it. | |
| Medical Marijuana only, If anything. Medically, it is a lot like alcohol in that it kills brain cells. However, one cannot bake with marijuana. | |
| Take it to court. The NDO stands for equal rights for ALL., which is guranteed by our U S Constitution. | |
| In serious crimes only(Rapists, child molesters, drug dealers, etc.). If one is undocumented, one tends to stay under the radar. |
Nationwide municipal issues
The candidate was asked to answer questions from Ballotpedia regarding issues facing cities across America. The questions are in the left column and the candidate's responses are in the right column. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions.
| Question | Response |
|---|---|
| Very important | |
| Federal | |
| Public outreach and increased economic opportunities. | |
| Focusing on small business development | |
| Low Taxes | |
| Public Transportation |
See also
| San Antonio, Texas | Texas | Municipal government | Other local coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Ballotpedia's municipal government candidate survey, 2017, "Andrew Padilla's Responses," March 28, 2017
- ↑ City of San Antonio, "Candidate Listings," accessed February 21, 2017
- ↑ Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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