District 4 is preparing for new leadership from someone who’s had plenty of time familiarizing himself with the ins and outs of City Hall.
SAN ANTONIO — Early voting for the June 7 runoff election starts on May 27, when San Antonio voters must decide the newly thinned contests for a new mayor and four City Council seats.
Edward Mungia, however, is able to relax from the campaigning this month.
Of the candidates gunning for one of four open City Council races on the May ballot, the newcomer is the only one to have won. He collected nearly 57% of the District 4 vote to beat four competitors and will succeed Adriana Rocha Garcia in June.
Councilman-elect Mungia said the district, which primarily covers the southwest side, is home.
“For most of our lives, District 4 has been home to our families, even before we knew what council districts were,” he said. “This is where my family has called home.”
Mungia is no stranger to City Hall. For the last several years, he has worked in the District 4 office, currently as director of policy and special projects.
“I have done everything from helping residents with dog concerns, I am getting things addressed at parks, all the way to do policies that affect the entire City of San Antonio,” he said. “There is a variety of need in this community.”
Mungia will be one of the new faces on City Council. He’s also the only newcomer who avoided a runoff by beating out his opponents.
“I never took anything for granted from the very beginning,” he said. “I was out there every day talking to folks, block walking and getting to know (more) residents than ever before.”
When getting in office, the soon-to-be-councilman told KENS 5 about his first priority.
“I would say community wellbeing,” Mungia said. “And that means a lot of things. But that does mean getting out there. It does mean looking at our public spaces and trying to align investments in those spaces. Aging infrastructure is a big problem here, (as is) keeping up with our city parks.”
He added that traffic is an area of concert in some areas of his district. Mungia also ran on improving access to city services, saying he specifically wants to make changes for residents to receive more timely updates from the city’s service 311.
“Communication back from 311 to the residents is a major concern for me,” he said. “What I find a lot of the time is they don’t get good communication as to what has happened.”
As for Project Marvel, the “gamechanger” of a sports and entertainment district initiative that would reshape downtown, the councilman-elect said he doesn’t believe there has been enough public engagement.
“I think folks need to know what is being planned and what the resources (there) are to pay for that,” he said. “I have been very clear that I am not in favor of using general fund dollars to fund this program.”
When asked what District 4 will look like under Mungia’s leadership, he said he wants people to know each other.
“I want it to be where people know their neighbors more than they did before I started,” he said. “And that people know how much it matters on this side of town. Oftentimes people feel forgotten over here.”
Mungia will be officially sworn in June 1.