SAN ANTONIO – A five-way race for an open San Antonio city council seat on the Northwest Side is now down to two political newcomers.
Marina Alderete Gavito and Dan Rossiter finished with 42.6% and 21.1% of the vote, respectively, in the May 6 election for the District 7 council position.
The position is wide open after Ana Sandoval resigned her seat in January. Her temporary replacement, Rosie Castro, did not seek a full term of her own.
Gavito comes from a corporate background, with a history at Rackspace and USAA. She was most recently the executive director of SA Digital Connects, which is focused on expanding internet access and affordability within the county. She was also the founding executive director and chief operating officer of Tech Bloc and has served on several boards, including VIA’s.
Gavito is the daughter of former San Antonio councilman Joe Alderete Jr.
Rossiter is an engineer and was a program manager at Southwest Research Institute until he resigned to run for council. He is a former president of the Thunderbird Hills Neighborhood Association and has also served on several boards, including the Brooks Development Authority Board of Directors and a 2022 city bond sub-committee for streets, bridges, and sidewalks.
Both candidates opposed Proposition A and listed similar priorities when sitting down with KSAT: public safety, transparency, and infrastructure.
Rossiter also discussed the need to reevaluate the technology behind the city’s 311 system, which is “simply not sufficient to keep up with the 1.5 million residents in San Antonio who are relying on that.”
And Gavito mentioned zoning changes and guiding “sustainable development” as another major priority.
“San Antonio has an influx of people coming into the city, but making sure that we do that collaboratively with neighbors and neighborhood associations,” she said.
Gavito had the clear edge in the May 6 election, taking in twice as many votes as Rossiter and over 20 times as much in political contributions. She also grabbed endorsements from several current council members, former Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, and the city’s police and fire unions.
Rossiter, though, is undeterred heading into the runoff.
“It’s a whole new ball game,” he said. “And I’d encourage everyone to reset the scoreboard and see where things land.”
Gavito, meanwhile, says she has “gained the trust and support from those residents, and I plan to call them and touch base with them to make sure that they come out for me again.”
Early voting runs from May 30 through June 6. The runoff itself is June 10.