PAC gets big checks from big names in San Antonio’s business community

A local PAC dedicated to passing a slate of six San Antonio charter amendments is getting an infusion of cash from the city’s business class.

Frost Bank, the San Antonio Apartment Association, Morgan’s Wonderland Founder Gordon Hartman, a law firm specializing in government collections, and the current and former heads of local banks were among the 21 donors who opened their checkbooks to pour nearly $125,000 to the Renew SA political action committee.

The fledgling campaign is focused on passing all six charter amendments on San Antonio voters’ Nov. 5 ballots. The proposed amendments include raising city council salaries, extending their terms, and allowing city employees to participate in local campaigns.

However, a news release announcing its creation singled out Proposition C, which would allow the city council to set the employment terms for the city manager.

Renew SA, which has said it plans to spend more than $1 million on its pro-charter change push, filed its first campaign finance report Friday, covering just three weeks’ worth of donations.

The reporting period ended on Sep. 26 with $124,755 in reported donations, nearly all of which were still unspent at the time.

Campaign Director Kelton Morgan declined to say how much more Renew SA had collected in the two weeks since then, though he said the amount of cash the campaign has on hand is “significantly higher” now.

“We’ve collected a lot more since and continue to do so,” Morgan said in a text message.

Proposition C easily has the biggest spotlight on it.

It’s a measure that would effectively undo a change approved by 59% of San Antonio voters in 218, following a fire union-led campaign. That change capped the city manager’s salary at ten times the pay of the lowest-paid city employees and limited them to eight years in the city’s top administrative role.

That means current City Manager Erik Walsh will have to leave the city’s top administrative role by March 2027. His $374,400 salary is based on the city’s $18 per hour entry wage.

The San Antonio business community and other supporters say removing those caps would ensure San Antonio can attract top talent and not lose out to other similarly-sized cities.

The San Antonio Professional Firefighters Association announced Monday it would fight the campaign for Proposition C. Its political action committee had nearly $920,000 on hand in its war chest in its latest financial report.

Proposition C could face an uphill battle at the polls. A UTSA poll found the idea of removing the caps was wildly unpopular. However, Renew SA’s internal polling, which used the actual ballot language, found voters were much more receptive.

NOTABLE RENEW SA DONORS

• Frost, Bank — $50,000

• Gordon Hartman, Businessman, Morgan’s Wonderland Founder, Renew SA Tri-chair — $25,000

• Linebarger, Goggan, Blair & Sampson, LLP, Government collections law firm — $10,000

• Richard “Dick” Evans, Retired CEO & Chairman of Frost Bank — $10,000

• San Antonio Apartment Association, Trade association — $10,000

• Tullos Wells, Attorney — $5,000

• Oxbow Development Group, Developer of The Pearl — $5,000

• Leo Gomez, CEO of Brooks Development Authority — $1,042

• Jim Goudge, Retired President & CEO of Broadway Bank — $1,000

• Pat Frost, Retired President of Frost Bank — $1,000

• Jenna Saucedo-Herrera, CEO of Greater:SATX — $521

• Brett Finley, President & CEO of North San Antonio Chamber of Commerce — $521

• Michelle Madson, President of San Antonio Hotel & Lodging Association — $521

• Ramiro Cavazos, CEO of U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce — $521

• Wayne Alexander, Retired CEO of SBC Southwestern Bell, Board Chairman of Southwest Research Institute — $500

• Esperanza “Hope” Andrade, Former TX Sec. of State, Businesswoman, Renew SA Treasurer — $261

Note – An earlier version of this story misstated the donation amount of Tullos Wells. It has been corrected in the version above.