Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones gives a statement on Feb. 27 before recusing herself from a special City Council meeting to vote on whether to censure her. Poor management is what happens when out-of-touch politicians try to run our city, a reader says.
Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama faces questions on June 13 during a postgame news conference after Game 5 of the NBA Finals against the New York Knicks at the Frost Bank Center. As a longtime Spurs fan, a reader says that while the series was one of the hardest to watch, it’s worth looking back at how far the Spurs have come.
Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama embraces teammates on May 30 as they celebrate their victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals in Oklahoma City. The Spurs defeated the Thunder 111-103 in Game 7 to advance to the NBA Finals against the New York Knicks. Thank you, Spurs, for reigniting our sense of pride in our city and in the team, a reader says.
Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News
Mayor’s leadership costly
Re: “Mayor’s leadership training cost over $10K,” Metro, June 11:
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Not long ago, the City Council approved $170,000 to paint some crosswalks in rainbow colors. Now, we learn the city spent $10,125 on a consultant from Tennessee for Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones’ leadership training as part of her censure. It was a four-hour training session.
That comes to $2,531.25 per hour. I guess no one in Bexar County or the great state of Texas does this work.
This mayor is the worst our city has ever had. Her term can’t end soon enough.
The city wants to raise our water rates, and the city needs more police officers, but we’re dragging our heels to hire them. This is what happens when out-of-touch politicians try to run our city. They are not businesspeople.
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Where do I find a job that pays $2,531.25 per hour? Please, hire me.
Proud of our Spurs
Thank you, Spurs, for reigniting our sense of pride in our city and in the team.
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You brought us together in joy, excitement and, yes, sadness.
What really matters
As a longtime Spurs fan, the series was one of the hardest to watch. It hurts to lose.
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A few days later, however, with the benefit of time, it’s worth looking back and seeing just how far the Spurs have come.
Last season, our record was 34-48. This year it was 62-20. The Spurs goal was to make the playoffs. We were in the NBA Finals. We beat the defending champions. I wish it ended with a championship, but when things are tough, it’s worth looking at the good.
My only regrets for this season were how expensive tickets became on the resale market, how absurd some fans became and the fact that we lost some very winnable games.
For the most part, those issues exist every season.
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If any Spurs player sees this, please know that I support you because you guys play your hearts out and are an integral part of the San Antonio community.
The wins and losses, as former coach Gregg Popovich would say, don’t matter.
Srikar Mylavarapu, Carrollton
No reflection of cities
Re: “Out-of-towners tell police Spurs fans attacked them,” Metro, Tuesday:
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Reports of isolated assaults of Knicks fans in San Antonio after Saturday’s loss were as repulsive as how the Spurs and some fans were treated in New York.
The incidents shared one commonality: They were committed by a small number of hooligans who in no way represent their communities.
The bad behavior in San Antonio is a black eye for a city dependent on tourists. Knicks fans were our guests, spending their money here.
Local media provided extensive coverage of the outrages in New York. It would be far better — and more accurate — to have given equal coverage to the overwhelming majority of New Yorkers who condemned such behavior.
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Could more balanced coverage have dialed back anger and prevented the purported assaults in San Antonio? Journalists owe it to the community to take this question seriously.
Hopefully, the perpetrators in both cities will be caught and severely punished for their crimes.
Home court advantage
The Spurs lost three home games in a row to end their season.
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These guys definitely need a new arena.
Look out for ratepayers
Re: “Garza guided CPS Energy to stability,” Editorial, June 14:
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CPS Energy’s next leader must do better.
Much hasn’t improved for working families struggling to pay their energy bills. In 2024, more than 3 million people in Texas were left without power, the most disconnections of any state. That included 105,131 CPS Energy customers.
In 2024, during November and December, CPS Energy shut off power to more than 23,000 families.
Rudy Garza, CPS Energy’s then-CEO, essentially claimed in July of last year that the utility had done enough. They “can’t give energy away for free,” he said.
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Effective leaders cannot restore civic confidence by saying such things, especially during hard times.
Ratepayers have already endured two rate hikes since 2022. We need a utility leader who champions ratepayers, not power-hungry data centers.
As CPS Energy faces exponential growth in data center power demand, its next leader must ensure that data center costs aren’t passed on to the rest of us.
CPS Energy needs to manage the proposed growth, which certainly means rejecting most of the proposed projects.
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