Recently, while on the District 5 campaign trail, council candidate Rudy Lopez received first-hand experience about an unresolved city issue when he was pursued, then bitten by a roaming dog.
In hindsight, the neighborhood leader has a sense of humor about the incident. “When you’re walking, you shouldn’t have to be running away from a dog that wants to attack you, right?” Lopez says via phone, still chuckling.
“I know that we need improvements with Animal Care Services, and some major education in [the district] about how to take care of your pets,” he adds. “Maybe some spay/neuter programs so there won’t be so many loose animals in District 5.”
Lopez, 51, is in a tense runoff against progressive Teri Castillo, an energetic housing advocate, for the District 5 seat on San Antonio City Council. The winner of this election will usher in a new era for the West Side district, as incumbent Shirley Gonzales has reached the end of her term limit.
READ MORE: Progressive Teri Castillo offers a new direction for District 5
On polling day, 11 candidates competed for the open seat and a total of 6,769 votes were cast in the district. Castillo captured 30.7 percent of the votes (2,077 votes) and Lopez trailed with 14.7 percent (991 votes). Because neither candidate surpassed the 50 percent threshold, the contest will be decided in a June 5 runoff along with four other council races.
Lopez, a retired City employee, has spent the last eight years honing his skills as a hyper-local community leader. In this role as the vice president, then president of the Thompson Neighborhood Association, he worked directly with Gonzales’ office…
Recently, while on the District 5 campaign trail, council candidate Rudy Lopez received first-hand experience about an unresolved city issue when he was pursued, then bitten by a roaming dog.
In hindsight, the neighborhood leader has a sense of humor about the incident. “When you’re walking, you shouldn’t have to be running away from a dog that wants to attack you, right?” Lopez says via phone, still chuckling.
“I know that we need improvements with Animal Care Services, and some major education in [the district] about how to take care of your pets,” he adds. “Maybe some spay/neuter programs so there won’t be so many loose animals in District 5.”
Lopez, 51, is in a tense runoff against progressive Teri Castillo, an energetic housing advocate, for the District 5 seat on San Antonio City Council. The winner of this election will usher in a new era for the West Side district, as incumbent Shirley Gonzales has reached the end of her term limit.
READ MORE: Progressive Teri Castillo offers a new direction for District 5
On polling day, 11 candidates competed for the open seat and a total of 6,769 votes were cast in the district. Castillo captured 30.7 percent of the votes (2,077 votes) and Lopez trailed with 14.7 percent (991 votes). Because neither candidate surpassed the 50 percent threshold, the contest will be decided in a June 5 runoff along with four other council races.
Lopez, a retired City employee, has spent the last eight years honing his skills as a hyper-local community leader. In this role as the vice president, then president of the Thompson Neighborhood Association, he worked directly with Gonzales’ office…Read Morelocal_news
