San Antonio’s political leaders, media personalities and residents had lots to say in 2023. And why not? It was a big year for news.
Sometimes the thoughts they shared when digital recorders and cameras were rolling proved insightful, funny or stinging. Other times, they were downright ludicrous. What follows are some of the best, worst and most memorable quotes by Alamo City newsmakers from the past year.
This is home
“We have been part of the San Antonio community for 50 years and expect to be celebrating another 50 years 50 years from now. [For] the Holt family, this is home.” — Spurs CEO R.C. Buford quelling fears about the team relocating out of San Antonio
Way to alienate half (or more) of your fans
“In my 26 years at KSAT I saw several examples of anchors making the same dumb mistake but it did not end their career. It’s different now. Management then was all male and humanitarian principles ruled. Now that authority is dominated by women.” — Former KSAT meteorologist Steve Browne in a now-deleted social media post blaming women in leadership for the resignation of sports reporter Greg Simmons after his arrest on a DWI charge
Finally, the buck’s stopping somewhere
“I was just asking questions: Why are we hiring these contractors when they’re not doing a good job?” — San Antonio City Councilwoman Melissa Cabello Havrda on her ordinance to bar contractors from future city work if they can’t finish projects on time
Remember Moses Rose’s?
“While out of an abundance of caution, we marked this as a peaceful protest, I am here to testify to you that there are men, women, organizations and individuals across the state of Texas that are very much prepared to sacrifice much more to prevent your theft of this man’s property. I can only pray that you and politicians across Texas are receiving this message.” — Self-described “patriot” J.R. Haseloff urging City Council not to use eminent domain to take Moses Rose’s, the bar standing in the way of the Alamo Visitor Center
Ballot box flop
“The challenge with Proposition A is that I think it mischaracterizes what cite and release was about. Cite and release has always had officer discretion. Prop A effectively removes officer discretion, and again, theft and property damage are not victimless crimes.” — Mayor Ron Nirenberg speaking out against the San Antonio Justice Charter, or Prop A, which failed at the ballot box
Doubling down
“I’m sticking with my theme that I’ve had every year, which is ‘Party with Perry.’ But I want to remind everybody, party but be safe, right? Lesson learned here.” — Former District 10 City Councilman Clayton Perry on the theme for his offices’ Fiesta Medal, unveiled a week before he was sentenced in a DWI and hit-and-run case
Except when it comes to being able to pass a voucher bill, apparently…
“In Texas when we seek to achieve goals, we seek only one thing: it’s to be No. 1. If you think we’re seeking to be anything other than No. 1, then you’re not a Texan.” — Gov. Greg Abbott speaking at pro-school voucher rally at San Antonio’s St. Mary’s Magdalene Catholic School
Wembymania in a nutshell
“We rolled the dice and we fucking won. I haven’t been this happy since we won the championship in 2014.” — Lifelong Spurs fan Zander Stanley after the team landed No. 1 draft pick Victor Wembanyama
We’re concerned about fentanyl but not that concerned
“I think it was a failed opportunity to ensure that we were deploying all tools available to us, and access to fentanyl testing strips is one of the many ways that we can save lives.” — San Antonio City Council Member Teri Castillo on the Texas Legislature’s failure to pass a bill legalizing life-saving fentanyl test strips
Slap gate
“That person was calling me, ‘Sir, sir,’ and that person grabbed me from behind. I didn’t see what happened because I was walking straight, and they told me ‘Don’t stop.” But that person grabbed me from behind — not on my shoulder, she grabbed me from behind.” — Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama after pop singer Britney Spears accused his security detail of roughing her up
Once Bitten…
“Digging into this data, if we had this number in 2015 or 2016, before it exploded into an incident that everybody is talking about, maybe we could have made those course corrections.” — Mayor Ron Nirenberg speaking to former Animal Care Services Director Shannon Sims about the alarming number of dog attacks in the city
What’s next? Nuking Mexico City?
“Republicans have gone from Self Deportation to Build A Wall to Invade Mexico in just over a decade.” — U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-SanAntonio, on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ proposal to invade Mexico
Incomplete work
“It doesn’t seem like they’re really finishing anything. They’re just digging one hole and moving on to another.” — East Side bakery owner Kayla Matta on her frustration with the city’s delayed road construction projects
Texas: all-access state
“What we’re seeing is that people are having access to guns who have no business carrying guns. People who have mental health issues, people that have criminal histories, people who are involved in relationships who have victimized their significant other in domestic violence situations — all those people have access to guns.” — Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales addressing this fall’s string of shootings of police officers
Winning may not be the only thing, but turns out it’s important
“Of course, we add a player of Victor’s capabilities, and your prospects look a lot better. But this year, with development, I think one of the important factors to enhance that development is winning. So winning is as important this year as learning last year. So, they’ve got to continue to learn. But, adding more wins, I think, is appropriate, mandatory and helpful.” —San Antonio Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich on his expectations for the Spurs at the start of the season.
Turbulent times
“Mayor Ron is a coward. For a man who touts to be the mayor of a compassionate city and a city of immigrants and a minority-majority city, he’s letting fear make his political decisions for him.” — Palestinian rights activist Maureen Kaki on Mayor Ron Nirenberg’s refusal to call for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict
Still dishing it out to San Antonio
“Victor, I got a final question. How do you say ‘churro’ in French?” — NBA great and commentator Charles Barkley giving Victor Wembanyama a hard time
Diehard fan on the dais
“I want to wish a very, very happy birthday to a very, very special woman. She is an advocate for higher education, a philanthropist, a mogul, a poet and a mother … . She once said ‘Spur-of-the-moment, I ball like Ginobili and you get D’d up on,’ celebrating our beloved San Antonio Spurs while inviting the opposition to collect their Ls in peace. Happy Birthday to the queen of rap, Nicki Minaj.” — District 2 City Councilman Jalen McKee-Roriguez during an otherwise-tense December council meeting
Puro San Anto dispute
“All I posted was a meme to get people’s reaction and likes on Facebook or whatever. It’s basically the same thing as me taking a picture with a Nike T-shirt on and posting it. I never made a cent.” — San Antonio artist Adrian Galvan on being sued by Fred’s Fish Fry after creating a parody image of a basketball jersey bearing the restaurant chain’s logo
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San Antonio 2023: A look back at the year’s 10 biggest news stories
This article appears in Dec 27, 2023 – Jan 9, 2024.
