Outgoing San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg touts Ready to Work, Pre-K for SA in farewell speech

In a farewell address Monday, outgoing San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg congratulated Mayor-elect Gina Ortiz Jones and ticked off his administration’s accomplishments while admitting much work remains to be done.

During a roughly 20-minute speech in front of City Council, Nirenberg pointed to the city’s expanded Pre-K for SA, his Ready to Work job-training initiative, the city’s first-ever affordable housing bond and VIA’s rapid transit Green and Silver Lines as legacies he hopes the public will remember.

Nirenberg also warned Jones, a Democrat and former Under Secretary of the Air Force, that San Antonio still faces numerous tough-to-tackle problems she’ll face during her four-year term, specifically, underemployment and generational poverty.

“Poverty will take generations to heal,” Nirenberg said. “So long as there is one resident without a home, there are still more homes to repair and to build. Wages have risen, but not yet enough for a modern city… . It does remind me of something I saw in a recent news article that suggested that my legacy as mayor appears to be unfinished. And to that, I say, ‘Well, yes, that was the point.'”

Nirenberg thanked all 10 members of council for their hard work, good humor and willingness to work across the aisle when needed. He also applauded the contributions of City Manager Erik Walsh and other City Hall staff.

The outgoing mayor also thanked his wife, Erika Prosper, for her support and the “passion and fearlessness she has for the people.”

“It may sound ridiculous, but even as mayor of the seventh-largest city in the United States for the last eight years, every day, I’m still the 24-year-old newlywed trying to make his wife proud when he gets home,” Nirenberg said. “Erika, I love you.”

Nirenberg’s last day in office will be June 18, when Jones and five new City Council members will be sworn in.

The termed-out mayor recently announced he’ll be heading to Trinity University, where he will take on the role of a Calgaard Distinguished Professor of Practice in the Department of Communications, beginning in August.

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This article appears in May 29 – Jun 11, 2025.