A coalition of business and faith leaders are banding together, today, to urge the San Antonio City Council to reject a call from the Republican Party to host their upcoming convention, Newsradio 1200 WOAI reports.
The rally is spearheaded by Bexar County Commissioner Tommy Calvert, who tells WOAI news that he's afraid of the impact on trade, tourism and safety. He's been told by auto dealers that car sales are down because fewer Mexican Nationals are coming here to shop.
Chief on Commissioner Calvert's fears is that of violence. He worries that far left wing protestors will spark riots that would be similar to the ones that torched Chicago in 1968 when they hosted the Democratic National Convention.
Mayor Ron Nirenberg says, in order for San Antonio to play host to the RNC, the city would have to fork over between $65 and $70 million.
"I do not think that taxpayer dollars should go towards subsiding a political convention," he says.
City Council will meet this week in executive session, debating on how the city should proceed. That's drawing the ire of Councilman Greg Brockhouse, who wants transparency
"If we are truly striving to be a welcoming and inclusive City, deciding whether or not to deny an organization based on their political beliefs is a dangerous precedent that shouldn’t be done behind closed doors," he said in a statement. "The public deserves total transparency and to know where elected officials stand on this critical decision."
Mayor Nirenberg struck back, saying any decision will not be made in a smoky back room.
"When we talk about competitive applications that include incentives, we have a briefing of the situation in executive session. That's standard protocol."
Commissioner Calvert says, if San Antonio says no to the RNC, the decision would not make us an outlier. He's been told nearly one dozen cities across the country have turned it down, including Dallas and Houston.