Former Mayors Cisneros, Hardberger, Castro, and Garza joined former Mayor Ron Nirenberg today is urging citizens to vote against the three charter amendments which are currently on the ballot, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports
.Phil Hardberger says in his long lifetime, he has seen San Antonio move from a sleepy jalopy to a city which is now running in high gear and is about to switch into overdrive.
"Its for those who want to move forward versus those who want ot put us in reverse," he said.
The petitions were circulated by the local firefighters union as a way to 'punish' the city for not coming up with a suitable contract. But Cisneros said, when you add in pay, overtime, and benefits, the median income for local firefighters is 'about $140,000 a year.
Cisneros also praised the progress being made by the city over the past decade.
"And to threaten that instability with what these amendments would imply is a very dangerous thing."
Castro says he saw the inner workings of a lot of cities during his time as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development."
San Antonio is one of the best run cities in the United States, with some of the strongest economic growth out there," Castro said. "We don't want to get off of this track."
The mayors were joined by Republican and Democrat leaders, and officials from the Chamber of Commerce to labor organizations on urging that the amendments be defeated.