San Antonio mayoral candidate proposes creation of the South Texas Triangle Economic Alliance

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MISSION, Texas – Before embarking on his bid to become the next mayor of San Antonio, Beto Altamirano when on a listening tour of the city. He wanted to know what the important issues were for residents.

When Altamirano told the residents he was born and raised in Mission, Texas, he got a favorable response. Many people would tell him they had family members in the Rio Grande Valley. That feedback resonated, Altamirano said.

“The idea of San Antonio and South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley… we are connected in many ways. We have more in common than what separates us, and we should cherish that. We should celebrate that,” Altamirano said, during a speech at a campaign fundraiser at The Loretto restaurant in Mission.

“And so, one item that I’m proposing in my economic development agenda is what I call the South Texas Triangle. In South Texas, we have a lot of economic strength, from San Antonio to Corpus Christi, to the Rio Grande Valley, Brownsville, all the way to Nuevo Leon and Reynosa.”

Part of that economic strength is the talents of the people that reside in South Texas, Altamirano explained.

“We have a lot of talents, and we have to be proud of that talent. We have to cherish that talent. We have to celebrate that talent, but we need to start talking to each other. We have to start collaborating with each other, and that’s what I propose to do,” Altamirano said.

“What I’m introducing is called the South Texas Triangle Economic Alliance, which is going to include people from both the private and public sector, so that we can set an agenda moving forward that includes everything but brings industry and brings investment into the South Texas region.”

Altamirano said the South Texas region has to capture this moment.

“It’s an exciting moment. People are talking about us on the global scale. They really are,” he said.

“If we want to achieve regionalism in this part of the country, in this part of South Texas, we need to start working with each other, not against each other.”

Editor’s Note: Here, below, is a video recording of the remarks of Beto Altamirano at the campaign event at The Loretto in Mission, Texas. He is introduced by San Antonio businessman and fellow Rio Grande Valley native, C. LeRoy Cavazos-Reyna.

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Altamirano said he has a concept he calls inclusive tribalism.

“It’s about inclusive politics, inclusive economics and inclusive policy. And what is that? We have to reduce the number of ‘them’, and increase the number of ‘us’, all of those together. And that’s one thing that sometimes we fail to do in politics, because we’re always competing against each other. And that’s what I want to change with South Texas Triangle Economic Alliance.”

Another proposal Altamirano outlined in his speech involves a better understanding of the economic strengths of South Texas.

“What works in Laredo might work in Corpus Christi. What works in Corpus Christi might work in the Rio Grande Valley, and vice versa in San Antonio. But what are those strengths” I see efforts like RioPlex, which Joaquin Spamer is leading. That’s exciting too.”

Altamirano said South Texas’ economic mobility agenda would be improved if all the metropolitan planning organizations in the region worked together. And he gave a shoutout to the South Texas Alliance of Cities that current San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg helped launch. “That’s what we need more of,” he said.

As for his agenda specifically for San Antonio, Altamirano said it includes economic development, public safety and infrastructure. His campaign motto is: Our City, Our Moment, Growing San Antonio Together.

Early in his speech, Altamirano praised the culture and history of South Texas. He pointed out that while was born in the Valley, his parents hail from Reynosa, Mexico.

“There’s a bicultural narrative in South Texas and North Mexico. That is a beautiful thing that all of us here tonight are part of. We have to celebrate that heritage, that bicultural, bilingual heritage, which is unique to this part of the world. And we should double down on being proud of being from this part of Texas.”

Altamirano used to work for state Rep. Sergio Muñoz of Mission. He said he block walked for the representative, learning about the issues that impact South Texas. He also explained how and why he got involved in politics.

“When I was 17, my dad got his visa removed. In other words, he was deported. And that happens a lot in this part of the United States. If I tell this story elsewhere, they wouldn’t understand it. But I say that story right now, and all of you understand what I’m talking about. You had a friend or a family member that has gone through those immigration issues, or you yourself,” Altamirano said.

“In the case of my family, that impacted me in many ways. But one thing it did, it got me curious about politics, about policy, and how the law and the public policy of the United States influences your everyday life. And sometimes you don’t think about it until that tragedy or that policy impacts your life. And it happened to me at 17 years old.”

Altamirano said he cares about Mission and about this part of Texas.

“I care about all of us collectively (in) what I call the South Texas Triangle. Eventually, I found myself working in the U.S. Senate and then the White House. But I never forgot about South Texas.”

Altamirano is CEO and co-founder of Iris, a technology firm in San Antonio that employees more than 80 people. He started the company with two friends from scratch. He is also CEO of the Better Futures Institute, an organization focused on addressing urban and social challenges in the Alamo city. He has served as vice chair of the Port Authority of San Antonio board. He was educated at Sharyland High School, UT-Austin, and Harvard University.