SAN ANTONIO — As discussions over the City of San Antonio’s budget challenges heat up ahead of the June 7th Mayoral Runoff Election, Rolando Pablos has made clear that public safety funding—including for police, firefighters, and all first responders—will not be on the chopping block as he works to restore fiscal responsibility at City Hall.
In a recent interview with News 4 San Antonio, Pablos underscored his deep and fundamental commitment to prioritizing and increasing funding to enhance public safety in San Antonio:
“We’re not going to cut any police or firefighter budget—we’re not going to go there.
“Given the circumstances, it looks like we may have to increase it. So, we will fund fire and police first.
“If we don’t keep up with technology, we’re going to fall behind, so I would be extremely supportive of the police department and the firefighters to have the technology they need.
“We have to operate at peak performance, both at the fire department and the police department.”
Gina Jones Open to Defunding Police, Fire, First Responders
In sharp contrast, Pablos’ opponent Gina Jones refused to commit to maintaining public safety at current levels, much less increasing it. When asked explicitly by News 4 San Antonio, Gina dodged the question, saying simply that “we need to be guided by the data,” and left the door open to across-the-board cuts:
“We’ve got to look at the whole gamut.”
“As we look across the 30-some odd departments, are there some other efficiencies that we might be able to implement?
“I think when we look—and certainly, again, because of the fiscal uncertainty—we’ve really got to take a hard look across the board, right? And make sure that we’re minimizing long-term risks.
“I think there’s a number of departments where we could have this very thoughtful discussion and really dig down into the numbers and help us realize where there might be some efficiencies.”
In response, Pablos blasted Jones’ comments as a dangerous approach to public safety funding and restoring fiscal responsibility at City Hall:
“If Gina Jones can’t commit to prioritizing public safety funding, how is she going to prioritize the rest of the City’s budget and restore fiscal responsibility in San Antonio?
“My position is clear: as Mayor, I will ensure public safety funding is the first and top priority line item in the City’s budget —without exceptions. Our police, firefighters, and first responders deserve a mayor who will always have their back, and who will not bend a knee to political pressure to undermine the brave men and women who keep us safe every single day.
“Because of misplaced priorities by career politicians, San Antonio’s fiscal situation is absolutely abysmal and needs to be fixed immediately when the next Mayor and Council initiate budget discussions this summer.
“But leaving the door open to cutting funding for police, firefighters, and first responders is the opposite of what we need to ensure safe neighborhoods in San Antonio, and families in our City should be disturbed by Gina Jones’ willingness to reduce public safety funding in the City’s budget.
“As Mayor, I will not budge on my commitment to maintaining and increasing public safety funding. There are plenty of examples of inefficiencies and wasteful spending in our City’s budget that need to be rectified in order to get our fiscal house in order, but prioritizing public safety funding is non-negotiable.
“We can restore fiscal responsibility while giving our law enforcement and first responders the tools and resources they need to keep San Antonio safe, and that’s exactly what I will do as Mayor.”
Read more about Rolando Pablos’ Commitment to Public Safety.
Read Pablos’ Taxpayer Protection Blueprint to ensure financial responsibility and government efficiency at City Hall.
For media inquiries and interview requests, please e-mail sam@pablosformayor.com
For more information about the Pablos for Mayor campaign, to volunteer, or to contribute, please visit www.pablosformayor.com, call (210) 260-7513 or e-mail campaign@pablosformayor.com.
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