Local Politics: Interview with the Mayor of Schertz, Ralph Gutierrez


What does it take to go from a city counselor to a mayor and to learn the ropes of running your city during a global pandemic? On this episode of Local Politics, Jason and Kevin interview Ralph Gutierrez, the Mayor of Schertz, and go deep on issues big and small in politics today.

Mayor Ralph begins by walking Jason and Kevin through how he got involved in local politics and lets them behind the scenes on his first mayoral campaign. He answers questions from listeners about hot-button local issues like the delay in obtaining building permits and explains different aspects of local government, including how your property taxes are calculated. And because this is Local Politics you’re listening to, the episode also has plenty of laughs, insights, and the always popular Lightning Round!

If you have a question you want to ask your elected representative, join the debate on the Local Talent Facebook page, and don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast to stay up to date on every episode.


Timestamps

[0:13] Jason and Kevin invite Mayor Gutierrez onto the episode
[1:26] What got you involved in local politics, Mayor Ralph? Ralph opens up on the issue of affordable housing
[3:10] The make-up of the Schertz local council
[4:55] Growing from counselor to mayor
[9:00] So how do property taxes actually work?
[11:10] The opportunities and challenges of operating a business in Schertz
[14:00] A question from a listener: Is it possible to speed up the process of issuing building permits?
[18:06] Why do you need a permit to have a garage sale?
[19:36] Ralph breaks down the difference between renting out your house to tenants vs. renting it out to Airbnb guests
[20:44] “Big difference:” How running for mayor is a totally different ball game to running for city council
[25:51] Another question from a listener: Who’s Mayor Gutierrez's biggest contributor and what business interests do they have in the city?
[30:13] Mayor Gutierrez takes on the Lightning Roooooooooouuuuuuunndd!!!!!
[34:03] How to be a mayor during a pandemic
[40:47] Unpacking the expectation vs reality of being a mayor
[43:28] What exactly is the Northeast Partnership? Mayor Ralph gives a success story from the NEP
[48:38] What Mayor Ralph wishes he’d known before becoming mayor
[51:06] Ralph’s thoughts on a local political scandal
[55:20] What Mayor Ralph’s cross country running coach told him
[56:20] A question from a listener: Why put chipseal on the roads?
[57:56] Parting words of wisdom from Mayor Ralph to any future city mayors and the question that he would have answered


Highlight Quote
“When I came into office, I had two goals. One of them was a penny, the other one was a smile. My goal was to reduce the tax rate by one penny, and it's very difficult… but I managed to get it down by a quarter of a penny and this coming year, we're actually going to lower it by about a penny and a half…. And the other goal was a smile. Customer service. I think a smile is contagious. And I always preach customer service, because… our residents are the customers to the staff.”
(Mayor Ralph Gutierrez, Local Politics, 5:55 - 6:54)

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