Why Beto Altamirano Is Running for Mayor of San Antonio

This week on bigcitysmalltown, host Bob Rivard sits down with Beto Altamirano—entrepreneur, civic technologist, and one of 27 candidates running for mayor of San Antonio. As the city prepares for a major leadership transition, Beto shares his personal backstory, including how his father’s deportation influenced his path into public service, his experience co-developing the City’s 311 app, and his thoughts on what it takes to lead San Antonio during a period of rapid growth. In this conversation, we discuss: Why voter turnout matters in local elections Altamirano’s views on economic development and job creation How he sees tech and public service intersecting Responses to criticism from other candidates His perspective on the Ready to Work program, Project Marvel, climate policy, and infrastructure delays This is the first in a series of bigcitysmalltown episodes featuring San Antonio’s mayoral candidates. The episodes aim to give voters context—not endorsements—ahead of the May 3rd municipal election. 📚 CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction to the Podcast and Guest 00:29 Election Overview and Current Political Landscape 01:48 Welcoming Beto Altamirano 02:35 Beto's Background and Personal Story 03:38 Beto's Career and Achievements 08:39 Challenges and Criticisms in the Mayoral Race 13:31 Campaign Strategy and Vision for San Antonio 20:44 Economic Development and Future Growth 23:22 Emerging Economic Trends 23:47 Workforce Challenges and Solutions 25:00 Ready to Work SA Program 29:08 Infrastructure and Public Works 34:37 Project Marble and Downtown Development 38:49 Addressing Climate Change 43:38 Closing Remarks and Vision for San Antonio -- -- ✉️ Subscribe to Bob's Newsletter - https://bigcitysmalltown.kit.com/3116... 📝 Resources & Show Notes - https://www.bigcitysmalltown.com/114 -- -- RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODE ▶ #102: The Future of Local Journalism in San Antonio – In this episode of bigcitysmalltown, we deeply dive into the state of local journalism and its future in San Antonio. As traditional news models struggle nationwide, nonprofit newsrooms like San Antonio Report are working to reshape how communities stay informed. -    • Can Local Journalism Survive? Lessons from...   🎧 Listen now: https://www.bigcitysmalltown.com/110 CONNECT 📸 Instagram:   / bigcity.smalltown   🔗 LinkedIn:   / robertjrivard   🎥 Subscribe on YouTube:    / @bcstsatx   SPONSORS 🙌 Support the show & see our sponsors THANK YOU ⭐ Leave a review on Apple Podcasts ⭐ Rate us on Spotify #sanantonio #bigcitysmalltown #BetoAltamirano #SATXPolitics #SanAntonioElections #Mayor2025 #localleadership #UrbanPolicy #bobrivard #civictech #texaspolitics #publicservice #SanAntonioGrowth #cityinfrastructure #readytowork #ProjectMARBLE #climatepolicy #cityhall #municipalelections #VoteSATX