Vanessa Chavez
Vanessa Chavez ran for election to the San Antonio City Council to represent District 6 in Texas. She lost in the general election on May 3, 2025.
Chavez completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Vanessa Chavez was born in San Antonio, Texas. Chavez earned a graduate degree from St. Edward's University in 1994. Her career experience includes working as a public servant.[1]
Elections
2025
See also: City elections in San Antonio, Texas (2025)
General runoff election
General runoff election for San Antonio City Council District 6
Ric Galvan defeated Kelly Ann Gonzalez in the general runoff election for San Antonio City Council District 6 on June 7, 2025.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Ric Galvan (Nonpartisan)  | 50.1 | 5,771 |
| Kelly Ann Gonzalez (Nonpartisan) | 49.9 | 5,743 | ||
| Total votes: 11,514 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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General election
General election for San Antonio City Council District 6
The following candidates ran in the general election for San Antonio City Council District 6 on May 3, 2025.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Kelly Ann Gonzalez (Nonpartisan) | 19.7 | 1,660 | |
| ✔ | | Ric Galvan (Nonpartisan) | 19.4 | 1,631 |
| Chris Baecker (Nonpartisan) | 17.6 | 1,484 | ||
 | Vanessa Chavez (Nonpartisan) | 16.8 | 1,414 | |
 | Gerald Brian Lopez (Nonpartisan) | 9.0 | 762 | |
| Lawson Alaniz-Picasso (Nonpartisan) | 8.5 | 715 | ||
| Bobby Herrera (Nonpartisan) | 5.4 | 458 | ||
 | Carlos Antonio Raymond (Nonpartisan) | 3.5 | 298 | |
| Total votes: 8,422 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Chavez in this election.
Campaign themes
2025
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Vanessa Chavez completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Chavez's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I attended Henry De Osso Catholic School in District 6 (1977-1985), graduated from Providence High School in 1989, and earned a B.A. in Criminal Justice from St. Edward’s University in 1994. I raised two amazing sons as a single mother, both graduates of NISD high schools and college graduates—my oldest from UTSA and my youngest from UT Austin. I am also a proud breast cancer survivor.
Throughout my 30-year career in public service, I spent 20 years working with the City of San Antonio—12 years with city departments and 8 years in city council offices. I’ve worked with two congressmen and a state senator, supporting them with constituent services and policy input. I bring a deep understanding of the community’s needs, having worked on the frontlines to find solutions to resident concerns. I’ve always believed in serving residents directly, whether in the field or through policy input, and I look forward to continuing this work for District 6.- Public safety is a top priority for District 6. To ensure our neighborhoods and businesses stay safe, I will prioritize hiring additional patrol officers to strengthen our police force. This increased presence will deter crime and provide quicker emergency responses. I will also ensure officers have the necessary resources and training to serve our community effectively. I will advocate for the expansion of the SAPD Mental Health Unit and Crisis Intervention Team, ensuring officers receive ongoing mental health crisis training. This will equip our police force to handle these situations with care, improving outcomes for individuals in crisis.
- To improve mobility and safety in District 6, I will prioritize maximizing Bond dollars, the Infrastructure Management Program (IMP), and the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) to fund essential neighborhood, road, and sidewalk projects. These initiatives will support businesses and residents by ensuring efficient mobility while enhancing public safety. Bond funding will focus on critical drainage systems, public facilities, and large-scale infrastructure projects, minimizing community disruptions. My office will maintain open communication with residents and businesses, ensuring contractors meet quality and timeliness expectations. I will also advocate for comprehensive traffic evaluations to reduce gridlock and improve traffic flow.
- San Antonio has made important strides in addressing homelessness through its homeless response teams and various service programs. However, to truly reduce homelessness, we need to ensure that all entities involved—city departments, nonprofits, and local organizations—work to be more closely connected and coordinated to provide a comprehensive support system. By fostering greater collaboration, we can ensure that individuals facing homelessness, as well as families, have access to the full range of resources they need. Expanding outreach efforts by increasing funding for homeless response teams and enforcing public space protections will help keep individuals connected to services.
development in District 6. It’s essential that growth is both balanced and sustainable, benefiting current residents while attracting new businesses and families. To achieve this, I will organize quarterly meetings with neighborhoods, developers, and stakeholders to ensure new projects align with community needs and address concerns early.
Accountability is another essential trait. An elected official must take responsibility for their actions, decisions, and the impact they have on the community. They should be transparent and open to feedback, admitting mistakes when necessary and making corrections. This accountability builds trust and ensures that the official remains focused on serving the people’s best interests.
Empathy plays a key role in understanding the diverse needs of the community. An official must be able to put themselves in others’ shoes, particularly in understanding the struggles of marginalized or vulnerable populations. This empathy allows them to create policies that truly meet the needs of all constituents, not just a select few.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2025 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on April 2, 2025
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