Roland Gutierrez To Take Oath Of Office Wednesday, Become Newest State Representative

By Vince Leibowitz on May 13, 2008 in 2008 Texas Elections

Yet another great Democrat enters the Texas House (a little early, in fact):

Democrat Roland Gutierrez, the former city councilman known as a champion of vital public services and common-sense fiscal policies, will take the oath of office on Wednesday as the newest member of the Texas House of Representatives, calling for a new generation of leadership to help meet the growing challenges facing Texas.

“Let’s safeguard our community’s values by building a new generation of leadership to get the job done,” Gutierrez said.

Gutierrez was scheduled to be sworn in as House District 119 representative at 6:10 PM on Wednesday, May 14, by United States District Court Judge Orlando Garcia at The Republic Golf Club, located at 4226 SE Military Drive in San Antonio.

“We deserve the best public schools, public health, and public safety,” Gutierrez said. “Those are the goals that form the heart of my candidacy — to help the ordinary people of my district shape an extraordinary future for themselves and their families.”

A native of San Antonio, Gutierrez will now serve out the remainder of predecessor Robert Puente’s term. Puente resigned the office and was named interim CEO of the San Antonio Water System earlier this month. The general election will take place on November 4, 2008. Gutierrez is unopposed for a full term of his own.

Gutierrez was elected to the San Antonio City Council in 2005 and re-elected two years later. A 1989 graduate of Central Catholic High School, he earned his BA in political science from the University of Texas at San Antonio and his law degree from St. Mary’s University School of Law. He runs his own law firm in the city and is involved in the Elder Law Clinic, which provides free legal services to senior citizens. He and his family live in the San José neighborhood, where they attend Mission San José and are active in a variety of community projects.

As a councilman, Gutierrez was a driving force behind the efforts to establish Texas A&M University, the city’s second top-tier public university, which is scheduled to open its doors in 2009.

In addition, Gutierrez earned a reputation on the City Council for securing federal resources to fund the San Antonio River project without increasing the tax burden on middle-class families and small businesses. He has been praised for his work on the team that landed the Toyota auto manufacturing plant, leading to thousands of new jobs and millions in new economic activity for the city.

Gutierrez also helped create the new Drug Court to combat substance abuse among young people and find alternatives to prison, worked to freeze property taxes for seniors, and played a key role in the groundbreaking clean air policies, including an ordinance that lets owners of hybrid vehicles to park for free at city meters. He served as chairman of the City Council’s public safety committee, sat on the Police and Fire Pension Fund Board, and was the city’s liaison to Brooks City-Base.