San Antonio – A longtime activist, who is also the mother of two of San Antonio’s best-known political figures, is among the District 7 residents who have applied to fill an empty seat on the San Antonio city council.
Maria del Rosario “Rosie” Castro was one of four people to apply to temporarily fill the seat vacated by Ana Sandoval last month. Sandoval left the District 7 council seat in late January because of family obligations and financial reasons.
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Castro, the most prominent name on the list of applicants, is a civil rights activist and former educator whose twin sons, Julian and Joaquin, are prominent Democratic politicians with national profiles.
Julian Castro is a former mayor of San Antonio and was Secretary of Housing and Urban Development during the Obama administration. His brother, U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, has represented the 20th Texas Congressional District since 2013.
The other candidates for the appointment are David Avila, a site coordinator for a veterans non-profit; Delia Guajardo, a retired school secretary who has been involved with numerous community groups; and Sean Murphy, an armorer and former county commissioner in Florida.
The San Antonio City Council will make a “shortlist” from the four candidates at its Mar. 1 meeting before interviewing the finalists and picking one to appoint the next day.
None of the applicants seeking the District 7 appointment are running in the May 6 election. So the person the city council chooses will only serve until early June, when the winner of the election will be sworn in.
Read the applications and resumes of each of the candidates below: