Rosie Castro (center) is congratulated by supporters after City Council votes to appoint her as the interim District 7 councilperson to replace Ana Sandoval on Wednesday, Mar. 1, 2023. Castro will be officially sworn in to office on Thursday - a position she will hold for at least the next three months.
Kin Man Hui, San Antonio Express-News / Staff photographerCivil rights activist Rosie Castro won out over three other applicants to fill the vacant District 7 seat temporarily.
She was the lone finalist selected Wednesday for a final interview, which the council will conduct tomorrow morning before taking a final vote to appoint her.
The Northwest Side district appointee will serve until June when the May 6 general election winner takes over.
District 7 has been without a representative since the beginning of the year when former Councilwoman Ana Sandoval stepped down to pursue a job at University Health and give more attention to her family following the birth of her daughter and her father’s death.
District 7 Councilwoman Ana Sandoval reacts as City Manager Erik Walsh offers his congratulations to her as Sandoval attends her last council session and resigns her seat on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023. Sandoval served five-and-half years for her district.
Kin Man Hui, San Antonio Express-News / Staff photographerOn ExpressNews.com: ‘In good hands’: District 7 Councilwoman Sandoval endorses Rosie Castro as interim successor
Sandoval endorsed Castro as her temporary successor soon after Castro, 75, announced that she planned to apply for the position. However, Castro said Sandoval had not previously tapped her to fill the role.
Castro — the mother of twin brothers U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro and former Mayor Julián Castro — has lived in District 7 for 36 years. She is a board member for the Mexican American Civil Rights Institute and Texas Organizing Project, a liberal community-activist group.
“I really appreciate what the council has done, what everyone here — the District 7 folks — have done,” Castro said. “I know there is still a lot of work to be done that Ana would like to see finished, and so I’m going to try to do as much as possible.”
Rosie Castro (second from left) addresses the media after City Council votes to appoint her as the interim District 7 councilperson to replace Ana Sandoval on Wednesday, Mar. 1, 2023. Castro will be officially sworn in to office on Thursday - a position she will hold for at least the next three months.
Kin Man Hui, San Antonio Express-News / Staff photographerJoaquin Castro underwent surgery Monday in Houston for a rare but manageable type of cancer.
Castro, 48, said in a written statement this week that he was diagnosed with gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumors. Such tumors can arise throughout the body, from cells that release hormones, but most commonly occur in the lungs or gastrointestinal tract.
About 12,000 Americans are diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumors each year, and about 175,000 Americans are living with them, according to the Neuroendocrine Tumor Research Foundation.
Other appointment seekers
The other three applicants under consideration were David Avila, Delia A. Guajardo and Sean A. Murphy.
Avila, who is retired from the Army, has lived in the district for six years. He is a site coordinator for Soldiers’ Angels, a group that provides aid and resources to the military, veterans and their families.
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Rosie Castro (front left) is appointed as the interim District 7 councilperson.
Kin Man Hui, San Antonio Express-News / Staff photographer
On ExpressNews.com: ‘I have to start that job’: Council pay factor in Ana Sandoval’s early exit from dais
With 52 years in the district, retiree Guajardo lived there longer than any other applicant.
Guajardo worked administrative roles in elementary and high schools from the 1970s through the 1990s. She is a military ambassador for Fiesta Piñatas in the Barrio and volunteers at the nonprofit Zapatos, which gives shoes to school-age children in need.
Murphy was the applicant newest to the district — he has lived there for close to two years. As a certified law enforcement armorer, Murphy maintains firearms for the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office in Florida. Before moving to Texas, he served as a county commissioner in Taylor County.
megan.rodriguez@express-news.net
