Austin’s mayor wants you to give your money to a discriminatory local leader.

In a recent email, Mayor Steve Adler solicited donations for San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg, who recently discriminated against Chick-fil-A for their religious beliefs. Nirenberg is caught in a tough re-election fight, and Adler wants you to support him.

“Mayor Nirenberg is an extremely good man and friend—we share so many values, goals, and ideas for the future,” Adler wrote. “I’ve contributed to Mayor Nirenberg’s re-election campaign and I ask you to do me a favor and do the same.”

Nirenberg is currently in a runoff election after failing to earn 50 percent of the vote in San Antonio’s May 4 mayoral race. Without earning a majority support, he’s set to face off on June 8 against second-place finisher and fellow city council member Greg Brockhouse, who has heavily criticized Nirenberg’s discriminatory actions.

Nirenberg, who was first elected mayor in 2017, has recently been tangled in controversy after he voted to ban Chick-fil-A from the San Antonio International Airport solely because of the owner’s beliefs on marriage. The popular chicken eatery was originally one of the restaurants set to be included by the airport’s retail contractor, but the city council approved an amendment to kick them out.

After the decision drew nationwide backlash, including the opening of an investigation by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Nirenberg tried to backpedal his rationale for discriminating against the company. The mayor claimed he banned Chick-fil-A because they are not open on Sundays, despite the fact that Chick-fil-A was nevertheless rated “Best Franchise Brand” in 2018 by Airport Review News.

Soon after the council’s decision, Brockhouse called for a revote of the ban, but Nirenberg used his tie-breaking vote to yet again block Chick-fil-A from the airport.

The ban became the most controversial issue of the mayoral race—one that Nirenberg has tried to get away from.

“How much oxygen is this going to take up?” Nirenberg asked during the campaign, dismissively referring to the issue as the “fast food subcontract.”

Not only has Nirenberg voted to ban organizations he disagrees with, but he’s also voted to take more money from citizens—choosing to increase taxes ever since he was first elected to the city council in 2013. The average San Antonio homeowner is now paying the city roughly $400 more per year than they did just four years ago.

And according to Austin Mayor Adler, he and his friend Nirenberg “share so many values, goals, and ideas for the future.”

Adler certainly shares Nirenberg’s goal of taking more money from citizens: Adler and the Austin City Council are now taking 80 percent more from the average city homeowner than they did just 10 years ago.

But despite both mayors’ actions and beliefs, it is up to San Antonio voters on June 8 to decide whether they will allow Nirenberg to continue discriminating and taking more of their hard-earned cash, or if they will choose a different path for their city and their wallets.

Jacob Asmussen

Jacob Asmussen is a Senior Journalist for Texas Scorecard. He attended the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor and in 2017 earned a double major in public relations and piano performance.

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