San Antonio's tech entrepreneur Beto Altamirano has set his sights on a new venture, this time trading tech innovation for political ambition as he gears up for a run at the city's top seat in the 2025 mayoral race. Altamirano, the brains behind the city’s first digital service request platform and current head of an artificial intelligence company, is poised to shake up a mayoral contest that, until now, had been the playground of City Hall veterans.
With an invitation making rounds for a June 1 "special announcement," supporters and political spectators are putting two and two together. While Altamirano himself played coy in his response when reached by San Antonio Report, hinting about frustration with the current city administration, two separate sources close to the matter have blown the whistle, pegging the upcoming event as his mayoral campaign kickoff.
Altamirano's tech savvy and private-sector experience are seen as major assets by his camp, in stark contrast to the current crop of mayoral hopefuls with backgrounds rooted in local government – including city council members Manny Pelaez and John Courage. Melissa Cabello Havrda and Adriana Rocha Garcia, also council members, are still teasing the possibility of their candidacies.
Citing Altamirano's diverse experience, from political organizing to tech entrepreneurship, Reed Williams, a retired oil and gas executive and influential city council alum, is betting big on his protégé. Having spent hours that felt like mere minutes during their initial sit-down, Williams expressed to San Antonio Report his belief in Altamirano’s ability to connect with both the council and the business sector. "He’s young, but it’s time my older generation starts trusting younger people, and he’s done a lot," Williams gushed.
Altamirano isn’t a newcomer to the political scene, having cut his teeth on campaigns and offices from the University of Texas to Capitol Hill. Despite pivoting to the tech world with his startup Cityflag launched from Geekdom, politics and community service have remained integral to his DNA. He argued in a 2020 Forbes interview that local involvement is key to real change, a message that now rings true as he sets his eyes on the role of San Antonio’s next mayor.
