Mayor Taylor, former Councilwoman Berriozábal among speakers

San Antonio Mayor Ivy Taylor headlined a panel discussing “Gentrification in San Antonio: The Challenges of Development, Renewal and Displacement” in the semester’s first installment of Community Conversations at St. Mary’s.

“At the end of the day, we can’t just invest in real estate, we have to invest in people.” said Taylor, who added that the city was working on a master plan and a vision for all parts of San Antonio to grow and thrive.

Former city council representative María Antonietta Berriozábal> and Trinity University’s Christine Drennon, Ph.D., joined her. The conversation was be moderated by Cary Clack, the mayor’s communications director.

Community Conversations is held on the St. Mary’s campus in the University Center, Conference Room A. The events are free and open to the public. After each program, there is a question and answer session with the audience.

Taylor was appointed mayor in July after serving as District 2 City Council Representative for five years. Early in her career, she worked for the City of San Antonio’s Housing and Community Development Department and Neighborhood Action Department.

Berriozábal served as District 1 representative from 1981 to 1990 and was the first Latina elected to the council. Drennon is an Associate Professor of Sociology and Anthropology at Trinity. Clack, a St. Mary’s alumnus, is a former communications director for Congressman Joaquin Castro and San Antonio Express-News columnist.

The Community Conversations series is a part of the Institute for Public Administration, Politics and Public Policy at St. Mary’s University. One of the primary goals of the Institute is to develop outreach programs that foster dialogue between the University, the public, government agencies and nonprofits to address important public issues.

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