Van de Putte claims defections from rival

For months, state Rep. Mike Villarreal has been headhunting, soliciting support high and low for his mayoral campaign and listing the names of any and all supporters on his website.

This list is important to him.

“It’s a pretty long list, and every day it grows,” Villarreal told me.

He said this on Tuesday, one day before state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, a fellow Democrat in the Bexar County delegation, announced she would vie with Villarreal for the city’s mayorship. Now, according to Van de Putte, Villarreal’s list is shrinking.

“More than one” of his supporters has defected, she told me on Friday.

Van de Putte would not specify who. Villarreal said he wasn’t aware of any defections.

Months ago, he thought he’d secured a supporter who virtually ensured Van de Putte would not challenge his candidacy: Van de Putte’s mother, Belle.

“Yes, that is true, she said . . . she would help on the campaign,” Villarreal said.

This happened in September, at a dinner party. At the time, Belle’s 59-year-old daughter was struggling to best state Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, in a doomed campaign to become the state’s next lieutenant governor, declaring publicly that “under no circumstances” would she run for mayor.

Villarreal and Belle were seated next to each other when the octogenarian offered her support.

“My mom is so sweet,” Van de Putte said. “If somebody says they need her help on something, she says, 'Oh, of course!’”

Delighted, Villarreal later tried to lock it down with a photo of him standing beside Belle. But Belle grew difficult to reach. She finally told her daughter’s colleague she preferred to wait to pledge her support until after the general election.

“That was a very nice offer, and I think she meant it,” Villarreal recalled on Tuesday. “Now, I’m not going to hold her to it if Leticia jumps in.”

Leticia has jumped in. Belle, you’re off the hook.

A question remains: Whom will the business community support?

Business leaders care about the debate engulfing City Hall over how to deal with rich health care benefits for police and firefighters.

San Antonio is the only major city in Texas where uniform employees pay no premiums for dependents. The city pays much more in health care for uniform employees than it does for its civilian employees.

For months, City Manager Sheryl Sculley has warned that public safety costs could consume the entire budget.

Compromise appears out of reach. The city has sued the unions, and the unions are attacking Sculley personally. Leadership is needed. And a bankrupt city is bad for business.

To win the chance to lead, a mayoral candidate could use the business community.

“I think Mike knows what we have right now is an unsustainable arrangement, and it needs to be fixed,” said Mike Beldon, Villarreal’s campaign treasurer.

That’s a come-hither quote for business leaders.

Van de Putte was less conclusive on the matter.

“What I know is, I have been in tight deadlines, multibillion-dollar negotiations, high stakes within state government,” she said. “So I’m used to the high stakes . . . I have always been able to convene, get people to the table, get them respectful and trusting again so that we can make decisions.

“What we’re looking for,” she added, “is quality of leadership and someone who can bring people together.”

Or, in the case of Villarreal’s treasured list: Lure them away.

Late Friday, Van de Putte confirmed one defector: Joe Bernal, her godfather.

bchasnoff@express-news.net