Bexar County commissioners rang in the new year with a historic ceremony: swearing in the court’s first woman of color.
Not only that, but this is the first time in 20 years that a woman has served on the commission.
Rebeca Clay-Flores, 45, who is Black and Latina, was formally sworn in as the commissioner for Precinct 1 during a noon ceremony Friday. That was followed by the swearing-in of Trish DeBerry, 55, for the Precinct 3 seat.
“I was, frankly, disgusted that there were no women on the board and only two women in 100 years and never a woman of color,” Clay-Flores said. “My hope is that the work that I am about to embark upon ensures that I may be the first, but not the last; but that I may be only the first of many more to follow.”
On ExpressNews.com: A woman hasn’t been a Bexar County commissioner for two decades. Soon there will be two.
“I think diversity really brings more robust thinking and solutions to the table,” DeBerry said. “But at the end of the day, I don’t want to be known for being a woman on the court, I want to be known for being a great commissioner and bringing a small-business wheelhouse to the table to really get things done and jump-start the economy.”
There have been only two other women to serve on the Bexar County Commissioners Court: former County Judge Cyndi Taylor Krier and the late former Precinct 4 Commissioner Helen Dutmer.
Dutmer was the first woman elected to the court, in 1991, serving on the Precinct 4 seat until 1994, when the Democrat lost her re-election campaign.
Krier joined Dutmer after becoming the first woman elected county judge, in 1992. Krier, a Republican, did not seek another term in 2000.
Clay-Flores’ official swearing-in came about 12 hours early: Former County Commissioner Robert Tejeda administered the oath at the midnight ceremony. At the noon event, she was sworn in by Roland Gutierrez, who won the Texas Senate District 19 seat. He complimented her on her choice of face mask for the ceremony: a Mexican flag, a nod to her Hispanic heritage.
She replaced former Commissioner Sergio “Chico” Rodriguez, who served for 16 years, defeating him in the Democrat primary in July. She then beat Republican candidate Gabriel Lara in November. Clay-Flores most recently was a special projects manager at San Antonio’s Metropolitan Health District.
During her remarks Friday, Clay-Flores reflected on a night she will never forget that pushed her to run for office.
“It was only three blocks from here … that I vividly remember being kicked out of a rundown hotel at night with my family at the age of 4 as we endured homelessness and poverty,” Clay-Flores said. “It is these experiences that continue to fuel me to fight for a better life for the constituents of Bexar County.
“Many in our community experience injustice daily and have not had adequate representation in the body of elected officials who serve,” she added.
Her brother, Jose Clay-Flores, called the newly sworn-in commissioner a “voice for the voiceless” during his speech.
On ExpressNews.com: DeBerry, Clay-Flores win Bexar commissioner races
DeBerry was sworn in by Judge Bert Richardson of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.
She won the seat left empty when former Precinct 3 Commissioner Kevin Wolff did not seek re-election for a fourth term. DeBerry ran against retired Judge Tom Rickhoff in the Republican primary and then defeated Democrat Christine Hortick in November.
DeBerry is the CEO of a public relations firm and a former television journalist with KENS-TV. In 2001, she managed Ed Garza’s successful mayoral campaign and later ran for mayor, losing to Julián Castro in 2009.
One of DeBerry’s main priorities as commissioner will be to help small businesses who were decimated during the pandemic.
“We need to do whatever we can to try to help those folks, keep the doors open,” DeBerry said. “There are a lot of people who have been furloughed or laid off, and I’m going to bring that small-business experience to the table and really jump-start the economy and bring people back to work.”
Precinct 2 Commissioner Justin Rodriguez was in attendance Friday to witness the ceremonies.
“This is the start of a new era in county government,” Rodriguez said. “I think it’s going to bring a different perspective, and I think everybody’s ready to roll up their sleeves and get to work.”
The first Commissioners Court meeting of the year will be held Jan. 12.
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‘The first of many more to follow’ — Bexar County Commissioners Court makes history as it adds diversity to court - San Antonio Express-News
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