San Antonio chooses Ivy Taylor as new mayor

District 2 City Councilwoman Ivy Taylor is sworn in as San Antonio mayor Tuesday morning, replacing Julian Castro for the remainder of his term. District 2 City Councilwoman Ivy Taylor is sworn in as San Antonio mayor Tuesday morning, replacing Julian Castro for the remainder of his term. Photo: Nolan Hicks Photo: Nolan Hicks Image 1 of / 32 Caption Close San Antonio chooses Ivy Taylor as new mayor 1 / 32 Back to Gallery

SAN ANTONIO — The City Council appointed Councilwoman Ivy Taylor to become San Antonio's next mayor.

She did not win a majority of the council vote, as her colleagues split 5-3 over her and Councilman Ray Lopez.

Lopez then withdrew from consideration, saying that it was important for the city to move forward.

Mayor Julián Castro then submitted his official letter of resignation, reading it aloud in council chambers.

He then congratulated Taylor for becoming the city's new mayor. She is the first African-American woman to hold the seat.

She pledged to “work with everyone” to make San Antonio a great city. She thanked her family from traveling to San Antonio for Tuesday's meeting and her husband and daughter for their support.

During the roll call vote, Taylor secured votes from council members Rebecca Viagran, Rey Saldaña, Ron Nirenberg, Joe Krier and Mike Gallagher. Diego Bernal, Shirley Gonzales and Cris Medina voted for Lopez.

Once Lopez withdrew, there was a motion to appoint Taylor, which received unanimous support.

Taylor was sworn in as mayor just after noon.

She then presented Castro with a plaque on behalf of the entire council for his service to San Antonio.

Taylor has been on the council since 2009. She has represented District 2 on the East Side. When she decided to be considered for the appointment, she told her colleagues that she would not run for election in 2015.

If that holds true, the 2015 mayoral election will be for an open seat and is expected to be a raucous event with several potential contenders.

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jbaugh@express-news.net