Show Notes: Commissioner Tommy Calvert
In his second term as Bexar County (TX) Commissioner, Tommy Calvert is one of five chief executives responsible for governing America's 16th most populous county, which is seated in San Antonio and covers 1,200 square miles of south-central Texas.
Calvert's list of accomplishments is dizzying: He's the youngest Commissioner in Bexar County, and also its first African-American Commissioner. He's negotiated multi-million dollar deals and chaired committees overseeing everything from Cyber and IT to the land usage of a major Air Force base. He's served on the National Committee for US-China Relations Young Leaders forum. He made the San Antonio Business Journal's 40 Under 40 list. He once led an organization that raised $50 million to fight human trafficking. He's flown a fighter jet.
In this installment of Something To Look Forward To, Calvert shares his unique insight into several front-page issues he’s intimately connected with — from energy to immigration to law enforcement and beyond.
ENERGY, GRIDS, and GREED
In February 2021, a ferocious winter storm hit Texas and caught energy providers unprepared. More than 150 people were killed, nearly five million homes and businesses went days without water or power, and the cost of all the waste and overcharging sits comfortably in the billions. In the midst of a total city shutdown, Calvert found himself coordinating key elements of the response — including the rescue of hundreds of stranded, freezing senior citizens.
Our conversation kicks off with a discussion about the circumstances that led to the crisis, what state lawmakers have done about it (spoiler alert: nothing at all), and why Calvert believes innovations like microgrids and waste energy are the future.
GOVERNMENT, COMMUNITY, and ACTIVISM
You’d be forgiven for not knowing exactly what a County Commissioner does, but it’s a powerful post that oversees an enormous scope of government.
You can read a more complete breakdown of the Commissioner’s Court here, but in a nutshell, Calvert is one of five people tasked with overseeing 5,000 employees and a $6 billion budget that reaches into the following areas:
Homeland Security
Justice System
Mental Health Services
Elections
Flood Control
Health Care
Affordable Housing
At the 13:16 mark in the interview, we pivot to a discussion of how local government works (and why it sometimes doesn’t), as well as the biggest issues facing Calvert’s two million constituents — housing and “chronic undereducation” included.
We also learn about Tommy’s background as the child of activist parents, what it was like to attend a wealthy private school on scholarship, and why he thought his college was an all-girls university. He also explains the moment he realized that not all politicians share his background in economics and international relations: “I look at economic data like Tiger Woods reads a green.”
IMMIGRATION and LAW ENFORCEMENT
At the 52:31 mark, Calvert describes his experience touring the youth migrant detention facility in San Antonio and explains the differences between the approaches of the Biden administration and their predecessors.
We also talk about the state of the relationship between police and communities of color in San Antonio and surrounding areas. Calvert is uniquely positioned to know this topic well: He’s a Black man who grew up on the same streets he now represents, and as County Commissioner he is intimately involved with the justice system at all levels (indeed, in 2016, the Bexar County Commissioners Court approved the largest wage increase for Deputy Sheriffs in state history).
We didn’t dive as deeply into recommendations as in previous episodes, but Calvert did offer up two books for anyone interested in getting more involved in their communities: Rules for Radicals by Saul Alinsky, and Dynamics of Organizing by Shel Trapp.
ENGAGE THE COMMISSIONER
If you’d like to follow or connect with Tommy Calvert, here’s how to do that: