The former Texas Secretary of State and his “team of advisors” appear to be gently launching their campaign for mayor of San Antonio

SAN ANTONIO – The former Texas secretary of state appears to be making a soft start to his San Antonio mayoral campaign by creating a new nonprofit organization to develop a “public policy plan” ahead of the May 2025 race.

Rolando Pablos, who served under Gov. Greg Abbott in 2017 and 2018 and now heads an international trade consulting firm, is widely expected to enter the open race for mayor.

But instead of launching a traditional campaign, Pablos announced on Thursday that he had founded a new group, FutureFirst SA, which a spokesman likened to a nonpartisan think tank.

“The next mayoral election provides us with both a rare and unique opportunity to reassess and redefine our expectations for our next mayor and city government,” Pablos wrote in a Thursday morning email announcement. “It is also a chance to define the most important political priorities that we believe the next mayor should defend.”

The new group’s website states that its “sole mission is to develop pragmatic policy solutions to help San Antonio become a more prosperous, sustainable and inclusive city for all residents.”

However, it prominently introduces Pablo as the group’s “founder” and includes an extensive biography.

For political insiders, this is an obvious pseudo-entry into the mayoral race.

“There is no doubt about it. “This is the first salvo in the search for Rolando Pablos to be the next mayor of San Antonio,” said political consultant Christian Archer.

Archer said Pablos was a friend to whom he gave advice. However, he was not hired by Pablo or any other potential candidate.

Archer also said he was unaware of the new group, which he described as “very smart.”

The nonprofit organization allows Pablos to raise money and increase his visibility with voters before he formally announces his run for mayor and must pay the $1,000 per-person cap on campaign contributions.

“He can’t use money to say, ‘I’m running for office, support me.’ Nothing like that,” Archer said. “But of course he will raise his profile by spending money, saying, ‘let’s talk about what the future looks like’.”

According to Texas Secretary of State records, FutureFirst SA is the assumed name of Invigorate San Antonio, which Pablos founded on February 24 as a 501(c)4.

The name FutureFirst SA did not appear in a Thursday search of state records, nor did any of the names appear as a tax-exempt organization on the Internal Revenue Service’s website. However, the spokesman said that documents had been submitted in both cases.

Mayor Ron Nirenberg’s fourth, two-year term will end in 2025, leaving the mayor’s office wide open for the first time since Phil Hardberger left in 2009, when there was a two-term limit.

However, despite the possibilities and plenty of rumors about possible candidates, the race is also on the other side of the presidential election. Only two people have launched public campaigns: Councilman Manny Pelaez (D8) and Councilman John Courage (D9).