San Antonio tech CEO Beto Altamirano appears poised to enter mayoral race

Facebook / Beto Altamirano

Beto Altamirano is CEO and co-founder of San Antonio-based artificial intelligence company Irys Technologies.

Tech entrepreneur Beto Altamirano looks poised to enter San Antonio’s mayoral race, having created an eventbrite listing for a June 1 “special announcement” at Southtown’s Friendly Spot.

The Current reported in April that Altamirano was pondering a run after Kelton Morgan, one-time campaign manager for present Mayor Ron Nirenberg, and longtime Democratic political consultant Christian Archer floated the businessman’s name.

“He is very smooth,” Archer said at the time, likening Altamirano to two former SA mayors. “He is this very strange combination of a young Henry Cisneros mashed up with a young Julián Castro with a business mind. He’s got a lot of things that would make him a very attractive candidate.”

Altamirano is best known for creating the City of San Antonio’s first digital service-request platform. He currently serves as CEO San Antonio-based artificial intelligence company Irys Technologies, which he co-founded.

“He is a very attractive outsider who has also been successful,” Archer continued. “He’s got a great narrative.”

Archer pointed to a live Facebook discussion in which Altamirano spoke about the prospect of an Austin-San Antonio commuter rail service with former mayor Cisneros and Bexar County Commissioner Tommy Calvert.

“That’s visionary,” Archer said. “That’s what I think people want to see in their next mayor.”

Although Altamirano is tight-lipped about whether next weekend’s event will be the official launch of a mayoral bid, the listing — complete with a red, white, and blue color scheme and a bio about the CEO’s “vision for our city” — heavily insinuates that’s what’s in store.

Moreover, Morgan told the Current that both Altamirano and former Texas Secretary of State Rolando Pablos have been meeting with San Antonio movers and shakers to separately discuss their mayoral ambitions.

“I know both are taking meetings all around town and talking to a whole lot of people and community leaders in the chattering class and donor class,” Morgan said. “They’re all doing the kinds of legwork and stuff that you do if you’re thinking about running.”

Altamirano would be the third candidate to enter San Antonio’s mayoral race, joining District 10 Councilman John Courage and District 8 Councilman Manny Pelaez. District 6’s Meslisa Cabello Havrda and District 4’s Adriana Rocha Garcia are also said to be considering runs.

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