Mayoral candidate Rhett R. Smith converses with District 1 City Council candidate Ruby Krebs at a reception for candidates at City Hall on March 10, 2009. (Photo by Antonia Padilla.)

Police union lobbied against transgender activist
By Greg Jefferson, Plaza de Armas TX, December 14, 2010

The San Antonio Police Officers Association lost a bit of its muscle when the rank-and-file approved a contract in May that took away the union’s veto power over civilian appointees to the Citizen Advisory Action Board.

The board reviews the results of the police department’s internal-affairs probes and recommends discipline for errant officers to the police chief. Previously, a thumbs-down from SAPOA was enough to strike a name from the list of appointees before the City Council signed off.

But no more. That’s why union officials resorted to reaching out to council members last month to try to derail or delay the appointment of Ruby Krebs, a tough transgender-rights activist and one of Councilwoman Mary Alice Cisneros’ District 1 challengers in 2009. Councilmen John Clamp and Justin Rodriguez and others said SAPOA reps complained that Krebs had made "inappropriate comments" during a public meeting.

Union President Mike Helle acknowledged as much, but said SAPOA officials determined that the complaint was unsubstantiated — although not before airing it with council members. "We already touched base with our (council supporters) to let them know that the allegation was unsubstantiated," Helle said Monday.

Reached last week, Krebs — whose appointment this week seems almost certain — said she knew nothing of the accusation and that she’d had a good working relationship with union brass while participating in a departmental review conducted last year by the Matrix Consulting Group.

"The police chief (William McManus) himself asked me to do this because they were lacking women," she said of her pending CAAB appointment. "I’ve got recommendations that you’d think would be considered gold. But because I’m transgendered, let’s pick, pick, pick, and see what we can find."

The council’s Governance Committee is set to review the 14-person slate Wednesday, with the council scheduled to vote the following day.

Considering SAPD’s recent, strained history with the GLBT community, the union’s derailment attempt left City Hall insiders shaking their heads. Officer Craig Nash was charged with sexually assaulting a transgendered woman in February, and officers were accused of making disparaging remarks to a lesbian couple — based on their sexual orientation — following a fruitless drug raid in 2009.

The City Council was scheduled to vote on the slate of 14 CAAB appointees, including Krebs, on Nov. 18. But city staffers punted after hearing complaints from council members.
Clamp and Rodriguez were two of those who balked last month, but they said their objections had nothing to do with SAPOA’s concern about Krebs. Instead, they chafed because staff didn’t send the list of appointees to a council committee for vetting — as they would for appointments to, say, the Planning Commission — before seeking City Council approval.

"It didn’t go through the normal review process," Clamp said.

Police Executive Research Forum, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit hired by the City in 2008 to rehabilitate a police department facing harsh public criticism over its use of force and poor community relations, recommended expanding the role civilians play on the CAAB. That change wasn’t adopted in the first round of recommendations implemented by SAPD, but city negotiators won it in bargaining sessions for the cops’ current contract. The union agreed to increase civilians’ say on the board, changing its mix from four civilians and seven police officers to seven civilians and seven officers. Civilian members will rotate every six months.

This article was reprinted with permission from Plaza De Armas Texas (plazadearmastx.com), a new web site headed up by former San Antonio Current editor Elaine Wolfe and Express-News columnist Greg Jefferson that goes live online on January 12.

Original Facebook link to this story.

Transgender candidate throws hat into San Antonio City Council race
QSanAntonio.com, March 11, 2009

The number of candidates running for San Antonio City Council District 1 went from two to three on March 9 when Ruby Krebs decided to throw her hat into the ring. Despite late filing and limited campaign resources, Krebs is making local history. She is the first transgender woman to run for San Antonio City Council.

Krebs joins incumbent Mary Alice Cisneros and challenger Chris Forbrich in the contest for the District 1 seat.

Krebs is a native of Washington D.C. who moved to San Antonio 10 years ago from Daytona Beach, Florida. A hotel night auditor by profession, she admits she’s a newcomer who caught the political bug working on the local Hillary Clinton for President campaign.

"I often walked by the Hillary Clinton campaign office and would look in the window" she told QSanAntonio. "I would look in and wonder if I could make a difference. Finally one day I just walked in the door and volunteered."

In March 2008 Krebs was put on the campaign’s phone banks where she excelled to the point of becoming a trainer for new phone volunteers. She went on to be a Hillary Clinton delegate to the State Democratic convention and is now the Chair for Precinct 4001 which encompasses downtown San Antonio where she lives. She sees running for local office as the next step in her political commitment.

The main thrust of Krebs’ pitch is focused on more development and investment in the central city and downtown. "Being in the hospitality industry, I know the value of good jobs downtown. We need to make sure we’re creating new employment in the heart of the city."

Krebs says that despite a limited campaign chest she intends to meet as many voters as possible using low-cost, tried and true tactics: block walking, attending community events and going to neighborhood association meetings.

Krebs told QSanAntonio that she is not running for office to make a political statement about her gender identity. " I know I’m making history, but that’s not the point. I love this city and I know I can do good things for the people of my district."