The Heart of Bexar County

ABOUT THE
AUTHORS
C O U N T Y
N E L S O N
J U D G E
W. W O L F F
B E X A R C O U N T Y C O M M I S S I O N E R S C O U R T
Nelson William Wolff has represented Bexar
County in various political offices since 1971,
when he was elected to the Texas House of
Representatives. Thereafter, he was elected to
the Texas Senate in 1973, the San Antonio City
Council in 1987, and served as Mayor of San
Antonio from 1991 to 1995. He currently serves
as Bexar County Judge, a position he was
appointed to in 2001 and has since been elected
to five times, most recently in November 2018.
He is only the second person in more than a
century to serve as both Mayor of San Antonio
and Bexar County Judge.
Judge Wolff works to promote and improve
economic and workforce development in Bexar
County. He is an adamant supporter of the
emerging local tech industry and helped form
the Innovation Fund, a $1 million allocation
dedicated to spur jobs and growth in the tech
sector. He also led the development and creation
of BiblioTech, the nation’s first all-digital public
library which now serves the community
through three main branches and several kiosks.
The third branch, located in a San Antonio
Housing Authority facility on the eastside of San
Antonio, opened in April 2018.
Judge Wolff also initiated a $415 million
visitor tax-backed bond that aided the
construction of 13 amateur sports facilities, the
Tobin Center for the Fine Arts, improvements to
the AT&T Center, and improvements to the San
Antonio River, including the eight-mile Mission
Reach. River improvements proved vital to the
UNESCO World Heritage designation for the
Spanish colonial missions on San Antonio’s
South Side.
Working with Bexar County, the San
Antonio River Authority, and the City of San
Antonio, Judge Wolff encouraged additional
growth and city beautification with the San
Pedro Creek Improvements Project. Phase 1 of
the project opened on May 5, 2018—Bexar
County’s 300th birthday. In addition to
boosting economic development, the
improvements project is designed to revitalize
natural habitat and improve flood control. In
conjunction, Judge Wolff also aided in the
continued improvement of HALT (High Water
Alert Lifesaving Technology) and the creation of
BexarFlood.org.
Judge Wolff has focused on improving
county services. County improvements in
highway and flood control infrastructure have
increased during his tenure. Bexar County has
reformed the criminal justice system to help
people with mental health and drug issues.
Bexar County opened the Justice Intake and
Assessment Center in April 2019. Two new
sheriff substations, Northeast and Southwest,
opened in November 2018 and February 2019
respectively. Judge Wolff maintains continued
partnerships with the 26 suburban cities to
ensure all Bexar County citizens are safe and
receive the best possible services.
Judge Wolff and his family built two large
companies—Alamo Enterprises and Sun Harvest
Stores—and sold them both to national companies.
Together, Judge Wolff and his wife Tracy,
President of the Hidalgo Foundation, have six
children and eight grandchildren.
6 6 F T H E H E A R T O F B E X A R C O U N T Y