Cultivating Compassion in the City with Mayor Nirenberg

Can compassion truly shape public policy? Can civic leadership be both bold and empathetic? In this compelling episode of Cultivating Civility, your host Diane Kalen-Sukra sits down with Mayor Ron Nirenberg, a leader who has made compassion the bedrock of his governance in San Antonio, Texas. 

From his very first act in office—signing a resolution affirming San Antonio as a Compassionate City—to groundbreaking policies on equity-based budgeting and community-wide compassion training, Mayor Nirenberg has demonstrated how civic leaders can operationalize compassion to create tangible change.

At a time when incivility and division dominate public discourse, this conversation is a breath of fresh air. Mayor Nirenberg shares his personal and political journey, revealing why compassion isn’t just a virtue—it’s a leadership imperative. You’ll hear about: 

✔️ How San Antonio became a model for compassionate governance
✔️ The power of actionable compassion versus passive empathy
✔️ The Ready to Work initiative, which breaks cycles of generational poverty
✔️ How to build a culture of shared understanding and mutual respect in civic life
✔️ Why long-term cultural transformation matters more than short-term political wins

If you're a civic leader, engaged citizen, or simply someone who believes in the power of people-first leadership, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.

🎧 Listen now and be inspired to cultivate civility in your own community!

For more practical strategies on renewing civic culture, explore the Cultivating Civility Masterclass: https://KalenAcademy.com/civilitymasterclass.

Transcript

Welcome to the Cultivating Civility podcast. I'm your host, Diane Kalen-Sukra, author of Save Your City and founder of Kalen Academy. Together, we'll explore ways to tackle toxic behavior in public spaces and foster a culture of respect and civility in our communities.

In short, impactful episodes of about 15 minutes or less, you'll hear insightful conversations with civic leaders and sages, along with special civility dispatches that offer wisdom and practical strategies for renewing civic culture.

Let's dive in...

In today's episode, I'm honored to be joined by Mayor Ron Nirenberg, a leader who has made compassion the cornerstone of his governance. As the mayor of San Antonio, Texas, since 2017, he has championed policies that prioritize people, bridge divides, and cultivate a civic culture rooted in compassionate action.

At a time when political discourse is often polarized and civic spaces are increasingly fraught with division, Mayor Nirenberg offers a powerful counterexample, demonstrating how compassion can be operationalized in governance—from equity-based budgeting to citywide compassion training.

In this conversation, we'll explore why he prioritizes compassionate leadership, how San Antonio became a compassionate city, and what civic leaders and engaged citizens can learn from his approach.

If you've ever wondered whether compassion and governance can truly go hand in hand, or how to create lasting cultural change in your own community, this is a conversation you won't want to miss.

Before we begin, I'd like to invite you to join the Cultivating Civility Masterclass, a one-of-a-kind, on-demand, self-paced online program designed for busy civic leaders. It takes just four to five hours to complete and provides a step-by-step roadmap to renewing civic culture, a civic culture assessment tool, and exclusive insights from over a dozen visionary civic leaders worldwide.

You'll also receive a Masterclass Certificate and the Cultivating Civility Leader Golden Seal, plus so much more.

➡️Enroll today at KalenAcademy.com/civilitymasterclass.

Diane Kalen-Sukra: Hello, Mayor Nirenberg. How are you?

Mayor Ron Nirenberg: Hi, Diane. I'm great. Good to be with you. Thank you for having me.

Diane Kalen-Sukra: Wonderful. Welcome. We’re honored to have you here today. There’s a lot of anticipation around your participation. As your very first act in office in 2017, you signed a resolution affirming San Antonio as a compassionate city, establishing compassion as the core value of your administration’s policymaking.

When you last joined us at Kalen Academy, you described this compassionate disposition as second nature—central to who we are as human beings. Yet today, amid even deeper divisions, fractured relationships, and rising toxicity in the public square, it’s still not the political norm to prioritize people, build compassionate relationships, or foster a culture of shared understanding and mutual support—the very essence of your leadership.

Civic leaders are seeking ways to cultivate true civility—not just artificial politeness, but conduct that befits a citizen in a democracy. True civility acknowledges our inherent worth and dignity, committing us to treat each other with empathy and compassion.

Before we discuss the ways you and your administration have walked the walk through your repeated reelections, can you share why you are so deeply convicted about prioritizing compassion in civic leadership and community building?

Mayor Ron Nirenberg: Thank you, Diane. The work we've done in San Antonio to invest in people and make compassion the foundation of policymaking is something I share with an incredible team and a great community.

At its core, compassion is fundamental to all of us—it’s what makes us human. We need to not only recognize that but practice it. Compassion is not just a feeling; it requires action and training. That’s why we’ve made a deliberate effort to take compassion training out into our community and, more recently, to my peers across the country through Compassionate USA.

Diane Kalen-Sukra: I’d love for you to share how you’ve operationalized that. A key aspect of your work is bridging divides—whether political, religious, or personal. Much of this work is coordinated directly from City Hall through the Department of Human Services, particularly the Faith-Based Initiative, which includes Compassionate San Antonio. Can you share the genesis and operations of this initiative?

Mayor Ron Nirenberg: Compassionate San Antonio grew out of the initial resolution and the Charter for Compassion. We implement these ideas by highlighting and uplifting acts of compassion when they happen in our communities, ensuring compassion is a guiding principle in policymaking, and taking compassion training out into the community. We do this through a dedicated liaison in our city.

We also distinguish compassion from empathy. While empathy allows us to understand others' suffering, compassion compels us to take action to alleviate it. In public service, compassion informs how we allocate resources, address social services, and ensure all community members have opportunities to thrive.

Diane Kalen-Sukra: Cultural transformation is a long-term effort, yet many expect immediate returns on investments in civic culture. You’ve pushed back against short-term thinking, emphasizing that culture is transformed through the behaviors we champion, tolerate, and reject. Your administration has actively celebrated and reinforced compassionate acts within the community. Can you share how you've cultivated this cultural energy?

Mayor Ron Nirenberg: Absolutely. Signing the resolution didn't suddenly make San Antonio a compassionate city—it always was. Our role has been to identify, uplift, and institutionalize compassion as a core civic value.

One of the most impactful steps was adopting equity as a framework for budgeting. Every city has areas historically left behind. By allocating resources equitably, we prioritize long-term investments in historically underserved communities. Equity-based budgeting ensures economic mobility and social progress, recognizing that not everyone starts from the same position.

A great example is our Ready to Work program. San Antonio voters approved reallocating sales tax revenue to fund job training and placement for underemployed individuals locked in cycles of generational poverty. Graduates move from making under $14,000 per year to earning $44,000+, breaking systemic barriers and fostering long-term stability.

Diane Kalen-Sukra: That’s the foundation of democracy—equal opportunity and justice. How do you respond to criticisms of equity-based policies?

Mayor Ron Nirenberg: Many falsely equate equity with forced equal outcomes. That’s not what it means. Equity is about creating a level playing field. If we continue allocating resources equally without addressing historic disinvestment, marginalized communities will remain left behind. We must actively close these gaps.

Public policy must ensure opportunities are not just words, but realities. Like you said, a just society demands it.

Diane Kalen-Sukra: Your leadership exemplifies how compassion is a democratic value. I’m reminded of Martin Luther King Jr.’s words: Power without love is reckless; love without power is sentimental. You’ve demonstrated that compassion is not weakness but strength. Thank you for your unwavering leadership.

Mayor Ron Nirenberg: Thank you, Diane. This work is a shared effort, and I’m grateful for spaces like this that foster a renewed civic culture. Change is possible—we’ve seen it deteriorate, and we can reverse that trend.

Thank you for joining me for this episode of the Cultivating Civility podcast. Please share and subscribe.

➡️To take it further, enroll in the Cultivating Civility Masterclass at KalenAcademy.com/civilitymasterclass.

Until next time, let's keep cultivating civility—one conversation at a time.