When Delicia Herrera was campaigning for City Council in 2005, voters often asked her, “How old are you?” Herrera was 31 years old, and she looked even younger.

It turned out that it didn't matter. Newcomer Herrera won the City Council District 6 seat, beating out the well-funded political veteran Ray Lopez, 55, in a runoff.

“My age never bothered me at all. I made sure that was not an issue at all,” said Herrera, now 33, who's running for re-election against 63-year-old Pete Galaviz. “I knew that I had 14 years behind me of being a community advocate. I didn't have name recognition, but that's why you focus on block-walking and the grassroots efforts.”

There are 35 candidates running for City Council in San Antonio; eight of them, or nearly 23 percent, are under the age of 35.

Young candidates sometimes are criticized by the public and older opponents as being immature and inexperienced. The young candidates say experience — in the form of serving in a neighborhood association or on a city or county board or commission — can be attained at a young age.

And it seems as though many San Antonio voters agree. Of the 11 current City Council members, four of them were age 35 or younger when they first were elected.

At 27, Jacob Dell is one of the youngest candidates for the City Council and the youngest in the District 8 race. He's vying for the seat against five older opponents.

“I've been able to accomplish quite a bit in the short period of time I've been around,” said Dell, an accountant at Valero Energy. “I think voters are looking for someone who can get things done.”

He sees his youth as a plus, saying diversity is important in government — not just in ethnicity and sex, but in age as well.

Youth may be a tougher sell when it comes to getting elected mayor. In 2005, Julián Castro, then 30, lost the office to Phil Hardberger, then 70. Though his youth may not have been the only factor contributing to Castro's loss, it definitely didn't go unnoticed by voters.

“I think the city was at a critical point where experience, proven track record, was what people were looking for,” said Larry Hufford, a political science professor at St. Mary's University.

Timing may have been the issue, Hufford added: Ed Garza, who served two terms as mayor before the 2005 election, had been elected at 32, and voters were ready for a change.

“Had Castro run at a different time, there's no reason why he wouldn't have been elected,” Hufford said.

Hufford ran for the City Council District 3 seat in 1979, at age 37, and lost.

“I do think that voters have the right to say ‘What have you done?’ which is what I was asked,” he said. “I said, ‘I’m running on my ideas for change,’ and the voters went for experience, and I think the voters were right.”

Jessica Belasco | 210SA contributor