Mayor Troy Hill and Place 4 Council Member Christine Sederquist are running for the mayoral seat. Hill was elected mayor in 2018 with 61.9% of votes in the runoff election. Sederquist was elected to Place 4 in 2018 with 62.9% of votes.

Here is information on the two candidates.


LEANDER



Leander mayor










Troy Hill (incumbent)



Occupation: Mayor


Experience: Economic Development Committee (2 years), Board member Capital Metro (1.5 years), City Council (3 years), Mayor (3 years)






Why are you the best candidate for this seat?



TH: I've been in office 3 years as Mayor. No one can argue about Leander's rise. I have a BA in City Planning. Tax rates have been lowered each year. Revenue has risen. Our city is the most desired city in the nation to live. We opened 130 new businesses in 2020. We opened Lakewood Park, one of the best parks in Texas, and approved Old Town Park, which will be the focal point of Old Town.



How will you help Leander recover from the effects of COVID-19 and the Texas winter storms?



TH: Leander came through Covid better than any city its size around us. Our active cases were always low, and we kept our city offices and golf course open and had our best year ever. In regards to the storm, we have met with both Atmos and Pedernales Electric and have several things we will work together on in the future to avoid a recurrence. We also will look at the dedicated power sources for each water plant.



What does the city need to do to fix its water issues and prevent further problems?



TH: We do not have a water shortage, instead a delivery problem. We are hiring a Director of Infrastructure. This person will focus on water, wastewater, and transportation issues. We also will review maintenance procedures at both plants, because the BCRUA plant we own has problems staying online. I have also spent 2 years meeting with hundreds of people looking at additional sources, and know which ones are viable for us moving forward.









Christine Sederquist



Occupation: Digital marketer


Experience: Leander City Council 2018 - present; Capital Area Council of Governments Executive Committee/Emergency Communications District Board of Managers 2019 - Present; Capital Area Economic Development District 2019 - Present






Why are you the best candidate for this seat?



CS: I provide steady leadership and an organized, intentional focus on the city's needs as we grow. I understand that true economic development comes from attracting good-paying jobs, not fast food. I pride myself on being a voice for the residents, not my own interests. And when things go wrong, I have the certification to take command of the city's Emergency Operations Center and I won't let the residents down.



How will you help Leander recover from the effects of COVID-19 and the Texas winter storms?



CS: We're lucky we didn't take an economic hit from COVID like some cities, but the winter storm highlighted issues that can't wait another day to be addressed. Our critical infrastructure needs backup power and system redundancies. Additionally, the role of a mayor is to be in the Emergency Operations Center during a crisis and to make a disaster declaration to open resources. It didn't happen this time, but I guarantee I would be there.



What does the city need to do to fix its water issues and prevent further problems?



CS: We clearly need a backup generator. Construction has begun on the San Gabriel Pipeline Connection. Going forward, we need a long-range plan to fund a secondary water source to increase our resiliency. We also must do everything to ensure the BCRUA projects stay on time and we need to have a serious assessment of our ability to continue the practice of selling water outside the city limits and evaluate when we stop taking new customers.