This election is one of four contested Leander City Council races on the ballot this spring, joining competitions for the mayoral seat, Place 4 and Place 6.
Members of Leander City Council are elected at large, meaning each member represents the entire city, and all registered voters in the city can cast a ballot for each position race.
Early voting runs from April 22-30.
Read Q&As with Mattke Longoria and Herrera. Candidates were asked to keep responses under 75 words, answer the questions provided and avoid attacking opponents. Answers may have been edited or cut to adhere to those guidelines, or for style and clarity.
*indicates incumbent
Michael Herrera
Experience:
GM at CSSI 29 yrs, multistate firm with 40-plus employees providing services to investment firms
Occupation:
General manager at CSSI Solutions
Candidate Website:
https://www.herrera4leander.com
Why are you running for this position?
I want to help Leander take its leadership to the next level when it comes to managing the city while getting the biggest benefit for Leander residents. This would be done through proactive leadership that promotes communication of key performance indicators related to business growth, CapMetro relationship, and infrastructure development on a quarterly basis in Community Impact that reaches all Leander residents.
If elected, what are your goals for the city of Leander?
The overall goal is “Making Your Hometown Your Destination.” How do we do it? By using our sales tax dollars to benefit Leander residents and not the cities around us. By having water reliability that has escaped Leander for years, but is promised at every step. By creating a partnership between the city, the chamber, and developers to attract top-tier development. The status quo will not “Make Your Hometown Your Destination” nor our neighbors’ destination.
What are some of the biggest challenges facing Leander, and how would you work to address them?
Leander has too much of its money leaving Leander in the form of sales tax that doesn't benefit Leander. This needs to change. If this doesn't change we will continue to see a tradeoff between what we have to do and what we would like to do. At the same time, we will be unlikely to see any true property tax relief. We need retail and commercial development that keeps our money in Leander.
How would you ensure infrastructure, such as water and roads, keeps up with population growth?
Growth has to be paired with the infrastructure needs. The current City Council has tried to balance this with some success, but they are hamstrung by the lack of funds due to current financial arrangements that need to be addressed. These funds could be used to get ahead of the infrastructure needs and prioritize what the city needs while attracting top-tier development. Getting more out of the CapMetro Interlocal Agreement would be a start.
What role does the city play in managing and guiding development?
Leander uses zoning and planning to put in place a structure that property owners can work within that is managed by the city manager and the council. The city has created a comprehensive plan that guides planning, zoning, and the council. The city, the chamber, and land owners need to work together to attract top tier development within this structure and provide the infrastructure to enable the development.
Esmeralda Mattke Longoria*
Experience:
I've been in office for almost three years on the City Council.
Occupation:
IT contractor at local tech company
Candidate Website:
https://www.esmeforleander.com
Why are you running for this position?
I want to finish the good work that I have started in Leander. I was given the honor by the voters last time, and as an incumbent I want to continue my work and see things through to completion—this includes water infrastructure items and the senior center. I am prepared for meetings, and I prefer not to have to do on-the-job training around water for a new person. We need experience.
If elected, what are your goals for the city of Leander?
My goals for the city are similar to my goals last time—government transparency, working to push through previously stalled projects that make sense, appealing to large employers and commercial development to get Leander to the next stage in its lifecycle.
What are some of the biggest challenges facing Leander, and how would you work to address them?
The biggest challenge is water and this is not just for Leander. Texas has seen extreme droughts over the past few years. Water is just going to be harder to come by for all cities in Texas. My goal has been to address water infrastructure projects as my primary focus for the last three years. Unfortunately some projects were stalled by former council members. Water was sold to other cities by former council members.
How would you ensure infrastructure, such as water and roads, keeps up with population growth?
We really need those primary employers and commercial development to help pay for things that are really needed—capital improvement projects such as roads and water infrastructure. We need to understand that our population will grow very rapidly and we need to plan for having a city that could be 200,000 or more.
What role does the city play in managing and guiding development?
Leander as a city should be open to those primary employers. We all want our kids and family members to work near where they live. The way to do that is to listen to everyone in the community. Working with developers, citizen, and property owners for the ultimate vision for the city. The days of stopping growth are gone, but how can we grow in a way that the city is thriving and flourishing.
