Shane Scott, a former San Marcos City Council member, plans to seek election in November to the council seat being vacated by Jude Prather.[/caption]Shane Scott, a former San Marcos City Council Member who served on the council from 2010-2015 plans to seek election to the place 2 City Council seat in the Nov. 8 election. The seat is currently occupied by Jude Prather, but Prather has said he does not plan to seek re-election.
Scott lost his re-election bid in the November 2015 election to Melissa Derrick.
“I get calls everyday from people thinking I’m still on City Council, and they need a problem solved or they’re upset about something and it’s been this real community outreach for me to get back on the council,” Scott said.
Scott said the new council has become “too like-minded.” He said he believes his priorities—including “lowering taxes and utility rates and less government control in our private lives”—will set him apart from the current council.
“My desire is to make sure that the city is in a position where I can walk away from it, but it just seems like there is some unfinished business,” Scott said.
One of the concerns he hears about regularly from residents regards the parkland the city received as part of San Marcos City Council’s 2013 Cape’s Camp vote, which ultimately led to construction of the Woods apartment complex near River Road and I-35.
Scott said he voted to approve that deal because he wanted to use the parkland to create “another Rio Vista for the community.” However residents have raised concerns that that parkland will not be available to the public.
“We need another [park] location,” Scott said. “That’s why I voted for [the Woods]—so we could get the parkland for the community. That was the main focus. I knew were growing in such a way that we were going to run out of space.”
Scott defeated J.D. Elshoff for the Republican nomination for the Hays County justice of the peace, Pct. 1, Place 2 position in the March primary. Although he would have faced Maggie Hernandez Moreno in the November election, Scott is required to resign from the race by seeking the City Council seat.
The decision to resign the Republican nomination was not an easy one, he said.
“I don’t want people to think I took [receiving the nomination] for granted,” Scott said. “I’m just receiving such a strong pull from the city and community in the direction [of City Council].”
Filing for the Nov. 8 election begins July 23, but because the City Clerk's office will be closed that day, the first official day to submit an application for a place on the ballot will be July 25.
