Length of residency in San Marcos: five years

Experience: U.S. Navy combat veteran, baccalaureate in political science with a minor in international studies from Texas State University, credentialed Texas mediator, currently serving on the San Marcos Industrial Development Corp., vice-chairman of the Sunset Advisory Committee

Why are you running? 

I do not agree with the integrity of the current City Council. Like many of my neighbors, I am fed up with an endless series of challenges and setbacks to grow our community in our vision and not by some outside consultant who does not live here. That money could and should be used for implementing the desires of us neighbors. We must command better to end disappointing results from our local leaders.

What do you believe is the greatest challenge facing the city? Money management, the integration of growth from willing relocators and investors with the established protected neighborhoods. Overstretched city resources such as fire, police and emergency medical services. Flood recovery, that properly addresses the long overdue proactive approach to adequately help curtail the impact of this city flooding so that developers can feel more secure about developing here that will bring about the quality jobs and housing sought by our current and future residents. Why do you believe you’re the most qualified candidate? As a honorably served U.S. Navy combat veteran I have been trained to be the most qualified. I also have a Baccalaureate in Political Sciences with a minor in international studies from Texas State University-San Marcos. I have been credentialed as a Texas mediator from the Texas Mediator Credentialing Association. I am a current sitting member of the San Marcos Industrial Development Corporation, vice-chair of the Sunset Advisory Committee and was briefly appointed to the San Marcos Airport Board.

What do you believe the city should do to protect neighborhoods and have adequate housing for students?

The city should invest in a transparent agenda that will hold multilayer interactions with current residents, Texas State, and developers in think tanks and workshops to address these issues with the invested intellectual capital that resides here in the city of San Marcos. The city should also look at other university cities to see what might be a workable solution that hasn’t been proposed or implemented here yet. Unity is achievable!

What do you believe the top priority should be as the city begins administering the $25 million disaster recovery grant from 2015's two floods? The top priority in administering the $25 million should be directly at “unmet needs.” I would propose to divide the $25 million in two equal halves. Allocating $12.5 million towards housing and $12.5 million towards infrastructure with the split equally withdrawn from to support administrative needs not to exceed 5% combined (2.5% from each). Out of the housing split, affected businesses may apply but have no priority over homeowners with unmet needs.