Length of residency in San Marcos: 23 years

Experience: 13 years on San Marcos City Council and five of those years as mayor pro tem

Why are you running?

I moved here 23 years ago to start a small business and purchase a home. I fell in love with the people of this community and the river. I want to continue to be their champion on the issues that matter most to them, such as managing our explosive growth, improving our quality of life, economic prosperity for all and guiding the flood recovery. As mayor pro tem I’m ready to serve as mayor on day one.   

What is the greatest challenge facing the city? As a community, we face explosive growth of both the city and Texas State University at the same time. The biggest challenge we have is how to maintain our quality of life and small-town feel in the midst of this changing environment. I only support growth that improves our citizens' lives, does not harm our river, our neighborhoods or our environment. My voting record on these issues is crystal clear and consistent with my core beliefs for a better San Marcos. Why do you believe you are the most qualified candidate? To be a successful mayor you have to have firsthand knowledge and experience on a myriad of complicated issues that are critical to our day-to-day lives, including experience in process and dealing with fellow elected officials. I’m the only candidate with this experience having served as mayor pro-tem for five of my 13 years of service on City Council.   We can’t afford a mayor-in-training and the time it takes to get up to speed on these critical issues.

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

Stable single-family neighborhoods represent the bedrock of quality of life in our community and must be protected. I have never voted to allow a multifamily complex in or next to an established single-family neighborhood. My past voting record will be a prologue to my record as mayor. In an effort to provide adequate housing options for students and their appropriate locations with my support, council has passed the purpose-built student housing ordinance, which identifies student-oriented developments.

What do you believe the top priority should be as the city begins to administer the $25 million disaster recovery grant from 2015’s two floods?  Job one is getting families impacted by chronic flooding back into their homes with reasonable assurances that they won’t be displaced again. Accomplishing this means keeping flood waters from entering these neighborhoods in the first place and getting it out quickly if it does. I have been a part of the recovery effort from day one and a member of the council that brought $25 million back from Washington, D.C. to help fix this problem permanently.