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Leander City Council Candidates, Place 1
Leander City Council members and the mayor are elected at large. Place 3 Council Member Shanan Shepherd is running unopposed. Answers were edited for space constraints.
*Incumbent
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Dan Michie[/caption]
512-963-8991 [email protected]
Profession: retired Army officer, local Realtor
Bio: I was born and raised in northeastern Utah [and] served in the Navy from 1972-76. I met and married my wife, Jennifer, in 1976. I attended Utah State University. I was blessed with two children: Matthew, who lives in Seattle, and Katrina, who lives in San Francisco with her family. I retired from the Army in 2001 as a lieutenant colonel and moved to Leander in 2007 after visiting my daughter who was attending [the University of Texas].
I’m running for council because it is time to change Leander’s direction. Today we are a bedroom community where our citizens work and shop in other cities. Our property taxes are … higher than surrounding cities and continue to [rise]. I want to diversify our tax base that includes retail, commercial, office space and multifamily homes. … I will focus on: public safety, efficient city services, parks, trails and jobs while actively seeking funding for a senior center and a recreation center.
I lived in abject poverty for the first eight years of my life. … I’ve worked … [as a] paperboy, farm worker, dishwasher, sailor and soldier. I earned a Bachelor of Science in forestry, a Master of Science in administration and retired as an Army lieutenant colonel. I understand how hard it is to feed a family when you are on a fixed income and taxes … increase year after year. … I serve on the Leander Library Foundation Board and the Leander Bagdad Activity Center Board.
We need to improve the quality of life in Leander by lowering the tax and water rates for our citizens. We need to take the burden of taxes off homeowners by attracting and promoting … local businesses, along with a mix of regional and national businesses. Leander must balance development between residential and commercial growth. … When we expand our tax base with more commercial development, including corporate employers, we will add flexibility in guiding growth.
Andrea Navarrette[/caption]
512-563-8202 [email protected] www.andreaforleander.com
Profession: information technology services department technology help desk specialist at Leander ISD
Bio: I grew up in Sweetwater, Texas, where I earned a degree in accounting and met my husband, Angel Navarrette. We have lived in Leander since 1999. Angel and I have two boys. Alec graduated [from] Leander High School, attended the [University of North Texas] and now lives in McKinney, Texas. Aidan is currently attending LHS as a junior. My husband and I both work for Leander ISD, and in our spare time we like to ride motorcycles [and] garden and I’ve recently gotten back into flying.
I consider it a great honor and feel blessed to have served the citizens of Leander for many years now on City Council. As the incumbent, I hope that with my record on the dais and involvement in our community, citizens will recognize that in me, they have a very dedicated, experienced leader with a true passion to continue to make Leander the very best it can be.
I am currently serving my second nominated term as mayor pro tem for the city of Leander. … I’ve served on several boards and committees locally … as well as regionally for [Leander]. I was first elected to council in 2005. … I currently [serve] on the Capitol Area Council of Governments board, Brushy Creek Regional Utility Authority board, CAPCOG-Clean Air Coalition, Leander City Council’s Board Selection Committee, and [serve as] council liaison to the Leander Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee.
We’re dealing with many of the same issues common to growing cities across our state, such as infrastructure, transportation and responsible land use. We’ve always put our fire and public safety departments at the top of the priority list, and it’s imperative we keep them there. The most important issue we face … is relieving the tax burden on our homeowners. Through conservative leadership … this year we [adopted] the largest tax rate decrease in over two decades. I hope to be able to continue that trend.
