Plano City Council member Julie Holmer resigns to pursue county seat

Holmer was first elected to Plano City Council’s Place 7 seat in 2021 following a five-way race and runoff election.

“I love the city [of Plano], ... and I want to make sure it’s well represented at the Commissioner’s Court,” Holmer said. “What's so rewarding about serving the city of Plano is just being able to help build community and try to find where the gaps are and make those connections to help fill those needs.”

Holmer said Collin County’s rapid growth has also driven her decision to run, particularly to address the county’s growing needs with transportation, water infrastructure and health care.

Holmer, who has a background in social work and previously worked at the Columbia Medical Center of McKinney, said seeing the region evolve while many needs went unaddressed also inspired her decision to run.

“My first job out of college was at the Columbia Medical Center of McKinney back when there was literally nothing between Plano and McKinney,” Holmer said. “[Now] 30 years later, [we’re] seeing all the growth and how much has changed, but then also how much the same needs remain.“

Some context

Former Plano City Council member Shelby Williams resigned in March to also run for the same county seat, which is currently held by Commissioner Duncan Webb.

Williams served on council from 2019 until his resignation and was also the Collin County Republican Party chair before stepping down from that position in April ahead of his campaign.

Holmer said she wants to ensure voters have balanced choices on their ballots.

“I feel like we needed a balance,” Holmer said. “I knew we had two Republican candidates running, and I wanted to offer another option.”

What they’re saying

Council member Rick Horne said Oct. 27 Holmer has been a “shining star” that has provided out-of-the-box thinking for the council.

“I don’t want to accept her resignation to be honest,” Horne said.

Council member Steve Lavine added he is proud of Holmer for working to serve the Plano community, both on council and potentially at the county level.

“She has poured her time and her heart into this position, and I don’t know that anyone has ever put as much time and effort into this as she has,” Lavine said. “We’re going to miss that. We are going to feel that void.”

Looking ahead

Council members are set to call the special election, which will officially create the vacancy to fill Holmer’s spot, at their Nov. 10 meeting.

• Nov. 11-Dec. 1: filing period for candidates
• Dec. 31: last day to register to vote
• Jan. 14-27: early voting
• Jan. 31: election day
• April 4: runoff election, if needed