UPDATE: Candidates Announce Race For San Marcos City Council

July 27, 2018

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Election season is almost upon us — again.

UPDATE: Yesterday, July 26, Mark Gleason filed documentation to join the race for Place 5. Gleason will be running against Rick Henderson to replace Scott Gregson.

Gleason has served on the San Marcos Planning and Zoning Commission, Neighborhood Commission and Capital Improvement Task Force.

In 2015, he was one of the homeowners of the Blanco Gardens neighborhood that were impacted by the historic flooding; his home suffered “major damage” from flood waters.

According to his announcement, Gleason said, “The negative impact of inappropriate development has caused our community so much suffering. My mission for our city government is focused on protecting our beautiful rivers and green spaces, spending tax dollars wisely, managing growth responsibly while working with the private sector but without sacrificing the quality of life and affordability for our citizens…”

Candidates have until August 20 at 5:00 PM to submit applications to be on the November ballot. All of the documentation currently submitted by candidates can be found at the bottom of the article.

In November, San Marcos residents will see several changes in the race for the three city council seats and mayoral seat that will be open.

City Council places 4 and 6 are up for election this fall as well as the Mayor’s office.

Councilmember Scott Gregson announced that he wouldn’t be seeking re-election for place 5. Gregson has endorsed Rick Henderson as his replacement.

Rick is a senior lecturer in the Political Science Department at Texas State University. He received his B.A. and M.A. in Political Science from Southwest Texas State University. Currently, Henderson is unopposed for place 5.

Councilmember Jane Hughson announced last week she would be running for Mayor in the general election. Hughson has served on the San Marcos City Council since 2014 and previously served for Place 3 from 1996-2002. She was re-elected for the seat in 2017. Her term for Place 4 is currently unexpired.

Her opponents will be incumbent John Thomaides and Brian Henderson.

According to his election application, B. Henderson has lived in San Marcos since 2015. He is a pastor and founder and president of the Foundation of Youth, Civil Rivers, Law and Government. He previously ran for city council in 2016 but lost.

Mayor Thomaides was elected to the mayoral position in 2016. He presided over the hiring process of a new city manager and the passage of a citizen-approved bond package in his first year.

Before his election as mayor, he served as Mayor Pro-Tem since he began his service on City Council in 2003.

Shane Scott will return to the ballot this November as a candidate to fill Hughson’s seat. He previously served on city council from 2010-2015. He lost his re-election bid in 2015 to Councilmember Melissa Derrick.

He will face candidates Griffin Spell and Mark Rockeymoore for Place 4.

Spell announced his campaign Monday stating several city leaders had encouraged him to run. He is an 11-year resident of San Marcos and a Texas State University graduate. He has served for the past four years on the San Marcos Historic Preservation Commission.

San Marcos Consolidated Independent School District Trustee Juan Miguel Arredondo announced his candidacy for City Council earlier this month. Arredondo will run against Incumbent Melissa Derrick for Place 6.

Arredondo has served on the Board of Trustees since May 2015. He is a graduate of Texas State University and San Marcos High School.

In his announcement, Arredondo said he would continue to serve on the board if he does not win the city council race. His term on the board will expire in 2020. School Board Trustees are not required to resign to run for another office.

Arredondo’s priority issues in the Place 6 race include:

Manage our community’s rapid growth while safeguarding natural resources and addressing transportation needs.
Create a business-friendly climate for entrepreneurs, small business owners, and large employers.
Provide first responders and public safety operations the necessary resources to keep our community safe.
Promote housing affordability and ownership
Increase partnerships to promote better outcomes for San Marcos youth and families

“During my time on school board I have seen the obstacles faced of my constituents and their families, such as increased costs of living, difficulty getting around town, and the difficulties faced by small business owners and entrepreneurs because of obstructionist actions of some elected leaders,” he said.

Candidates’ paperwork can be found below. The documents that have been submitted by each candidate are in the bulleted list beneath their name.

Corridor News had combined all the submitted documents into one file for each candidate.

MAYOR:

John Thomaides