San Marcos City Council Debates

Tara Pohlmeyer
Assistant News Director

 

With election season in full swing in San Marcos, the first debates on Thursday gave candidates for city council place three, four and mayor a chance to separate themselves from their opponents.

Below is a summary of the stances candidates took on issues brought up by the San Marcos Area Board of Realtors:

 

City Council Place 3

Mike Davis 

• Owner of 3D Welding and Industrial Supply
• Growth: City should work together to tackle issues
• Developments in the ETJ (Extraterritorial Jurisdiction): Process should be streamlined and easier for businesses
• Incentives for Job Growth: Businesses need to be invested in San Marcos
• Annexation: City should annex out to the ETJ to expand the tax base

John Thomaides (I)

• Owner of Alpha Pure Water
• Growth: “Bigger is not necessarily better.”
• Developments in the ETJ (Extraterritorial Jurisdiction): City should respect the plan on preferred growth areas
• Incentives for Job Growth: Greater San Marcos Partnership has done a great job, companies should follow through
• Annexation: No repeat of the annexation wars ten years ago. Only raw, undeveloped land annexed

City Council Place 4

Wayne Becak (I)

• Retired community banker
• Wants to see more sustainable employment opportunities in San Marcos
• Westward expansion: Supportive, if developments are handled properly
• Rental registration: No additional government bureaucracy, but rules should be more enforced
• Public financing policy: General policy, but each request reviewed differently
• Council needs business and financial experience, must work together

Jane Hughson

• Texas State University business process analyst
• Wants to implement the city’s master plan
• Westward expansion: Can’t negatively impact the environment, but it can be done
• Rental registration: Good thing, would control persistent issues
• Public financing policy: General policy, but each request reviewed differently
• Looks at things analytically, city must plan responsible growth

Mayor

Patrick Montgomery (P-Martian)

• Musician and real estate consultant
• Residents of San Marcos need to be heard, has no political aspirations
• Mayoral role: Mayor needs to address the concerns of the moment for residents, including jobs
• Aging facilities: Offices should be moved to Hays County Government Center
• Transportation: City is always picking up the bill for issues
• San Marcos’s status as the fastest growing city in the country to a hollow box that needs to be filled with growth for residents

Daniel Guerrero (I)

• Business Consultant at J.L. Powers and Associates
• A product of the San Marcos community
• Mayoral role: Very proud of the master plan and excited to move forward with community input
• Aging facilities: Conversations have been happening for years, city should be open to future developments for facilities
• Transportation: Texas State has always been involved
• San Marcos has been a leader with Lone Star Rail and water issues. He’s most proud of working with San Marcos Consolidated Independent School District

Jonathan Sorenson

• Business Manager at San Marcos Rehabilitation and Healthcare
• City government needs to earn community trust back
• Mayoral role: Role is the vision of San Marcos, must revolve around consistent leadership
• Aging facilities: His mold allergies flared up when walking into city hall, partnering with the county would save money
• Transportation:  Partnerships with state legislature and Texas State are key. Simple things like not allowing freshmen to bring cars
• City needs to get the small things right and get residents on their side

The San Marcos Area Board of Realtors voted after the debate and will announce their support of certain candidates in about a week.

Realtor Gabrielle Moore said the board’s choices typically determine the election outcome.