This meeting was thorny. Several complex items with odd outcomes: the Sinai church field next to the VFW, SMPD contract with Axon, fees at the Activity Center, and what happened when we charged $5 for out-of-towners at the river? Read all the complex, unsatisfying semi-resolutions right here!
Let’s go:
Hours 0:00 – 3:39: A new VA clinic, the Sinai Pentecostal field by the VFW, the SMPD contract with Axon Enterprises, new fees at the activity center and library, and some smaller items.
Bonus! 3 pm workshops: Two workshops:
1. Designing the river parks, and a mini-rant about Rio Vista pool
2. The big one – how did charging people at the river go? (Answer: it was mixed)
Place 6: I want Juan Miguel Arredondo and Lisa Prewitt to compete on the strength of their positions.
Both Miguel and Lisa are solidly progressive candidates and they will vote the same way 90% of the time. They are both qualified and will do a good job.
Miguel: Stronger on housing issues. Will be more proactive on collaborating with SMCISD, and reaching out to service organizations around San Marcos and building partnerships. He will also be slightly more pro-business.
Lisa: Stronger on environment and transit issues. She will think more about bike lanes, the river and renewable energy. On infill and density, she is more likely to listen to the Historic District stalwarts and protect existing neighborhoods at the expense of building more housing.
(Bill Miller does not have the resources nor connections to compete with Miguel and Lisa. He seems like a good guy, though.)
Look in your heart and see who aligns most closely with what you would like to see for San Marcos’s future.
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Survey Questions and Answers
I emailed all the candidates a survey with these questions:
Top 3 voter concerns: What are the top three issues you hear from voters, and how would you address them?
Networking: which organizations (nonprofits, businesses, governmental, schools, commissions, etc) in San Marcos have you collaborated with or worked for?
Flock Cameras and Data Centers: Both have been banned in San Marcos in the past year. Is there any scenario where you would vote to roll back those decisions? (Background: Flock Cameras decision, Data Center decision)
Social Services Grants: Over the past five years, the Human Services Advisory Budget (HSAB) has ranged from $500,00 to $750,000. What dollar amount would you advocate for, in next year’s budget?
Lindsey Hill: What is your best-case scenario for Lindsey Hill? (Very brief background here.)
Cape’s Dam: Do you want Cape’s Dam to be rebuilt?
Future City Hall: Current location, across the street in the park, or downtown?
Public Transit: Would you commit to taking public transit every day for a week? (thanks to Rob Roark for the question)
Activity Center and Library: If elected, would you do me a solid and fund more weekend hours for the these?
Anything else: Any final last words about what sets you apart as a candidate? What is your signature issue where you’d like to bring about change?
Frankly, the candidates all wrote really thoughtful answers (except Shane Scott), and none of them sound like they used AI. If you’ve got the appetite for it, I highly recommend reading their answers.
Your prize for wading through all this is a photo of Shane Scott waving around a baggie with 4 oz of pot, during a city council meeting. (I will never get tired of bringing this photo back.)
Place 6: Juan Miguel Arredondo, Bill Miller, and Lisa Prewitt
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Mayor: Amanda Rodriguez vs Ryan Thomason
Amanda: Amanda has been on council for two years. Before that, she worked at the Texas Legislature for about five years. She has substantial knowledge of how to write good policy.
Listen, Amanda is eloquent and fiery when she talks about fighting for the vulnerable, for equity, and for making life better for everyone in San Marcos. I am here to tell you: she 100% walks the walk. She fights hard for the things she says she is fighting for. She is extremely thorough and reads legislation carefully, and makes smart improvements. It is hard to write good policy! She knows what she’s talking about.
You might be surprised to learn that during meetings, she actually comes across as relaxed and easy-going, up on the dais. She does not pick fights and she is genuinely interested in problem-solving and finding creative ways to thread the needle in real time. She sticks to her convictions without alienating everyone else.
Listen: she is a gem and we are lucky to have this kind of political talent in San Marcos. Vote for Amanda.
Instructive answer from the survey:
What are the 3-5 biggest complaints you hear from voters?
Lack of deeply affordable housing and general affordability concerns
Lack of contiguous sidewalks and lighting infrastructure, as well as broader
municipal infrastructure concerns
Lack of interactive activities for kids and families, including activities for those on
the spectrum or with differing abilities
Ryan Thomason: He served on council from 2010-2015. His whole shtick is “Make local government quiet again” by which he seems to mean “step aside and invite businesses to do whatever they want.” His main point in debates seems to be, “If you haven’t lived life on the side of business, you can’t appreciate how annoying it is to have to deal with government and permits.” I am interpreting this to mean that he does not like constraints on businesses and does not see any reason that you might be angry about their decisions.
Sidebar: Current Mayor Jane Hughson is his treasurer. She appeared to believe that she was going to hand the mantle over to him, uncontested. Then she was shocked, shocked when Amanda filed to run… and then Jane seemingly revenge-filed for Place 3. (It’s been a wild ride, folks.)
Instructive answer from the survey:
What are the 3-5 biggest complaints you hear from voters?
Listen: Alyssa fights against the status quo. Jane IS the status quo. Vote for Alyssa.
Alyssa: Alyssa has been on council for 6 years, including a big stretch where she was the only progressive member there. She consistently fights for low-income folks and disenfranchised people, and often points out that we can do more, we’re just used to doing less. She fought hard to get Covid dollars put towards direct rental assistance programs, and forced the city to figure out why our utility assistance program wasn’t helping anyone, and get it redesigned. She shows up for people in need.
Instructive answer from survey
Any final last words about what sets you apart as a candidate? What is your signature issue where you’d like to bring about change?
Six years in office have made me less willing to accept tHaT’s HoW wE’vE aLwAyS dOnE iT (see meme below) as an answer. I’m an organizer, and I bring that approach to governing: listen, do the research, question the assumptions, and keep working when the first answer is no.
My signature issue is getting more resources and decision-making power into residents’ hands. That is the vibe for my work on housing, direct assistance, criminal justice reform, and public participation. People should be able to get help without a councilmember intervening (I am exhausted, y’all), influence decisions before they are settled, and expect accountability from institutions with power over their lives.
“It takes time” can become a very comfortable place for government to live while residents bear the cost. Experience should make us bolder about what local government can accomplish, not more comfortable with the status quo.
I know progress takes work and four votes. I’m asking to be reelected to keep doing that work, alongside people willing to engage with neighbors, learn from what works elsewhere, and refuse
to accept gold stars for gradual change then call it a day. I believe I can be effective alongside Amanda Rodriguez, Heather Hunter, and Miguel Arredondo. I want to see what we can accomplish with a majority willing to ask more of City Hall and follow through.
Jane: Jane is the status quo. She was on Council in the 90s, and then got back on Council in 2014, and has been here ever since. She’s been the mayor since 2018. She decided not to run for mayor again, and then a week later she revenge-filed for Place 3 against Alyssa. At candidate events, she generally says she decided to run again because she feels we need someone up there with long institutional memory, which is a veiled attack on the younger generation of adults becoming leaders in the community.
She’s not exactly conservative or liberal – she is detail-oriented. Lots of fiddling with a random word choice or wondering about far-fetched edge cases. My understanding is that she is not pleasant to work under.
Any final last words about what sets you apart as a candidate? What is your signature issue where you’d like to bring about change?
Workforce development is a way for many to achieve better housing and a better life. School districts in our area all offer multiple ways to graduate from high school with a license or certificate to begin work at a good wage with benefits. For those who are already out of high school and realize they need a better job, there is free training available.
Through a partnership with Community Action providing the funding, Austin Community College
providing the classes, and the city providing the facilities, more than 50 people now qualify for a career in HVAC that can provide a living wage. Those newly certified can get a better job, with benefits, and rent a bigger place or start on the path to home ownership. The classes began at the library, and I championed
the use of our former public works area behind city hall for this.
We cannot afford to provide 50 houses, but we can provide training for a better job. And this at no cost to the student or the city.
Newbie Heather Hunter seems generally knowledgeable and progressive. Shane Scott has been around forever and is mostly absentee and libertarian. Vote for Heather.
Heather: Solidly liberal and has a background in political science and municipal grant-writing. She has not lived in San Marcos that long. But her answers to questions during debates have been generally knowledgeable and progressive.
Instructive answer from survey:
How could Council help fix the issues listed above?
Issue 3: Lack of support for our local/small businesses
Through my discussions with local businesses, there has been little to no assistance for them from the City, but we have assisted larger developments/businesses through tax incentives. Why are we not offering the same courtesy to those small businesses that need the most help and make SMTX the most unique? What are we offering to make them want to stay and become a legacy? Through building relationships with our businesses and listening to their concerns, I believe we can build a strong base of support and potentially funding to assist them further and thrive.
Shane: Prince of hair-brained schemes, which he then abandons. He basically says nothing on the dais, and then votes somewhere between conservative and libertarian. He has missed every candidate event since September 16th*, and has not responded (or even seen?) any of my emails or messages over social media. This guy, man. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
*I don’t want to ding him for having health issues. It’s just not that different from when he doesn’t have health issues?
Place 6: Juan Miguel Arredondo, Bill Miller, and Lisa Prewit
I basically gave my whole spiel above. Both Miguel and Lisa have a ton of experience in local politics. Miguel has been on the school board for 11 years and is the president of the Hays County United Way, and Lisa served two terms on City Council, from 2014-2019.
They will both take the office seriously and do a good job.
Bill Miller is new to politics, but seems like a good guy. But he’s up against two very well-connected candidates, so he is definitely the long shot candidate.
…
One side note: At some point going forward, I do want to see Miguel elected to Council. He’s been around forever, but he was very young when he started, and I think voters are slow to realize that he’s grown into a trustworthy and dedicated public servant.
For example, here’s what he says about the HSAB budget:
I’d advocate for a minimum of $15 per resident annually, which would put us at approximately $1.2 million based on a population of 80,000. As the leader of our local United Way, I see firsthand how much our nonprofit partners accomplish with limited resources. Rather than forcing these organizations to compete over an arbitrary amount every year, I believe we should establish a sustainable, population-based funding formula. Investing in food security, housing stability, domestic violence prevention, mental health, and other essential services is both compassionate and fiscally responsible. Our community is growing, and our investment in our neighbors should grow with it.
This is a great answer, and different than anyone else’s answer!
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Anyway! Instructive quotes for all three:
Lisa Prewitt:
How could Council help fix the issues listed above?
Issue 1: Water: Protection of river and the future of safe water for drinking, basic human needs and agriculture.
Fight to protect the Edwards Aquifer, the springs, and the San Marcos River from over-pumping, overuse, and pollution.
Oppose developments that place excessive demands on our limited water supply while delivering no meaningful benefit to our community.
Support stronger conservation initiatives and infrastructure investments that prepare San Marcos for a drier future.
Ensure growth pays for itself rather than shifting costs onto existing residents through higher utility rates and impact fees.
Build coalitions with regional partners to preserve our water resources and protect the land for future generations.
Create a comprehensive plan to expand our water reuse system and work with local stakeholders to create a chart / plan that could offer credits for new development to integrate rain water harvesting and other water preservation efforts.
Bill Miller:
How could Council help fix the issues listed above?
Issue 3: Food Security: Food security has always been something in the forefront of my mind. It effects more people than and most realize. One thing that city council could and SHOULD do is add an amendment to the city charter that requires HOA’s to allow residents to grow their own food in the front and back yard of their home if they so wish. It should also require them to allow them to have, within reason, chickens and rabbits in their back yard if they so desire. Everyone should have the right to grow food for themselves.
Another thing city council can do is invest in the Free-Fridge program that is currently here in the city. This program allows people with extra food to drop off at locations, and those that need the food to go pick up what they need. City council could help expand this program to install little pantries all over the city for people to drop off or pick up food.
Juan Miguel Arredondo
How could Council help fix the issues listed above?
Issue: Affordability
I want to be the housing affordability council member. My first initiative would be creating a Housing Affordability Dashboard so we’re making decisions based on actual housing costs, local incomes, rental availability, development timelines, and infrastructure capacity.
We need to encourage responsible infill development, expand housing choices, preserve existing affordable housing, and make it easier for working families to afford living in the community they call home.
Quick and easy week! Some little development projects, a transit workshop, and Utility Assistance update.
Hours 0:00 – 1:35: Some new apartments on North LBJ, La Cima is growing, and a new Habitat for Humanity duplex is coming
Bonus! 3 pm workshops: Two workshops. First, on transit: the city partners with Texas State to coordinate bus systems. Second, the Utility Assistance Program: it runs much more smoothly than it used to, but it runs out of money faster.
Election Notes:
I’ll publish my recommendations next Sunday, October 18th!
Early voting starts on the 19th.
Upcoming events:
Possibly a Mayoral Forum hosted by San Marcos Area Dems at their October meeting? (They really make it extremely hard to find any official info published online. Facebook page here.) October meeting: Thursday, October 15th, 6 pm? or 6:30? San Marcos Public Library
Possibly a CONA Candidate Forum? (Again, nothing available online.) October meeting: possibly Thursday, October 15th? 7-8 pm? Details should be posted here eventually
Quick housekeeping post today – a recap of the council election fireworks so far, and the yearly wrap-up. The new season of San Marcos City Council starts next week! Happy July.
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Election season is going to be bonkers. You’ve probably seen it all on social media, but let me lay out the fireworks.
Let’s start from the beginning.
Three seats are up for election:
Mayor’s seat (incumbent: Jane Hughson)
Seat 3 (incumbent: Alyssa Garza)
Seat 4 (incumbent: Shane Scott)
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The drama:
Saturday, July 25th: Jane shocks everyone by announcing she is not running for re-election. Instead, she will be the campaign treasurer for Ryan Thomason, who is running for mayor. (He is a former council member from 10-15 years ago.)
Everyone takes the weekend to digest this.
Monday, July 27th: Amanda shocks everyone by announcing that she will now run for mayor, rather than completing the third year of her term. This is exciting and I am thrilled.
So now there are four council seats up for election:
Mayor (no incumbent)
Seat 3 (incumbent: Alyssa Garza)
Seat 4 (incumbent: Shane Scott)
Amanda’s former seat, Seat 6 (no incumbent)
Immediately, two current and former San Marcos local politicians – Lisa Prewitt and Miguel Arredondo – file to run for Seat 6. Lisa was on council about a decade ago, and Miguel has been on the school board for years.
Then! Thursday, July 30th: Jane shocks everyone again by announcing she’s going to run for Seat 3, challenging Alyssa Garza. Alyssa is a popular, two-term incumbent. What the hell?!
This is wild. It feels like Jane thought she could handpick her successor. Then when she realized the new generation might actually win over council, Jane lost her shit and felt like she had to wage war. It feels unhinged.
(And all within one week!)
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Current state of things:
Mayor: Amanda Rodriguez vs Ryan Thomason
Seat 3: Incumbent Alyssa Garza against current mayor Jane Hughson
Seat 4: Incumbent Shane Scott vs Heather Hunter
Seat 6: Lisa Prewitt, Juan Miguel Arredondo, and Bill Miller are all facing off.
City Council this week: The DATA CENTER FAILED! You already know how it turns out, but I’ll give you all the spicy details on how we got there. (Also an SMPD staffing study and the new strategic plan for 2027.)
Let’s jump in:
Hours 0:00 – 8:04: The sordid tale of the death of the data center! Enjoy all the gory details, plus a smidgen of Council’s strategic plan for 2027.
This week at council: You’ll come for the death of Flock Cameras, but you’ll stay for the deliciously petty Price Center mural discussion! Exciting meeting this week.
First, though: VOTE FOR SAUL in the council run-off. Details below.
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Onto the meeting!
Hours 0:00 – 1:17: Everything but Flock Cameras! Some zoning, and some TIRZ stuff. But mostly, please let me tell you a very funny story about the Price Center mural.
Hours 1:17 – 3:50: FLOCK CAMERAS go down in flames! Plus a new speed limit on FM 110, and some suburban sprawl.
Bonus! 3 pm workshops: Should we be sister cities with Inverness, Scotland? What about Monclova, Mexico?
And that’s a wrap.
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It’s Council run-off time! Please do go vote!
Details
Early Voting:
Monday and Tuesday, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Location: Hays County Election Office (the old Car Museum, on Stagecoach and Hunter.)
Election day:
Saturday, December 13th, 7 am – 7 pm
Locations: Broadway Polling Location (401 Broadway Street #A) Hays County Election Office (the old Car Museum, on Stagecoach and Hunter.)
Saul Gonzales: I’m endorsing Saul. He’s willing to state his positions. He promised to vote no on the data center, to remove Cape’s Dam, to remove Flock cameras. Has shown his cards about how he’s going to vote.
And he’s kept his word! This past Tuesday, he voted against renewing the Flock Cameras contract.
Josh Paselk: No. First off, he never sent answers in. He won’t say how he’ll vote on anything.
All they seem to care about is that wealthy donors should be able to hoard their wealth:
LISTEN YOU NUMBSKULLS. It is better for business when poor people have a little extra money to spend! A rising tide lifts all boats. You can pay your fair share and grow your wealth!
And then they’ve gotten deeply gross with the mailers this past week.
This week: contracts for SMPD and SM Fire Fighters, with a win for transparency. Also a Dunbar Historic Walk, some election talk, and a call to support our school librarians.
Here we go!
Hours 0:00 – 2:29: Basically all about contracts for SMPD and SMFD. How transparent should the process be?
But first! Two quick bits on the election and school libraries.
1. Well, we had an election.
Matthew Mendoza won re-election against Chase Norris.
Saul Gonzales and Josh Paselk are headed to a run-off, on December 13th.
I’m still grossed out by that PAC dumping $50K to sway a local election towards their preferred candidates.
Here’s the problem: we actually have some local limits on campaign donations:
If you receive more than $300 from someone, you must recuse yourself from votes related to that.
No one can donate more than $500 to any campaign, period.
Now look at the donor amounts to the Brighter Future for San Marcos PAC. Almost all are over $300, and most are between $600-$10,000. (And that list is not up to date.)
That PAC spent $35,000* supporting Matthew Mendoza and Josh Paselk. But they don’t donate it to campaigns, so the local laws don’t apply. The PAC just directly buys mailers and newspaper ads. So Matthew and Josh benefit, but would not be required to recuse themselves from votes that benefit the donors.
This is legal, but it’s deliberately sabotaging the intent of our local laws. What bullshit, right?
*also out of date. My understanding is it’s more like $50K+.
2. Our school libraries
At the past two school board meetings, around 10 or so people from New Braunfels, Seguin, Corpus, etc have shown up to harass our district. They find the spiciest parts of any book at any school library, and berate our school board for it. (They also post the spiciest parts to social media! Everyone gets titillated at the thought of saying such naughty words in public.) Then there’s a whole procedure where they flag books, we have to pull the books, review them, and bring the recommendations to the school board.
It might be nice to have some local voices supporting our librarians, our libraries, and our school district at these meetings?
Obviously say whatever you want, but if you’re stuck, I think the major points are things like:
you trust the judgement of our school librarians that they’re only including books with mature themes when there’s age-appropriate value to the book.
Parents are free to monitor the reading choices of their own children, but shouldn’t enforce their personal rules on everyone else.
Want to speak in person?
The next meeting is at 6 pm on Monday, November 17th, at the Felipe Reyna District Offices located at 1331 Hwy 123. (Right by Goodnight Middle School.)
You are supposed to sign up ahead of time. Swing by the Superintendent’s office (same address) or call (512) 393-6700 ext. 6767.
Hello everybody! It’s RIVER TIME! Let’s talk about the ugly fences, the litter (which did get better), and whether to start charging admission. Also tenants’ rights and some election talk.
Here we go!
Hours 0:00 – 1:15: Tenant’s Right to Organize and participatory budgeting. It’s a short meeting!
Fire up the press! We’re back! This week, we’re talking about the land next to El Centro, an ordinance protecting tenants, and a sketchy SMPD grant for $25K.
Let’s go!
Hours 0:00 – 3:27: the land next to El Centro, the Lions Club, and a $25K grant for SMPD.
Hours 3:27 – 4:14: Should San Marcos have a Tenants Rights to Organize ordinance? (yes.)
Want to talk about the big open natural area around the Hays County Courthouse, and if it should be housing? Want to get into the weeds on some very detailed decisions about mailing parking tickets, buying new Tahoes for SMPD, and more? I’ve got all your weedy deets right here, kid. Hit me up.
But first, it’s City Council Run-off Election time!
Go vote for Lorenzo Gonzalez. He’s a police officer who has some clear-headed criticisms of how police departments work. He gave solid progressive answers at the debate held by the Primrose Advocacy Council.
The other candidate is Roland Saucedo. His answers were fine, but his background is troubling. (Like I mentioned before, after my initial take, a lot of people reached out to inform me that he does not operate in good faith. Some details here, but not all.)
Why don’t you and me go vote? Let’s get Lorenzo Gonzalez across the finish line. Voting details here.
Onto the meeting!
Hours 0:00 – 2:39: There’s a lot of open space in the middle of town right now, around the Hays County Courthouse. Should it all be housing? Should Dunbar connect to Wonderworld?
Hours 2:39 – 4:58: Lots of little details. So many little details. Do you love passionate arguments over tiny little details? Then you are in for a treat. (I mean, I obviously do.)
Bonus! 3 pm workshops: Sneak peak into what Texas State is doing on campus over the next ten years.
See you next time, for the last meeting of the year!
