Go deeper: San Angelo City Council Candidates Participate in Chamber of Commerce Forum Zoom out: Former San Angelo Police Chief Tim Vasquez is serving prison time for corruption charges.

Most other cities including Abilene, Midland, and Lubbock all have their City Manager appoint theirs. Reminder: San Angelo is the biggest city in Texas to elect a police chief. In addition to the LePak - Thomas race in SMD 3, voters will also vote on proposed changes to City Charter in which requirements will be raised for elected role of police chief in San Angelo. Early voting for the election begins on April 24th. Hopefully, more people will become involved in this process going forward.Įlection Details: The City Election will take place on May 6th. Issues like TIRZ and others have attracted support. While the engagement is low, it does not mean it will have to stay that way. Increased civic engagement helps make San Angelo a more desirable city not only to current residents but to potential businesses and people who might move to the city. Unfortunately, two of the three open seats did not have challengers. Why this matters: Koenig mentioned that the City Council is the most important governmental body for citizens. LePak, Thomas' challenger said that a riverfront development plan where the City could rent out lots to food trucks and solving the homeless problem in San Angelo were two priorities of his. Thomas also said that he would work to help stimulate economic growth in the City. Thomas believes that reliance on the sales tax should decrease and said with a second term, he would continue to help find a sustainable source of water. Thomas cited his experience in accounting and serving on City Council while LePak mentioned that he was running a humanistic campaign. The two of them are facing off to represent Single Member District 3. Incumbent Harry Thomas and Michael LePak also participated. Hiebert and Hesse Smith both participated in the forum even though their races were canceled due to them running unopposed. should there be a new comprehensive master plan for the City.how would they improve recruitment and retention rates for City employees.what were their two biggest priorities if elected.Candidates answered questions from Koenig that ranged from: Chamber CEO/President Walt Koenig moderated the forum with Tommy Hiebert, Karen Hesse Smith, Harry Thomas, and Michael LePak all participating. Leading off: City Council Candidates Forumĭriving the news: For the first time, San Angeloans had the opportunity to hear from all four candidates for San Angelo City Council at a candidate forum held by the Chamber of Commerce. Sign up for San Angelo Today, sanangelo.news' daily newsletter that helps San Angeloans get smarter every day.

A Texas Pioneer by August Santleben