San Marcos, Texas Voters Guide by San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce

San Marcos Area League of Women Voters

VOTERS GUIDE Election November 8, 2011 The San Marcos Area League of Women Voters (LWV) Voters Guide lists City Council candidates who appear on the ballot in the November 8, 2011 General Election. It includes responses to a questionnaire sent to candidates. Candidates were asked to limit responses to each question to 100 words in length. Responses are printed as submitted. Candidates are listed in the same order that they will appear on the ballot, and since there is no party affiliation in city races, these affiliations are not listed. The ballot will also list a Dripping Springs Independent School District Special Election and a Hays Emergency Services District #8 Special Election in some precincts. These two elections are not covered by this Voters Guide. The ten proposed state Constitutional Amendments to the state Constitution will be on the ballot as well. The propositions are explained in the State LWV Voters Guide which is a separate publication. The San Marcos Area League of Women Voters prepares and places this local Voters Guide in city halls, public libraries and many other locations in San Marcos. The local Voters Guides are also inserted in the San Marcos Daily Record. The State Voters Guide about the state propositions for amendments to the state Constitution is placed at the same locations as the local Guide and further afield, around the county, by the San Marcos Area LWV. Both are available online at www.lwvtexas.org.

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan organization that promotes political responsibility through informed participation of all citizens in their government. The League does not support or oppose any political party or any candidate. The League does publish and distribute factual information to help prepare citizens to cast an informed vote and does take action on selected governmental issues that it has studied. You may bring this Voters Guide into the voting booth. As a public service, San Marcos Mercury will record the LWV Candidates Debate in San Marcos on October 17, 7 p.m., at the San Marcos Activity Center and will have the debate video posted on its website within 24 hours of the event. See www.sanmarcosmercury.com.

INDEX City Candidates………………………………………………………. Pages 2 through 4 List of special elections on the ballot…... ……………………………. Page 5 Absentee voting, early voting locations and times……………..............Page 6 and 7 Election day polling locations………………………………………… Page 8

CITY COUNCIL, PLACE 3 List your experience, education, and training that qualify you for this position.

Last January the San Marcos Recreation Task Force provided the council a report suggesting controlling San Marcos River access points, reducing litter and protecting the riverbanks. What changes to the river access and use would you support?

The face of San Marcos is changing. Owner occupied housing has changed from 44% in 1990 to 26% in 2010. In 2010, 74% of housing units were renter occupied and 56% of Texas State students lived outside of town. How does this relate to your vision for San Marcos?

I would like to see the San Marcos River cared by reducing litter and protecting the river-bank, but I do not support micromanaging river-goers with rules like certain access points. Rules like these would be a waste of resources, time, and money, and still be ineffective. The answer lies with community awareness. Developing the community will create a honor system where respect for the river will be understood and policed amongst the everyone. A simpler solution to problems like access points would be to just make those locations easier to enter the river, for example the steps at Sewell Park.

I envision a San Marcos where people live and (if necessary) commute to different cities, rather than the opposite. The City needs to offer incentives to become a home owner, reform zoning laws to be owner-friendly for younger people, and keep utility rates as low as possible. San Marcos and groups, such as the real-estate community, have to work together to find developers that specialize in affordable, first-time owner homes. The people of San Marcos do not live beyond their means, so until better options arrive we will continue to lose residents to outlying cities with lower costs of living.

I support the river bank stabilization plans especially around “Dog Beach” across from City Park, by utilizing a funding source that sells city owned property where revenues generated can only be used for parkland purposes. This money can in turn be leveraged to secure additional matching grants to lower our costs. With the projected rise in population of the corridor, the recreational use of the river will increase. By addressing these issues early, San Marcos can provide good stewardship of the river and the endangered species, improve the enjoyment for local residents, and increase the economic impact of nature tourism.

Now more than ever, my vision of San Marcos as a community with policies in place to ensure that our city encourages and protects quality, stable neighborhoods is relevant. Attracting new jobs requires a healthy and balanced housing environment. As your council member, I will work tirelessly to help to locate a community changing employer to our city with the resulting high paying jobs, promote better schools, better neighborhoods, and a better quality of life for everyone. I will use my proven record of experience in new business recruitment and local business expansion to achieve these goals.

Nicolas Cubides I am best qualified for this job because I spend every day sharing the joys and upsets of life in San Marcos with hundreds of other people. As a graduating student with a double major in Political Science and History, I have dedicated much of my time to studying local politics and the history of effective legislation. Through my personal experiences here, and by listening to other residents, I’ve gained an understanding of how to help San Marcos – we live in a marvelous city and I am going to help it become even better!

John Thomaides I served on City Council from 2003-2010 and as Mayor Pro-Tem from 2003-2005. I served on many boards and commissions including the Economic Development Board and Lone Star Rail District and have worked on 7 city budgets, some in difficult economic times as today, without council initiated tax increases. While on Council the Wonder World Drive extension and McCarty Lane projects were all completed under budget. I supported policies that brought good jobs to San Marcos, like Grifols, with wages above $40,000. Lastly, I have a proven record of success on the issues of job creation, transportation, and growth.

CITY COUNCIL , Place 3, (Continued) List your experience, education, and training that qualify you for this position.

Last January the San Marcos Recreation Task Force provided the council a report suggesting control-ling San Marcos River access points, reducing litter and protecting the riverbanks. What changes to the river access and use would you support?

What is our end goal and the action plan to achieve it? This must determined before embarking upon river issues. I support a goal of river enhancement which fits into the overall marketing vision for the city. One in which the needs of citizens and of visitors are accommodated. My personal vision is to create a â&#x20AC;&#x153;family friendlyâ&#x20AC;? river which will steer the development of attractive access points and safe parks, increase our quality of life, attract families and visitors, and needed revenue. Professionally, I negotiate agreements, I also evaluate proposals and that is what I want from the community.

Not every citizen seeks the same type of living space and market forces are at work with these demographics. Arriving to San Marcos a decade ago we noted the lack of affordable housing and family oriented neighborhoods. Many people living in apartments are not university students but why are they renting? Apartments serve a needed purpose, but I support the building of new-well designed neighborhoods to attract families; including the redevelopment and enhancement of existing neighborhoods. My vision is to address these concerns in the new Master Plan which needs the concerted effort of renters, realtors, developers, and neighborhood leaders.

Managing the San Marcos River, our communityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most precious natural resource, should continue to be a priority for the City. Designated and improved ingress/egress sites will not only assist with erosion control and protection of endangered species, but also add to the aesthetics and curb appeal of the City. The use of compactor trash-cans and recycling cans should be adopted as recommended, with strict enforcement of existing littering ordinances with prohibitive fines. Plans should be developed to remove accumulated sediment in the river, and watershed management strategies established to minimize future accumulations. We should ALL be stewards of our river.

A recent study conducted by the City indicates almost half of our population is between the ages of 15-24. Although a young population such as this can be an indicator of a healthy, vibrant and growing community, that is not the complete picture today in San Marcos. These statistics illustrate our need for economic development and job creation, so young adults can afford to own homes and raise families here. We also need a better stock of mid- to upper-range homes to attract professionals to San Marcos, and keep existing residents from moving to neighboring communities as their families grow.

Toby Hooper I am a professional, not a politician, and currently serve as the Network Contract Administrator for the largest healthcare provider in Central Texas: shared value, mutual benefit, cost savings, revenue enhancement are a few of the aspects I build into negotiating contracts with companies. Prior to healthcare, I spent 12 years in education and understand the importance of the city, school district and university sharing goals with an action plan for success. I am also a husband and a father. In all, I understand how the big pieces of economic development, efficient government, community health and education neatly fit together.

Terry Nichols I came to San Marcos over 24 years ago to attend college and pursue my dream of becoming a police officer. I currently work for Texas State University as the Assistant Director of the ALERRT Program, managing an international training program. I earned a Masters Degree from Texas State in 1997. I enjoyed a wonderful career with the San Marcos Police Department, ultimately retiring as a Commander after 21 years of service to our community. My proven leadership abilities, integrity, and management experience uniquely qualify me to be your Place 3 Councilman, and continue in public service to San Marcos.

CITY COUNCIL, PLACE 4

List your experience, education, and training that qualify you for this position.

Last January the S.M. Recreation Task Force provided the council a report suggesting controlling San Marcos River access points, reducing litter and protecting the riverbanks. What changes to the river access and use would you support?

My support would include, but not be limited to: (1) Partnership between the City and the University to enforce approved measures & educate river users. (2) Develop larger and enhanced ingress/egress sites that also act as bank stabilization structures. (3) Create dense vegetation zones between access points to prevent access which causes bank erosion and habitat damage. (4) Working with private owners to enforce trespassing laws. (5) No Styrofoam containers or coolers. (6) Adopt a strict littering ordinance in and along the San Marcos River with prohibitive fines to include partnership with the University to ensure contiguous compliance.

It does not relate to my vision for San Marcos because I would like to see more homeownership in our city. I believe we need a balanced approach to housing based on our demographic needs that includes affordable homes for lower income families all the way up to exclusive subdivisions with expensive homes for families at higher income levels. The key to increasing home ownership in San Marcos, however, will be determined by our success with economic development efforts to bring in more companies with better paying jobs.

I would support the development of multiple large & small access sites that also act as bank stabilization structures at eroded locations. I would also support all access points being located away from Texas Wild Rice. I think we must also create dense vegetation zones between access points to prevent future bank erosion. I would also support an appropriate buffer zone to keep picnic tables, pop up tents, shelters and portable grills away from the river. Pushing these amenities further away from the river will reduce litter getting into the river and decrease bank compaction and erosion.

We must continue diversifying our economic development efforts to include small and medium sized business. It's the small and mediumsized business sector that creates the lion's share of new jobs. My vision for San Marcos is simple: San Marcos, a place which has something for everyone! How do we get there? We need to improve community involvement in our public schools, diversify economic development efforts to include small and medium sized business, and build and maintain a vibrant middle class. We must create jobs that provide a means for our residents to become home owners.

Wayne Becak I have a BBA from Texas A&M University & 37 years of banking experience that provides the financial expertise, economic development back-ground & common sense to assure our city government is operating efficiently & spending our tax dollars wisely. I also have community leadership experience having served on numerous community boards & committees for CTMC Foundation, Texas State Advisory Council for the Finance & Economics Department, Economic Development Council, United Way, Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs, Hays County Investment Committee, McCoy College Student Managed Investment Fund, Rotary Club, State Bar of Texas Grievance Committee, Texas Army National Guard, Major (Ret).

Chris Jones I am a Career Advisory and currently pursuing a Master of Public Administration Degree. I am serving my second term in Place 4 on the San Marcos City Council having first been elected to the post in December 2005. I serve as Vice Chair of the Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Steering Committee for the National League of Cities and serve on the Hays County Appraisal Board. I have represented the City Council on the CVB and the Minority Tourism Board of Directors. I also am a member of the Downtown Association, and Texas Municipal League.

OTHER SPECIAL ELECTIONS WILL BE LISTED ON THE BALLOT FOR THE VOTERS IN PARTS OF HAYS COUNTY, INCLUDING: Hays County Emergency Services District No. 8: re an increase in sales and use tax Dripping Springs Independent School District Bond Election: re building bonds Dripping Springs Independent School District: re a tax ratification election

TEN STATE PROPOSITIONS FOR THE AMENDMENTS TO THE STATE CONSTITUTION WILL ALSO BE ON THE BALLOT. The state LWV Voters Guide (with arguments listed for and against) the ten state propositions will be placed by the San Marcos Area LWV at the same locations as the local Voters Guide in San Marcos, and also distributed at other locations around the county, such as city halls and public libraries. Both are available online at www.lwvtexas.org.

Early voting locations and dates, as well as election day polling locations are on the last three pages of this Voters Guide. Look on your voter registration card, next to your birth date, for your precinct number, or call the Hays County Elections Office. For more information on voting or elections, call the Hays County Elections Administrator at 512-393-7310, or visit the website www.elections.co.hays.tx.us. See the website list of frequently asked questions for information about voting by mail, and many other subjects. Some answers are reprinted on page 7 and 8 of this Voters Guide. The Elections office is at 401C Broadway, San Marcos, Texas. For additional voting information, see the website of the Secretary of State at www.sos.state.tx.us, or call their office in Austin at 1-800-252-8683. CURBSIDE VOTING If you are unable to physically enter the polling place, you may ask that an election officer bring an eSlate (electronic voting device) to you at the entrance to the polling place or to a car at curbside. After you vote on the eSlate, give it to the election officer who will re-connect it to the Judges Booth Controller and your vote will be counted. If you plan to go alone to vote curbside, it is wise to call ahead so election officials will expect you.

NOVEMBER 8, 2011

EARLY VOTING SCHEDULE Location, Dates & Hours of Main Early Voting Polling Places: County Elections Administration Office, 401-C Broadway St., San Marcos October 24, Monday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. October 25 through October 28, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. October 29, Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. October 31, Monday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. November 1 through November 4, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. In addition, temporary branch early polling places for early voting by personal appearance for the election are established at the following locations: Location

Date

Time

San Marcos City Library Large Meeting Room 625 E. Hopkins San Marcos, Texas

October 24 October 25-28 October 29 October 31 November 1-4

7 a.m. to 7 p.m. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Texas State University-San Marcos LBJ Student Center 700 Student Center Drive San Marcos, Texas

October 26 & 27

11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Kyle City Hall 100 W. Center Kyle, Texas

October 24 October 29 October 31

11 a.m. to 7 p.m. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Dripping Springs ISD Office 510 W. Mercer Street Dripping Springs, Texas

October 25 October 29 November 1

11 a.m. to 7 p.m. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Wimberley Community Center 14068 Ranch Road 12 Wimberley, Texas

October 27 October 29 November 3

11 a.m. to 7 p.m. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Buda City Hall 121 N. Main Street Buda, Texas

October 28 October 29 November 4

11 a.m. to 7 p.m. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Early voting by mail ballot is conducted in accordance with applicable provisions of the Texas Election Code. Early voting could really be termed convenience voting, since city registered voters can vote at any city early voting location, according to the Hays County Elections Administratorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Frequently Asked Questions, at www.elections.co.hays.tx.us .

BALLOTS BY MAIL You may apply for a ballot by mail if you: 1. will be away from Hays County on Election Day and during early voting; 2. are disabled; 3. are 65 years of age or older on Election Day; or 4. are confined in jail. For more information or to download an Application for Ballot by Mail, go to www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/voter/earlyvoting or you may call the Hays County Election Administration office at (512) 393-7310 for an application. For specific information about special voting procedures available for members of the military and U.S. citizens overseas, go to: www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/voter/militaryoverseas. If you are a college student, and you have chosen to register in your hometown as your permanent residence, you may apply for a ballot by mail in your home county, if you will not be there on election day or during early voting. Ballot applications and ballots voted by mail by those registered in Hays County may be sent to: Hays County Elections Administrator 401C Broadway Street, San Marcos, TX 78666 Attention: Early Voting Clerk All polling locations are handicapped accessible. The new eSlate voting system is fully accessible and has an audio feature which allows any voter to listen to the ballot. You are also entitled to receive assistance if you cannot read or write, or have a physical disability that prevents you from reading or marking the ballot. Tell the election official that you need help to vote. You do not have to provide proof of your disability. You MAY be assisted by any person of your choice, OR one election worker during early voting, OR two election workers on Election Day. You may NOT be assisted by your employer, OR an agent of your employer, OR an officer or agent of your union. The person assisting you must read you the entire ballot, unless you ask to have only parts of the ballot read. The person assisting you must take an oath that he or she will not try to influence your vote and will mark your ballot as you direct. If you choose to be assisted by polling place officials, a poll watcher and/or state election inspector present in the polling place may observe the voting process to be sure that the ballot has been marked as you wanted. If you ask to be assisted by a person of your choosing, no one else may watch you vote. Interpreters at the polls: If you cannot speak English, or communicate only with sign language, you may use an interpreter to help you communicate with election officials. You may select any registered voter of your county to be your interpreter. If you cannot read the ballot, your interpreter may translate the ballot for you in the voting booth, after taking the Assistant Oath.

PRECINCT #

ELECTION DAY POLLING PLACES IN HAYS COUNTY

Polling places will be open on election day, November 8, 2011 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. 110/113

Elections Office, 401-C Broadway, San Marcos

111/112

Dunbar Center, 801 MLK Drive, San Marcos

114

Allenwood Homes Auditorium, 1201 Thorpe Lane, San Marcos

116

Hernandez Intermediate School, 333 Stagecoach Trail, San Marcos

120

San Marcos Housing, Residents Office, 820 Sturgeon St., San Marcos

127

Tobias Elementary School, 1005 E. FM 150, Kyle

221/223/225/227 224/228

Kyle City Hall, 100 W. Center, Kyle Buda City Hall, 121 N Main St., Buda

226/230

Hays Hills Baptist Church, 1401 N. FM1626, Buda

229/234 315

Goforth Water Supply, 8900 Niederwald Strasse, Niederwald

330 331/336

Lamar Annex, 500 W. Hutchison Street, San Marcos Horizon Bay (formerly Merrill Gardens), 1720 RR 12, San Marcos

333/335/337

Wimberley Community Center, 14068 Ranch Road 12, Wimberley

332/334

Old Fish Hatchery Building, 201 C M Allen Parkway, San Marcos

440

Henley Baptist Church, 200 Henley Loop, Dripping Springs

441/449

DSISD Administration Office, 510 W. Mercer St., Dripping Springs

442/448

Driftwood Community Center 15100 W. FM 150, Driftwood

443/444

Sunset Canyon Baptist Church, 4000 E. Hwy. 290, Dripping Springs

446/447

Travis Elementary School, 1437 Post Road, San Marcos

Doris Miller Jr. High School, 301 Foxtail Run, San Marcos

Look for your precinct number on your voter registration card, in the blank next to your birth date, or call Hays County Elections Administrator Joyce Cowan at 512-393-7310.