Keep San Marcos mayor, council incumbents
EDITORIAL BOARD
Friday, October 24, 2008
San Marcos voters face a Nov. 4 general election ballot that includes an election for mayor, one City Council seat, 22 propositions and one nonbinding referendum on extending the hours for the sale of alcoholic beverages.
In the mayor's race, Daniel McCarthy and Dave Newman are challenging incumbent Susan Clifford Narvaiz. Place 3 Council Member Fred Terry has no opponent, and Lisa Marie Coppoletta is challenging Place 4 incumbent Christopher Jones.
Mayor
Narvaiz, 50, seeks her third term as mayor and deserves re-election. Though the council's adoption of a downtown San Marcos revitalization plan stirred up controversy and opposition, she defends the decision eloquently.
To lead is to choose, and choices leaders make are going to make somebody unhappy.
Real leaders make decisions, and Narvaiz is a leader.
Newman, 52, is a retired airline pilot who is critical of the downtown effort and wants to attract industry to create jobs. Though job creation and sprawl prevention are laudable goals, Narvaiz has experience in those areas that political newcomer Newman can't match.
McCarthy, 20, is a Texas State University Student.
City Council, Place 4
Jones, 25, was a Texas State University student when he was elected to the City Council three years ago. He has since graduated, started work as a career adviser for the university and is working on a master's degree.
Jones has learned a lot and should be re-elected.
Jones wants San Marcos to grow but maintain its small-town feel. He wants to pay for improvements through traditional instruments like tax increment financing. He also would like to see a transportation authority established for the city as it heads toward a population of 50,000. He said he is working on environmental issues, as well, including recycling and converting the city fleet to hybrid vehicles.
Coppoletta, 40, is a speech instructor at Austin Community College and a part-time actor. Her campaign is based on attracting the film industry to San Marcos and pushing green issues. She is a smart, interesting candidate, but Jones has a more grounded view of city government.
The 22 propositions on the ballot are arcane and meaningless to most voters. But they are necessary to clean up the city charter. The referendum on extending bar hours to 2 a.m. is nonbinding but will give the council a sense of where voters stand on the issue.
