PRESIDIO COUNTY — The candidate filing period for the May 4 General Election is closing soon at 5 p.m. Friday, February 16. Presidio and Marfa city councils as well as Marfa ISD School Board have several seats up for election. 

Early voting runs from April 22 to April 30, 2024. In order to qualify to run in the General Election, candidates must have resided in the respective city where the office is held for at least six months, must be 18 years of age or older, be a U.S. citizen, and must not have been convicted of a felony. A full list of qualifications can be found on the secretary of state’s website. 

Marfa City Council 

The terms of council members Mark Morrison, Eddie Pallarez and Mark Cash are up this coming May. All three have filed for re-election. Marfa resident Tony Georges has also filed for a city council seat. Council members are “at large,” and do not serve specific seats, meaning voters will choose their top three candidates out of however many are running. 

Existing council members Morrison and Pallarez emphasized their desire to continue to work on city streets if re-elected. “I want to help our hard working city staff, administrators, mayor and council keep our city financially stable, structurally stable — even improve the infrastructure — and see what we can do to improve our streets,” Morrison said. 

Pallerez said 75% to 80% of Marfa streets still need a lot of attention. “I hope I get back on, I still want to serve the community the best I can,” he said. “I don’t always make the right decisions but I sure do try.” 

Councilmember Cash said the current council members work well together and understand the city’s budget limitations, which led him to file for re-election. “I think we have a good group, and I think we are doing the best we can with what we have, therefore I want to keep being a part of that,” he said.  

Candidate Tony Georges — the partner of Councilmember Travis Acreman and a freelance interior designer — is also running for a seat on Marfa City Council. He said he is drawn to preserving and improving various aspects of city government, from streets to energy to trash to sewer. “Reliable vital infrastructure for the benefit of all residents both now and in the future must be a top priority. In the same vein, municipal aesthetics are important to me — I want Marfa to be clean, safe, beautiful and authentically unique,” Georges said. 

Interested parties are encouraged to pick up applications in person at City Hall, 113 S Highland Ave. Applications are also available in both English and Spanish online at https://cityofmarfa.com/government/page/elections.

To submit applications, individuals may file in person at City Hall, mail their applications to City Hall at PO Box 787, Marfa, TX 79843, or email them to secretary@cityofmarfa.com.

Marfa ISD School Board 

The terms of school board members Yolanda Morales Jurado, Place 3; Rene Gonzales, Place 4; and Stela Fuentez, Place 1, will be up for election this May. School board members convene once a month and are volunteers. They serve three-year terms. 

As of press time, the only candidate who filed to keep their place on the board was Jurado. If elected, this will be Jurado’s third term. Her son, Diego, will be a senior at Marfa High next year. She said as a board member she is committed to the well-being of students and staff and wanted to continue to serve with her fellow trustees. “I feel that we, as a board, have the best synergy for improving student outcomes, enhancing teacher retention and enriching student/teacher satisfaction,” Jurado said. 

Fuentez previously told The Big Bend Sentinel she intends to file for re-election. “I look forward to continuing to collaborate with my fellow board trustees and interim superintendent on making MISD the best environment for our students and staff,” she said. 

Gonzales did not respond to requests for comment on whether he intends to file for re-election. If no one challenges the incumbents, they will automatically keep their seats if they apply. School board elections have been canceled the past two years due to a lack of candidates vying for the positions.

Interested candidates may visit the Marfa ISD Administration Office, located at 400 W. Lincoln, to pick up a packet from the superintendent’s secretary, Griselda Hinojos. As of press time, Hinojos received no applications for the open school board positions. 

Presidio City Council 

Three seats will be up for grabs this spring in Presidio: Steve “Nicky” Alvarez, Joe Andy Mendoza and John Razo. The terms of fellow council members Arian Velázaquez-Ornelas and Nancy Arevalo will expire next year. 

Those who want to file for a spot on city council or want more information can visit City Hall, 507 W O’Reilly Street. Application materials are also available online at https://presidiotx.us/?page_id=63. 

At press time, City Secretary Brenda Ornelas said that only current Councilmember Alvarez had filed to run. Mendoza said that he plans to run again; Razo said that he planned not to.