MARFA — The candidate filing period for the May 3 General Election is now open with a filing deadline of 5 p.m. Friday, February 14. Early voting runs from April 21 to April 29, 2025. Voters will decide on Marfa city council candidates as well as Marfa ISD School Board candidates and any ballot measures.
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 Mayor Manny Baeza, Mayor Pro Tem Raul Lara and City Councilmember Travis Acreman will be up for election this coming May. Baeza has served three two-year terms as mayor, having first been elected to the position in 2019. Before that he served as a council member. Baeza said he intends to file for reelection to continue his current role as mayor.
Lara has served three two-year terms on city council, two as a councilmember and a third as mayor pro tem. Lara said he intends to run for reelection. Acreman was elected to his first term in 2023 and said he plans to file for reelection.
City council members and the mayor serve two-year terms. Council members are “at large,” meaning they do not fill a specific seat, convene twice a month and are paid $50 per meeting. The mayor is paid $100 per meeting. 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 School Board
The terms of Marfa ISD school board members Teresa Nuñez, Ruben Martinez, Phil Boyd and Jay Foster are up for election. Boyd, Place 5, and Foster, Place 3, were recently appointed but still have to file to keep their seats. Nuñez, Place 7, has been on the board, most recently serving in the role as board president, since 2016, meaning she’s served three three-year terms. Nuñez said she intends to file for reelection. Martinez, Place 6, was appointed in 2022 and has served one three-year term. He said he intends to file for re-election.
School board members convene once a month and are volunteers. They serve three-year terms. School board elections have been canceled the past three years due to too few candidates vying for the seats. 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.