TRI-COUNTY — The candidate filing deadline for local school board and city council positions, which will be decided in the May 3 General Election, is tomorrow, Friday, February 14 at 5 p.m. Early voting runs from April 21 to April 29, 2025.
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 Texas secretary of state’s website.
Here is an overview of seats available and who has filed as of press time:
Presidio County
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, Acreman and Lara have all filed for reelection. 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 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, said she intends to file for reelection. Martinez, Place 6, was appointed in 2022 and said he intends to file for reelection.
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. As of press time, Boyd and Foster had filed to keep their seats.
Presidio City Council
Presidio Mayor John Ferguson’s post and three seats on the city council will be on the May 3 ballot. An unfilled position when Nancy Arevalo became Presidio County tax assessor-collector was filled recently with the city council appointment of Bianca Martinez Bailon, but that term ends in May — thus Bailon will need to file to run for the seat for a full term.
According to City Secretary Brenda Ornelas, Ferguson has filed for reelection as mayor, Bailon, Abel “Billy” Hernandez, Arian Velazquez-Ornelas and Silverio Escontrias have filed for full-term city council seats and Juan Saenz and Alondra Flores have filed for the unexpired term.
Those interested in filing to run can visit City Hall, 507 W O’Reilly Street, for application materials or email bornelas@presidiotx.us.
Presidio ISD School Board
Three seats are up for election for the Presidio ISD School Board — positions currently held by Board President Iris Galindo, Juventino Martinez and Jusby Vazquez. The top three vote getters for the at-large board will be elected.
The superintendent secretary Imelda Ruiz said Galindo has filed for reelection. Josefina Burrola and Maria Lucero Montoya have also filed to run for a spot on the board.
Application packets can be found on the district’s website.
Brewster County
Alpine City Council
Council seats for wards 1 and 3 will be on the ballot. Ward 1 Councilmember Reagan Stone and Ward 3 Councilmember Darin Nance said they do not intend to file for reelection.
City secretary Geo Calderon said, so far, both Andres Ramos and Richard Portillo have filed to run for the Ward 1 seat. Robert Rückes, who previously served as the city’s building official, has filed to run for the Ward 3 seat.
Candidates are encouraged to stop by City Hall, 100 N. 13th St., in person to pick up the application for a place on the ballot and candidate packet.
Alpine ISD School Board
Two seats will be on the ballot for Alpine ISD School Board posts currently held by Haley Babb in District 5 and Mary McCallister in District 7. The two board members did not reply to a request for comment on whether they will run again. The superintendent’s secretary, Marsha Roach, said Babb intends to file for reelection, while McCallister does not.
To apply, visit Roach in the Alpine ISD admin building, 704 W. Sul Ross, to pick up a packet. Roach said no one had filed to run as of press time.
Jeff Davis County
Valentine ISD
Four seats are open on the Valentine ISD School Board with the spots given to the top four vote-getters in the district. Three seats are currently held by George Watters, Jackie Means and Laci Bevans. One seat is vacant.