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Early voting for the May 3 general election kicks off next week, and Elgin voters will weigh choices in both City Council and school board races.
The early voting period begins Monday, April 22, and continues through April 29.
Two council seats will go uncontested in the race—Arthur Gibson in Ward 1 and YaLecia Love in Ward 2. Ward 3 incumbent Matthew Callahan is opposed by Tiffany St. Pierre, while the Ward 4 seat features a contest between Liston Crim and write-in candidate Stephanie Lippke.
Ward 3
St. Pierre said her top priorities include addressing commercial and industrial development, improving infrastructure and strengthening building codes as the city grows.
“We need to hold housing development companies to higher quality standards,” St. Pierre said. “We’re seeing a huge spike in active petitions and lawsuits against these housing development companies for shoddy foundations.”
Emergency services are also a focus for St. Pierre, who noted a lack of urgent care access in the area.
“We have none,” she said. “There is nowhere in a 20-minute radius for (Elgin) citizens to receive urgent or emergency care.” On city finances, St. Pierre criticized the absence of a dedicated financial director and called for a full audit. She said she believes Elgin needs leaders who are ready to manage growth head-on.
“The city hasn’t had a financial director in years. A small audit showed we don’t have any idea where we stand financially,” she added. “It’s time for (Elgin to have) leaders who want to manage growth proactively, not reactively. I sincerely hope to be a part of planning the growth and fixing the problems the current City Council created.”
Callahan, Ward 3 incumbent, has served on City Council for the last four years.
“I’m running again because I feel like my job isn’t finished yet,” he said. “I want to see the remainder of our changes and initiatives being completed and continue to advocate for balanced growth in our community.”
Callahan added that during his tenure there have been major improvements made to the city’s freshwater and wastewater plants, including the addition of two new generators.
“We never know what kind of weather to plan for in Texas, so if we have another winter storm our community will be prepared, and we will still have (water) services,” Callahan said. On a more personal note, Callahan stated he would like to see more restaurants and food options in the city.
“(City Council has) been doing our best to lead Elgin into being more than a bedroom community of Austin. I want to see Elgin become a destination like Wimberly, Boerne or Fredericksburg,” he said.
Ward 4
Lippke said she stepped up when only Crim had filed to run, and that she believes voters deserve more than an uncontested race.
“Ward 4 deserves a choice,” Lippke said. “I believe every elected official should earn the trust and vote of the people—not just walk into office unopposed. This election belongs to the voters, and I’m honored to give them a real choice for leadership.”
Lippke added that she has already been active in local issues, launching four nonpartisan Elgin City Charter amendment petitions over the past year. The proposals focus on transparency, accountability and responsible governance, including calls for a forensic audit, term limits, tighter oversight of bond spending and a reduction in the council’s size.
“I’ve also worked at the state level to advocate for Elgin—speaking out for government transparency, rural water protections, toll road accountability and against school vouchers,” she said. “I was proud to support HB 1522, which increases transparency in local government. My goal is to continue being proactive, engaged and a strong voice for Elgin.”
Crim responded to a request for comment after of press time Tuesday, more details to come next week in the Courier.
Elgin ISD
Three seats are on the ballot in the Elgin Independent School District board race. District 5 incumbent Patrick Maass is running unopposed, while District 4 incumbent Angie Edmon faces challenger Teneisha Wilson. In District 7, Barry Barker is challenging incumbent Jennifer Culver.
District officials were not available for comment.
