Voting is underway in a runoff election between Lisa King and Shawn Hood for the District 2 seat on the Georgetown City Council.
Both are local business owners whose offices occupy the downtown square, and they’re both leaning on their local knowledge and longtime residency to compete for the position.
As a small-business owner, King said she has always advocated for other businesses, worked with a number of nonprofits and volunteer groups, and attended several City Council meetings in the past.
But the 10-year Georgetown resident was particularly inspired to run after observing new housing and infrastructure developments and their impact on existing communities in the area.
King said she believes in "respectful development," which maintains existing parts of the city, while still allowing for growth.
"It's just to make sure that we're not getting away from all the things that our current residents, and the people who are moving here, desire about our community," King said.
She said this kind of development comes from communicating with residents, another area she hopes to improve on if she becomes a City Council member.
“The more people there are to communicate to, the more challenging it is for the city to do it,” King said. “And I think the City Council representatives are key in helping that happen.”
Her opponent Shawn Hood says he also wants to take on the challenges rapid growth will bring, but he feels his architectural design practice has uniquely prepared him to listen to the community and respond to their needs.
“We want to see the City of Georgetown succeed, but we approach it from different perspectives, different life choices or life experiences,” Hood said. “And so in doing that, we need somebody that can speak to groups and try to find some consensus.”
Hood has had his practice in Georgetown for the past 21 years. He lived in Round Rock up until a year and a half ago, when he decided he wanted to move to Georgetown to be closer to the business and to run for City Council.
Hood has taken notice of how mobility impacts residents and hopes if he becomes a council member the city will see new roads and sidewalks to accommodate residents.
Hood also says he hopes he can overcome the partisanship that has dominated the current landscape.
“One of the biggest realities to me is: City Council should be a nonpartisan position,” he said. “And I think we're so partisan-polarized that it's hard to break that habit on a city level. But should I have the fortune of being elected City Council person for Georgetown, I want to represent everyone equitably … And so I'm going to be open-minded to listening to differing opinions and to developing my own thoughts.”
Early voting continues through Dec. 11. Election Day is Dec. 15.
Got a tip? Email Allyson Ortegon at aortegon@kut.org. Follow her on Twitter @allysonortegon
If you found the reporting above valuable, please consider making a donation to support it. Your gift pays for everything you find on KUT.org. Thanks for donating today.
