Council record, industry ties, and documented votes - sourced for door-knocking and conversations
Everything below is drawn from news reporting, city records, and public filings, not campaign rhetoric. Sources are noted after each item so you can verify anything here yourself.
MAYOR
Ryan Thomason
Former council member (Place 5, 2009; later Place 3) - self-employed real estate broker and contractor
Co-owner of Wood and Thomason Construction, alongside then-Planning and Zoning Commissioner Christopher Wood. In 2015, the firm was the contractor on Concho Commons, a 13-story student housing project by Casey Development. Thomason recused himself from the council vote approving extra floors on that project, citing an unresolved conflict-of-interest question - but Wood, his business partner, did not recuse himself from a related P&Z vote on the same project.
VP of the San Marcos Builders Association and a member of the San Marcos Area Board of Realtors during his time on council.
Fair counterpoint: Thomason's record isn't uniformly pro-development - in 2014 he cast the lone dissenting vote against a development agreement extending annexation terms favorable to the La Cima subdivision, a large mixed-use project on the city's edge.
Sources: KVUE (Jan. 2015), San Marcos Mercury (Aug. 2014), Texas State Directory
Mayor Jane Hughson is serving as Thomason's campaign treasurer and has endorsed him - confirmed by San Marcos Record (July 31, 2026). Worth watching given Hughson's own record on development votes below - it suggests continuity with her approach rather than a break from it.
Sources: San Marcos Record (July 31, 2026)
Amanda Rodriguez
Sitting Place 6 council member (elected 2024) - her Mayor run triggers a special election for that seat
Lead sponsor of the citywide data center ban - first introduced the prohibition amendment in March 2026, and pushed it back onto the agenda after an earlier, weaker version passed in April. Directly credited with forcing the stronger June 2026 vote (see data center table below).
On the Francis Harris Lane data center fight, opposed further delay: "A postponement on insufficient grounds feels like we are torturing these people... We are playing with these people."
Campaigned in 2024 on affordable housing and community-centered growth; volunteers at Centro's community garden.
Sources: KXAN (June 2026), Community Impact (June 2026), University Star (Feb. 2026)
CITY COUNCIL, PLACE 3
Garza is no longer unopposed - Mayor Jane Hughson filed against her on July 30, 2026, one of the biggest surprises of the cycle so far.
Alyssa Garza (incumbent, filed for 3rd term)
Sociology graduate, Texas State - works for local advocacy group Mano Amiga - Deputy Mayor Pro Tem
Consistently on the restrictive side of the data center fight - supported the original March 2026 citywide ban when it first failed, and voted for the final June 2026 prohibition.
On the difficulty of getting straight answers from developers: "There is a lack of transparency coming from developers and the conversation is constantly and rapidly evolving."
Council priorities have included affordable housing policy work and government transparency (lobbyist registration/reporting requirements).
Sources: KXAN (June 2026), Community Impact (June 2026)
Jane Hughson
Current Mayor, not seeking reelection to that office - filed for Place 3 instead
First elected to City Council in 1996; has served the last 8 years as Mayor - one of the most senior political figures in San Marcos entering a council race.
On the data center fight, sponsored the weaker April 2026 "Heavy Industrial only" restriction and voted against the stronger June 2026 citywide prohibition that Garza voted for - a direct, documented contrast with the incumbent she's now challenging.
Simultaneously serving as Ryan Thomason's mayoral campaign treasurer while running her own race - worth noting as a sign of how coordinated this cycle's slate is.
Sources: San Marcos Record (July 31, 2026), KXAN (June 2026)
CITY COUNCIL, PLACE 4
Shane Scott (incumbent, filed for reelection)
On council across non-consecutive terms since 2010 - owns German Elite Autos, Texas State alum
Consistently voted for stricter data center limits: supported the original March 2026 citywide ban, was the lone dissenting vote in April against a weaker version he saw as insufficient, and voted for the final June 2026 citywide prohibition.
Also supported postponing the Francis Harris Lane vote in February 2026 to gather more information before deciding (that postponement motion failed 3-4).
Re-elected 2023 with about 64% of the vote over challenger Adam/Atom Arndt.
Sources: KXAN (June 2026), Community Impact (June 2026), University Star (Feb. 2026, Nov. 2023)
Heather Hunter
New to San Marcos politics
No San Marcos council record to evaluate yet - prior campaign experience includes a 2020 run for Florida State Senate District 7 as the Democratic nominee.
CITY COUNCIL, PLACE 6 (SPECIAL ELECTION)
Unexpired term through Nov. 2027. On the ballot because Rodriguez's Mayor run automatically vacated this seat under Texas's "resign-to-run" rule for home-rule cities.
Bill Miller
Originally filed for Mayor, switched to Place 6 - now backing Amanda Rodriguez for Mayor
Retired U.S. Coast Guard veteran. No civic or council record found beyond this cycle's filings.
Sources: San Marcos Record (July 31, 2026)
Juan Miguel Arredondo
Current San Marcos CISD Trustee (roughly 10 years)
Ran for Mayor against Jane Hughson in 2024, losing 58.98% to 41.02% (14,128 votes to his 9,825).
One of the first openly LGBTQ elected officials in Hays County - came out publicly in 2017, about two years into his first school board term. On facing right-wing pressure campaigns as an out trustee: "My colleagues have to have those conversations with an openly gay man next to them."
Served as chief of staff for state Rep. Erin Zwiener (D, an outspoken progressive and LGBTQ Caucus member) for about a year before returning to the school board in 2024.
Commended by a 2023 Texas House resolution (authored by Zwiener) for work securing higher wages and better benefits for school employees and implementing free breakfast/lunch programs districtwide.
No City Council voting record to evaluate, though his decade-long SMCISD trusteeship gives him a substantial public record elsewhere.
Sources: Texas Observer (Mar. 2026), CBS Austin (Nov. 2024), Texas House Resolution 1707 (2023), San Marcos Record (July 31, 2026)
Lisa Prewitt
Filed July 28, 2026 - same Lisa Prewitt who served two terms on City Council Place 1 (2013-2019)
Co-chaired the San Marcos Watershed Protection Initiative before her council career, was a strong advocate for public transit, and served as Mayor Pro Tem under Hughson.
Ran for Hays County Commissioner Precinct 3 in 2020, losing to incumbent Republican Lon Shell.
Her environmental/watershed background makes her a notable addition to this race.
DATA CENTERS & DEVELOPMENT: WHERE THEY'VE ACTUALLY VOTED
This is the clearest documented fault line on council this year, and it cuts across the usual assumptions - worth checking before assuming any incumbent's position from their day job alone.
Council Member
Mar. 2026 (first ban attempt)
Apr. 2026 (Heavy Industrial-only)
June 2026 (final citywide ban)
Amanda Rodriguez
Sponsor
Voted against (too weak)
Yes
Alyssa Garza
Yes
Yes
Yes
Shane Scott
Yes
Voted against (too weak)
Yes
Lorenzo Gonzalez (Place 5)
No
Yes
Yes (switched)
Jane Hughson (Mayor)
No
Sponsor (weaker version)
No
Josh Paselk (Place 2)
No
Yes
No
Matthew Mendoza (Place 1)
No
Yes
No
Sources: KXAN (June 18, 2026), Community Impact (Apr. 22 & June, 2026), San Marcos Record (Apr. 29 & June 17, 2026), University Star (Feb. & Apr. 2026)
Why this matters beyond one issue: San Marcos elects everyone at-large, so a council majority built around development-friendly votes doesn't just affect one district - it sets policy citywide. Candidates with construction, real estate, or brokerage ties aren't automatically going to vote for development interests (Thomason's La Cima vote and Scott's data center votes both cut against that assumption), but industry ties are still worth naming plainly so voters can weigh them against the actual voting record, not assume one from the other. The clearest throughline above is Rodriguez, Garza, and Scott consistently landing on the more restrictive side of the data center fight, while Hughson, Paselk, and Mendoza consistently landed on the more permissive side, regardless of any candidate's day job. That makes the Garza-Hughson Place 3 matchup the closest thing this cycle has to a direct referendum on that split - two candidates with opposite votes on the same specific question, running against each other.