By Edmond Ortiz
The local May 2 elections will offer only one contested match in Castle Hills, but voters in Leon Valley and Balcones Heights have plenty of candidates to consider in their own towns, including a three-way mayoral race in Leon Valley.
While Mayor Johnny Rodriguez has no challenger in a bid for another term, he remains embroiled in controversy. But local voters will have to address contested races for two City Council seats.
Seeking a second straight term in his second tenure as the town’s top elected leader, Rodriguez is under scrutiny, as City Council voted last month to limit the mayor’s duties and access to city facilities while local authorities investigate city employee complaints filed against him.
City Council Place 1
A 48-year Balcones Heights resident, Councilmember Jack Burton previously served on the planning and zoning commission, followed by a six-year stint as a council member. Voters returned Burton to the council in 2024.
Burton’s opponent, Vanessa Martin, is a digital creator and a wedding officiant. Martin is advocating for public safety, affordable housing, economic development, and providing a voice for all residents, as well as animal welfare.
City Council Place 2
Councilmember David Sellars declined to seek a second consecutive term. Juan Lecea, a former council member and a fierce critic of Mayor Rodriguez, is vying for the Place 2 seat along with Kip Torres, an alternate planning and zoning commissioner.
Balcones Heights council seats carry two-year terms.
Place 4 Councilmember Jack Joyce declined a re-election bid. The race to replace Joyce will match Frank Paul, a former council member and a current member of the city’s crime control and prevention district, against Vic Sylvia, a parks and projects commissioner and a scientist.
Neither Place 1 Councilmember Jason Smith nor Place 5 Councilmember Beth Daines drew opposition.Castle Hills council members have two-year terms.
Mayor Chris Riley, one of the longest-serving elected leaders in Bexar County, drew challenges from Jed Hefner and Evan Bohl.
Originally elected mayor in 2004, Riley founded the city’s Earthwise Living Committee, and has served on the city’s beautification committee.
In her position as Leon Valley’s mayor, Riley has also represented the town or the larger area on regional bodies, such as the Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization Transportation Policy Board.
Additionally, Riley works as legal assistance office manager for husband Darby Riley’s local law firm.
A former council member, Hefner is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and a technology consultant with Accenture Federal Services.
Bohl is a private investigator and a bail enforcement agent who previously ran for mayor. He has served on the city’s planning and zoning and parks commissions.
In his past campaigns, Bohl has indicated that a more disciplined approach to governance, and encouraging more residents and merchants to participate in city affairs, are among his priorities.
Neither Place 2 Councilmember Betty Heyl nor Place 4 Councilmember Rey Orozco drew opposition. Leon Valley’s seats carry two-year terms.
Get involved
Early voting will take place 8 a.m.-6 p.m. April 20-23 and 25, and noon-6 p.m. April 26, and 7 a.m.-7 p.m. April 27 and 28 at 19 sites, including Castle Hills City Hall, 209 Lemonwood Drive, Leon Valley Conference Center, 6421 Evans Road, and Wonderland of the Americas Mall, 4522 Fredericksburg Road. Election Day voters can cast a ballot at any of the following locations between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. May 2.
