By Edmond Ortiz
The May 2 municipal elections offer one contested City Council race in Helotes, while two current council members, a former councilor and two entrepreneurs are vying for three Shavano Park council posts.
Place 1 Councilmember Craig Sanders and Place 2 Councilmember Jen Sones each declined to run again. Planning and Zoning Commission Chair Gregg Michel applied for the Place 1 seat, as did real estate firm training director Mike Gutierrez.
Michel is a University of Texas at San Antonio history professor who is emphasizing fiscal responsibility, adequate infrastructure and public safety, community collaboration and smart growth in his campaign.
Gutierrez maintains Helotes Life, a digital community platform. He is prioritizing traits such as listening, communication, transparency and accessibility in a campaign where key themes include support for small business, smart growth, and public safety.
Another planning and zoning commissioner, Anne Carraway, was the lone applicant for the Place 2 position. Place 4 Councilmember Sabrina McGowan drew no challenger. Helotes’ seats have two-year terms.
Five residents filed for three at-large council seats:
*Entrepreneur Alexandria Kling, a medical device sales consultant;
*Incumbent Konrad Kuykendall, a financial advisor;
*Christian Lyons, a U.S. Air Force veteran who most recently served as chief of human resourcing and military medical career management for the USAF Medical Service. Lyons is also self-employed, and holds a doctorate in physical therapy. Lyons most recently served on a subcommittee charged with making recommendations on a proposal to provide Cliffside Drive trail access to the Salado Creek greenway;
*Former council member Vicky Maisel, a former local business owner and a current youth drama teacher. She also once served on the town’s planning and zoning commission;
*Incumbent Lee Powers, a veteran law enforcement professional and a current security company manager. Powers has also served as a volunteer firefighter, and a member of the city’s water advisory board.
Councilmember Maggi Kautz declined a re-election bid. Shavano Park’s posts 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 Helotes City Hall, 12951 Bandera Road, and Shavano Park City Hall, 900 Saddletree Ct. Election Day voters can cast a ballot at any of the following locations between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. May 2.
