Two potential candidates have already stepped up to the plate by teasing bids for office in 2019.
In December, 21-year-old construction worker Parker Q. Robertson told the Amarillo Pioneer that he is "90 percent" sure that he wants to run against Mayor Ginger Nelson in 2019. Several months later, on Sunday night, homeless advocate Kip Billups published a Facebook post asking who believes that he should run for city council.
While these informal announcements don't necessarily mean that the candidates will run, it could be an indicator of what is coming in 2019.
Since 2017, unrest has appeared to be growing in response to the actions of the Amarillo City Council. While we have never endorsed for or against any candidates, the Amarillo Pioneer has been providing a steady commentary alongside the actions of the council. The moves by the potential candidates should not come as a huge surprise, given that residents seem to be growing frustrated with the actions of the City. If you don't believe this to be the case, take a look at the response to the City of Amarillo satire page that was created on Facebook.
At any rate, the City Council's actions on issues dealing with the homeless, taxation, downtown development and other controversial issues have been drawing attention from all over the area. Therefore, it should not come as a surprise that the Council has earned both praise and criticism for some issues. However, the unrest truly seems to be reaching a fever pitch on the issue of the Council's inaction of homelessness.
Billups and Robertson are teasing potential bids and at least one other person, Shane Mullins, has said on Facebook that he could be in to run for a spot on the City Council in 2019. The election is almost a year out, and, while it could be too early to tell, the precursor shadows of 2019 appear to be taking shape.
-Thomas Warren III, Editor-In-Chief
Photo by Billups, Robertson Facebook pages