Amarillo resident Jeffrey McElreath is the first candidate officially in the 2021 race for Amarillo mayor.

McElreath confirmed this week that he plans to run for mayor in 2021, becoming the first of what is expected to be a large and robust field of candidates seeking seats on the Amarillo City Council. McElreath, 43, is a lifelong resident of Amarillo and says his primary goal as mayor would be to place a greater focus on the citizens.

“The reason I am running for mayor is to give the city back to the citizens,” McElreath said.

Incumbent Amarillo Mayor Ginger Nelson has not yet announced whether she will seek re-election to her seat in May 2021. Nelson is currently finishing her second term in office, which she won after defeating paralegal Claudette Smith and activist Kip Billups in the May 2019 election, winning just under 64 percent of the vote. Nelson’s 2019 showing was the lowest vote share for any incumbent who sought re-election to the City Council last cycle, marking a nearly 15-point drop in support from her 2017 showing.

Candidates for mayor and the four numbered seats on the Amarillo City Council may begin filing for office in January. An official filing window has not yet been announced by the Texas Secretary of State’s Office.