Amarillo College administrative assistant Joe West is the latest candidate to launch a bid for a seat on the Amarillo City Council.

West announced his campaign on Wednesday, becoming the latest entrant into what is an already growing field of hopefuls. According to his press release, West is a native of Pampa and is currently studying at Amarillo College, with plans to transfer to West Texas A&M University. West says he is running to represent people who feel left behind by their current elected officials.

“I love the Texas Panhandle and listening to the stories I hear from the students and friends I make in the community,” West said. “I hear a lot of the hurt in those stories as well. The most vulnerable people in Amarillo feel left behind and ignored or diminished whenever they try to reach out to the resources that should be there for them, but aren’t.”

Among the issues West plans to tackle in his campaign are moving City Council meeting times, adding additional City Council seats, moving seats on the City Council to an single-member system, supporting growth of innovation through technology, and repairing infrastructure in the city.

West has not specified which seat he plans to seek on the City Council. Currently, challengers Claudette Smith and Jeffrey McElreath are running for mayor, Hobert “Gunny” Brown is running for City Council Place 1, and incumbent Howard Smith and challenger Ali Ramos are seeking the Place 4 seat on the City Council.

Candidates can begin filing for office on January 12, 2021. Election Day is May 1, 2021.