Vida Church Pastor and Heal the City chaplain Margie Gonzales is the first candidate to file for Amarillo City Council Place 1.
Incumbent Cole Stanley, who was first elected in 2021, has not yet officially filed for reelection. Stanley has publicly stated he intends to run for city office, though he is apparently considering a run for mayor if rumored mayor candidate Alex Fairly does not run.
Gonzales’ filing also means there are now candidates officially filed for all four places on Amarillo City Council. Sherie Wood filed to run for Place 2 last week. Place 2 will be an open race, with incumbent Freda Powell running for mayor. Insurance agent Don Tipps has also announced his candidacy for Place 2, though he has not yet filed.
Places 3 and 4 will also be open races, with Eddy Sauer and Howard Smith having announced they will not be running. Retired businessman Tom Scherlen has filed for Place 3, while marine veteran Hobert “Gunny” Brown has filed to run for Place 4. In addition to Brown, former Potter County Justice of the Peace Rich Herman has teased a run for the office on social media. Former Amarillo Globe News publisher Les Simpson is also apparently running for city council according to a leaked campaign website. Simpson has stated that he is undecided as to which place he is running for, though there is speculation he is eyeing a run for Place 4.
The top of the ticker mayoral election will also feature an open race with Mayor Ginger Nelson stepping down. Councilwoman Freda Powell and social media influencer Tonya “Lady Butterscotch” Winston have filed to run. In addition to Powell and Winston, Daniel Johnson has indicated he is running. Businessman Alex Fairly, who successfully sued the city to halt an illegal issuance of tax anticipation notes last year, has publicly weighed running for the office, though he has not yet made a firm decision. There is also speculation that retired FBI agent and Amarillo Matters PAC backed former state senate candidate Tim Reid is considering a run.
The deadline to apply for a place on the ballot is February 17th at 5:00 pm. Election Day is May 6th.