Several Amarillo City Council candidates have hired political and advertising consultants for the upcoming May 3rd election. Here’s a look at who’s working with who and how much has been spent so far.
First, what do consultants do?
Candidates often hire political consultants to assist them with the overall operation of their political campaigns. Consultants come in all shapes and sizes, with some candidates employing large, statewide, or national firms that specialize in political campaigns. Other candidates hire consultants that typically work on a smaller level, usually on general advertising campaigns for candidates and businesses alike.
Who are the mayoral candidates using?
Two of the candidates for Amarillo mayor — incumbent Cole Stanley and challenger Jason Herrick — have both hired local consultants to assist with their campaigns.
Stanley is once again using Creative Cannon to assist with his campaign. This local advertising firm, which is headed by media guru David Martinez, assisted with Stanley’s successful campaign for mayor in 2023. In addition to Stanley’s campaign, Creative Cannon has previously lended support to other local candidates, including former District Judge Pamela Sirmon and congressional candidate Vance Snider.
Thus far, Stanley has spent $7,726 with Creative Cannon for this election cycle, according to his most recent finance report.
Herrick, meanwhile, is spending most of his money out of town, working with KC Strategies. The Austin-based firm bills itself as being led by “Storytellers, not salesmen,” and has worked with a number of statewide and district candidates, including Congressmen Lance Gooden and Keith Self. The firm has also worked with Odessa’s new mayor, Cal Hendrick, who was elected in 2024.
To date, Herrick has spent $51,241 with KC Strategies.
Aside from KC Strategies, Herrick also has reported consulting expenditures to Rachael McClung and Jessica Mitchell. Herrick has spent $5,000 each with both McClung and Mitchell.
Who are the City Council candidates using?
For City Council Place 1, none of the four candidates — Patrick Miller, Tim Reid, Sherie Wood, and Wendy Flores — have reported hiring a consultant.
For City Council Place 2, incumbent Don Tipps has reported a consulting expenditure to Creative Cannon for work on his website, among other things. Tipps is running for re-election unopposed.
For City Council Place 3, incumbent Tom Scherlen reported a consulting expenditure in the amount of $692 to Ryan Neel, a North Richland Hills-based consultant. Recently, Scherlen has also started working with Creative Cannon, but has not yet reported an expenditure to the firm.
Scherlen’s opponent for Place 3, David Prescott, is working with Nobox Creative to boost his campaign. Nobox Creative has been involved in a number of local campaigns, including boosting State Rep. Caroline Fairly’s campaign in 2024, as well as Judge Tim Pirtle’s successful campaign. Prescott has so far reported $45,805 in expenditures to Nobox Creative.
Finally, for City Council Place 4, incumbent Les Simpson is also working with Nobox Creative. Simpson also used the firm for his successful campaign for a first term in 2023. Simpson has not yet reported an expenditure to the firm.
Leif Kertis and Sylvia Stephens — Simpson’s Place 4 opponents — have not yet reported hiring consultants for their campaigns.