North Texas

3 Candidates Are Vying for Southlake Council in Special Election

Three candidates are vying for a seat on the Southlake Council in a special election. Early voting ended Tuesday, and the election is Saturday.

Voting is taking place on the third floor of Town Hall for both residents of Tarrant and Denton counties.

The election was called after a council member resigned, so Christopher Archer, Shauna Newman and Steve Luhrs are looking to fill the vacancy.

Archer is a familiar name in government. He is the board president of the Carroll Independent School District, and he moved to Southlake in 1998.

"I really truly have loved what I have done with the school board," Archer told NBC 5 political reporter Julie Fine.

He said he felt the time was right to run for a council seat. He has watched as Southlake has become more populated — the town is now almost 90-percent built out — and says he is concerned about the growth, and keeping the feel of the town.

"We can be very selective as far as how we work with developers on the little bits that are left," Archer said.

Newman has lived in Southlake for 14 years and said she feels her experiences leading the PTA and running a religious school have helped her understand the needs of families in the area.

"I haven't taken the established route, or the traditional route," said Newman of her run.

The growth also concerns her.

"I just think in order to control growth we need to take each and every project that is proposed, make sure that we've had engagement in the community to find out if that is what they want," she said.

Luhrs moved to Southlake relatively recently compared to the other candidates, and believes his run is unconventional.

"I am the wild card. I am the guy that was been here for two years. I come in with a completely different perspective," Luhrs said.

Luhrs is a consultant who says he could have lived everywhere, but his family chose Southlake because of the schools. He wants the town to maintain a familiar feel.

"I want our kids to be able to recognize it when they come back from college in 10 or twelve years. And if we continue to grow at the rate that we are growing, I don't know if we are going to keep that specialness about it," he said.

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