Waco Mayor Jim Holmes has two challengers in the May 2 election, as each candidate seeks to lead the city at what could be a pivotal moment in its history.
Under the slogan “a city to believe in,” Holmes, a one-term incumbent and former District 5 council member, has overseen a spree of new park construction and a renewed focus on tourism. He has dealt with budget struggles and championed the City Council’s vision for a 100-acre downtown redevelopment project. His opponents, David Ponder, a former high school educator, and Aiden Morgan, a healthcare worker, want to take Waco in different directions.
Ponder hopes to channel resources toward cost-of-living challenges facing residents and reduce the city’s public debt. Morgan wants to lead the creation of city task forces supporting undocumented residents, the homeless and other marginalized groups, while focusing on reducing crime, according to his campaign website.
Early voting for local city and school board elections runs April 20-28, with April 21 off due to a state holiday. The four early voting sites can be found at the McLennan County Elections website.
The Waco Bridge sent questionnaires to all three mayoral candidates but did not hear back from Morgan.
In their answers, candidates spoke to their priorities, challenges facing Waco and how to guide and manage growth.
Jim Holmes
Age: 69
Occupation: Investment banking consultant
Civic experience: Member of numerous boards over last eight years including Cameron Park Zoo Commission, Heart of Texas Council of Governments, Waco Metropolitan Planning Organization, Prosper Waco, City Center Waco and Behavior Health Leadership Team.
What makes you the best candidate for this position?
I feel like I am the optimal mayoral candidate because of my relevant experience in both private sector and public service, as well as my vision for the city. I have served for 10 years on Waco City Council,during one of the most dynamic periods of growth in the city’s history. My 25 years of experience in the private sector as chief operations officer at a Waco-based publicly traded international investment banking firm sharpened my skills in budgeting, project management and long-range planning. I have used this experience to implement a vision for the city that incorporates “best in class” city services, thoughtful infrastructure planning, strategic economic development, downtown revitalization and improvements in our quality of life.
What would be your top three priorities for Waco as mayor?
My primary initiatives as mayor have been economic development, infrastructure prioritization, and improvement of city services. Through thoughtful economic development, we have brought over 35 new businesses to Waco, with $3.5 billion of new investment and 4,000 new jobs. As a result, our tax base has been expanded, our downtown has been revitalized,and our parks system has been upgraded. We have increased infrastructure investment in Waco’s streets from about $5 million per year to over $60 million per year as we prioritize street improvement across the city. Our aspiration of “best in class” city services (particularly in police and fire) have seen improved response times, better community relations and the lowest crime rates in over 30 years.
What are the top challenges the city of Waco will face in the next two years and how would you address them?
Primary challenges will be infrastructure cost increases, workforce readiness, and external market forces. Inflation and supply chain issues have disrupted the timing and costs of city operations; this uncertainty limits our ability to tackle a broader scope of improvements in our streets and utilities infrastructure. These conditions require operational efficiency and thoughtful project sequencing.
Secondly, as new businesses choose to locate in Waco, our local workforce must be ready in both numbers and skillsets. We have been proactive in trying to match these new jobs with upskill training and mini-certifications that will serve these new businesses. Finally, as we continue our smart growth vision in Waco, we need to maintain awareness of national economic activity as it relates to interest rates, economic growth, employment rates and regional market trends.
Waco’s population has grown by an estimated 6,000 people since 2020. What kind of growth do you want to see, and what should the city’s role be in shaping that growth?
The city’s smart growth vision should support existing Waco businesses (both large and small) and attract diversified businesses that provide good jobs for Wacoans and grow the city’s tax base. The city will continue to actively assist residents in upskilling and training for the jobs of the 2030’s, as we work to lower the city’s poverty levels and raise wages. The city’s investments in programs like the WorkSite and Upskill Waco serve to support local workforce readiness. The city will also need thoughtful infrastructure planning that addresses both near-term and long-term needs, in both the urban core and the suburban neighborhoods. Finally, the city needs to continue to energize our quality of life with a vibrant Downtown and attractive parks, trails, and public spaces. Waco is truly a city to Believe In.
David Ponder
Age: 46
Occupation: Uber driver; former public high school teacher, adjunct professor of political science
What makes you the best candidate for this position?
Waco is growing rapidly; however, there are large amounts of generational poverty in the city. To ensure even growth where the native population keeps up with Waco’s growth there needs to be an established institutional pipeline of workforce apprenticeship for young people as well as part-time working adults. My background is ideally suited for this task as I have spent my career working with inner-city populations helping them overcome various barriers negatively impacting their ability to become skilled laborers. The most actionable vehicle forward for becoming skilled in today is through a traditional apprenticeship model.
What would be your top three priorities for Waco as mayor?
My top three priorities as mayor are as follows: reducing/eliminating the city’s debt, establishing a working prototype apprenticeship program for skilled labor/business skills and furthering Waco’s lagging transportation issues (sidewalks, lights, bike lanes, bus stops, etc.) I believe perpetual public debt is detrimental to local residents and money can be better utilized than paying for interest on massive infrastructure loans. Skilled labor brings Waco into economic equilibrium avoiding poverty debt cycles seen in other cities of similar or greater size and developing public transportation helps the entire city economically by reducing personal expenses related to rideshare/car ownership.
What are the top challenges the city Waco will face in the next two years and how would you address them?
The top challenges facing Waco is the exponential rise of public debt, residential cost-of-living and budget issues facing the city. The real estate market is complex making accommodation policy difficult. Ensuring Waco’s economic success involves reducing costs, paying off debt, and helping local residents with costs related to utility billing and transportation and safety. I seek to budget money towards developing human capital, so in the long-run Waco escapes bankruptcy and public safety problems. I also seek to keep Waco’s infrastructure functional and appropriate for Waco’s needs with modest modernization until larger revenue is created.
Waco’s population has grown by an estimated 6,000 people since 2020. What kind of growth do you want to see, and what should the city’s role be in shaping that growth?
I want to see full workforce (skilled labor) participation where local residents are getting actionable skills as well as grant money to help them set up their businesses. I want to see even growth where generational poverty is eliminated and people desire to become long-term residents of Waco, Texas. I’m very much against perpetual public and private debt, generational cycles of poverty and associated illegal drugs, crime and violence. An established, institutional pipeline of workforce apprenticeship models involving young people in professional settings and part-time adults seeking to “level-up” their skills is important to me.
