Early voting started for the city of Princeton’s mayor runoff election – and the political tensions in the fast-growing city have impacted the local race.
Mayor Brianna Chacon faced four opponents in the November election, including Eugene Escobar Jr., who’s challenging her in the runoff race. Chacon got about 41% of the vote in November. Escobar got around 27%.
Princeton is the third-fastest city in the nation according to the U.S. Census. Escobar said the city needs to manage the growth better.
“The city was more focused on growing and more focused on bringing in developers and bringing homes into rooftops that they didn't really understand what that comes with,” he said.
The Princeton City Council issued a temporary moratorium on new residential development projects in September, citing a strain on city infrastructure and services. Chacon told the Texas Standard she expects the moratorium will be extended. The moratorium doesn’t apply to commercial developments.
The mayor posted a Facebook live video shortly after the November election where she discussed ongoing improvements in Princeton, including a new library. She said the improvement projects are part of the city’s strategic plan to manage growth.
“We can tell you all day long the things that we want to do or the things that we plan to do without you actually seeing them in action, the plan doesn't go very far,” she said
Early voting for the runoff is scheduled to end Dec. 10. Election day is Dec. 14.
Got a tip? Email Caroline Love at clove@kera.org.
Caroline Love is a Report For America corps member for KERA News.
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