On Feb. 28, Mayor Jane Hughson swore in Stephanie Reyes as the City Manager of San Marcos, officially making her the first woman to take on the position.
The swearing-in ceremony took place at 5:30 p.m. at Pauline Espinosa Community Hall in the front of an audience that included city council staff, members of the San Marcos Police Department (SMPD) and Reyes’ friends and family.
A city council member’s term in office officially begins when they are sworn in. In the case of the city manager, the person appointed makes a public commitment to honoring their duties and responsibilities for the greater good of the city.
Reyes, who grew up in San Marcos, took an oath to “faithfully execute the duties of the office of city manager” and said she is committed to improving the city for its residents.
“I’m deeply invested in making San Marcos be the best that it can not only for all of you, but for my children, all of our children and grandchildren,” Reyes said. “It’s a special place and we all want it to continue to flourish and prosper for all people in our community.”
Reyes has a master’s degree in public administration from Texas State and over 20 years of experience working for the City of San Marcos. She has served as chief of staff, assistant director of human resources, interim economic development director and assistant city manager.
Besides that, Reyes has shown dedication to the San Marcos community through her membership in the Texas City Management Association (TCMA) and International City/County Management (ICMA). She was also an officer for Hays County Dispute Resolution Center, Community Action and the Leadership San Marcos Alumni Association.
Hughson said she believes in Reyes’ capabilities as city manager since she has known her since she was a college student and they worked together at Leadership San Marcos.
“I know her to be incredibly smart, compassionate, capable and educated in the ways of city government,” Hughson said. “She cares about our community and has the heart and ability to lead us all.”
Cyndy Hurtado, Gov. Greg Abbott’s representative, officially recognized Reyes as the City Manager of San Marcos and congratulated her on the new position.
As Reyes takes on the role of San Marcos’ city manager, she also takes on the issues accompanying the city. Among them is transportation infrastructure, lack of community engagement and protection of natural resources.
One of the biggest issues San Marcos is facing is the lack of affordable housing, specifically for Texas State students. Reyes believes the solution to the problem is to continue the effective communication and coordination between the city and the university.
“I think it’s just important to our planning processes that we really collaborate with the university and we do, with our master plans, to understand what that projection looks like so we can plan appropriately,” Reyes said. “So I think communication and collaboration is the biggest thing with Texas State.”
Christi Shannon, a San Marcos resident, said she believes Reyes will make a good city manager because she is approachable and cares about the people of the city beyond her professional qualifications.
“She radiates positivity and is optimistic about how things could actually be in the city and not just from a business point of view but really from a people point of view,” Shannon said. “She’s a really big people person.”
Patra Duran, a San Marcos resident, said Reyes is someone who takes the necessary actions to fix problems and hopes she will unify the people of the city.
“Already as an interim city manager, [Reyes] has done some really great things for how things operate and how we communicate as a city,” Duran said. “We’ve seen some of her good changes that have really improved communication and boosted morale.”
At the ceremony, Reyes recognized her parents for believing in her, raising her on good morals and values and teaching her to always work hard to achieve her goals.
“[My parents] have always instilled in me the hard work that it takes to really make sure I follow the dream, always, and just that hard work really pays off,” Reyes said. “Being a good person and trying to treat people with compassion, dignity and respect and to never forget where you came from because that is very very important, and as you all know [San Marcos] is where I come from.”
San Marcos City Council meets every first and third of each month at 6 p.m. To access the agenda, go to the Agenda Center on the San Marcos website.