(Seguin) — The races for Seguin City Council are all set, and three more candidates have used recent council meetings to formally announce their candidacies. City Council candidates Jason Biesenbach, Bill Keller and Jim Lievens all made their formal announcements before the filing deadline ended and were featured in individual stories at that time. Since that date, three other candidates have stepped up to the mic at council meetings to inform the council and the public about their runs for office and their plans for the future.
The candidates using recent council meetings to make their formal announcements were Darius Gil, District 3; Steven Berger, District 8; and Eddie Davila, District 8.
Gil says he’s been involved in business and community service in Seguin. He says he’s now ready to serve the residents of his district.
“I worked in the HVAC industry all my life and from here, I’ve gone into the Austin and San Antonio area and worked for some of the largest air conditioning companies in the area. When I’m not spending time with my family, I enjoy doing community service. I’ve been on the Guadalupe Regional Medical Foundation for four years, coached in the Geronimo Youth Sports League, Navarro Sports League for many years where all my children participated in the leagues. When my daughter attended St. James, I was also a coach there for seven years, I also was on the PTC and here lately, I’ve been the co-chair for Our Lady of Guadalupe Church for our annual bazaar and one of the founding members of the Archbishop Patricio “Patrick” Flores Knights of Columbus #16748 and I’ve seen Seguin go from this small town to now we are thriving with plenty of rooftops and facilities to manufacture and I think that is great,” said Gil.
Gil, who joins former Councilman Lievens on the District 3 ballot, says he looks forward to serving all of the constituents of District 3. He says he wants to be an advocate for their needs.
“I will listen, work hard, be accountable and be responsive. I believe working together with our city council and city officials, we can make Seguin an even greater place to live for ourselves, our families and our neighbors. I want Seguin to be a place where our children will actually come back and serve in this capacity as we are all trying to do and move this city forward,” said Gil.
Berger is one of three candidates running for the District 8 seat. He appears on that ballot along with Keller and Davila. Berger says he knows Seguin and he’s eager to serve this community.
“I have been a resident of Seguin for a little over 40 years now, living 12 years in the current district that I’m running for. My father, Franklin Berger, worked for GVEC for a little over 40 years and taught me that hard work, perseverance, and just being a kind person to others can help accomplish a lot in the world. My mother Cindy worked for Seguin State Bank for over 30 years and taught me about giving back and community involvement. Outside of my work, I’ve been involved with several organizations and have helped with many fundraising efforts throughout my lifetime as a Seguin resident. At the moment, I am currently the president of the Seguin Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association. The main focus of the SCPAAA is to raise funds for our city’s police canines and to help support our PD with their own functions including Badges, Bikes & Tykes, Cinderella Ball and Blue Santa,” said Berger.
Berger says Seguin is growing and changing, and that change, and growth does not have to be scary or overwhelming. He says that’s one of the reasons why he hopes to win a seat on the council.
“Seguin as we see it is entering a new era, an era of growth. I know some like this and some don’t, However, you feel it is happening and with this growth, the city is going to need strong leaders. Leaders that can make decisions with how our city will grow, grow smart as you all say. This is what I’ve been seeing and hearing this past year as I’ve been attending these city council meetings. When I heard that my district seat would be open, I wanted to come down here and see what this was all about. Watching you all work together as you go through the agenda, taking votes on action items and making tough decisions on issues that affect our city — this is what I would like to be a part of,” said Berger.
Davila describes himself as a lifelong resident of District 8. During his announcement, he spoke directly to each council member and suggested that he already had worked with each of them, in some capacity, on various community service projects. Davila says he wants to continue to give back to the community by serving on city council.
“I was an intricate member of the successful bond package that passed the bond for the new high school, the library and so forth – the park improvements as well. I’ve served on the Guadalupe Valley Habitat for Humanity, St. James School Council, the Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish Council – I’ve been named as a delegate at the national level for the Knights of Columbus. I’ve been named a special commissioner. I currently serve on Guadalupe County Child Welfare Board and the planning and zoning for the city. So, again most of you know my work and I really am looking forward to being part of this council come November,” said Davila.
Davila says he grew up in a small business family, and he knows how to help the people and the businesses in Seguin. He says that’s one of the reasons why he stepped up to help during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“A little over a year ago, I spearheaded a few vaccine drives within the community. I was able to partner with the city, with the mayor, with our city manager, with the county, judge, the hospital, both school districts where they promoting these vaccine drives and the reason, I did that is because at that point, we were in a flux because of this pandemic. We were in the heat of it about a little bit of a year ago and I felt it was important to figure and find a way to keep Seguin moving forward and get our people back to work and help that small business owner that couldn’t afford number one to close down but couldn’t afford to not only have his customers come in to visit the establishment but also his workers. We couldn’t have these small businesses without the employees coming into work. That is something I’ve very proud of that I spearheaded something that got Seguin back on its feet,” said Davila.
Lievens, Biesenbach and Keller much like the other candidates spoke about the need to properly manage the growth that’s occurring here in Seguin. You can read our individual stories on those three candidates on our website, seguintoday.com.
The District 8 seat is currently held by Mark Herbold, the District 3 seat belongs to Chris Aviles and the District 7 seat is vacant. Herbold cannot run again, because of the city’s term limits. Aviles decided that he would not run again. Biesenbach is running unopposed for the seat left vacant following the resignation of former Councilman Penny Wallace at the end of last year.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 8.