After a crazy year of elections in 202o, the Abilene 2021 city council elections are now just around the corner.
Running for reelection in the first seat of Abilene City Council is incumbent Shane Price, an ACU alumnus. Running against him is ACU student Stephen Hunt.
Hunt, 26, a sophomore psychology major originally from Evansville, Indiana, who now lives in Abilene and serves under the Air Force Reserves, saw the election to the first seat in the council as his way to start his political career.
“I’ve had an interest in politics for quite a while now,” Hunt said. “In this stage of my life, if I want to progress, it’s pretty much now or never.”
When it comes to re-election, Price’s focus is to remind people of who he is and wants them to remember what he has done for the community.
“People who keep track of the council races are familiar with me and know what my stance is on things,” Price said. “My main focus is meeting with and reaching out with people making sure they remember who I am and what my history has been. If they are supportive of me, that’s great, but if they are ready for a change, then that’s an option for them this year.”
If incumbent Price is re-elected, he hopes to work towards improving the quality of transportation here in Abilene. Part of this includes continuing on with plans to expand I-20 from our lanes to six lanes expanding other transportation opportunities in the city.
As for Hunt, he has many goals he would want to achieve if elected, including making more green spaces similar to the SoDa district in downtown Abilene.
“One thing that I would like to focus on is the creation of some sort of green space or interconnected trail system in Abilene,” Hunt said. “If you take a look at the other successful cities in Texas, their growth depended on having those spaces as an anchor point for the rest of the city to grow around.”
Hunt is now looking forward to the remainder of his campaign and learning from this experience. No matter if he wins or loses.
“I’m looking forward to the rest of campaigning,” Hunt said, “It’s going to be a great time. It will be great to hear and listen to the concerns of the Abilene residents and getting to know their stories. And even if I don’t win, it will be a wealth of knowledge that is going to be immensely helpful in the future.”
The 2021 general election for City Council will take place on May 1. All students registered to vote in Abilene will be eligible to vote in this election. Polling stations will be located across Abilene.
