SAN MARCOS CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES
Christopher L. Palanco has been actively following San Marcos politics since moving here almost 20 years ago, but it was a contentious City Council meeting in May that convinced him to run as a candidate for Place 2.
After several hours of public comment concerning a resolution for a ceasefire in the Israel- Hamas War - with most of the comments in favor of the resolution - the city voted against it. Following the vote, council member Amanda Rodriguez, who proposed the resolution, called for more progressive voices on the City Council.
CHRISTOPHER POLANCO
That was the moment when Polanco decided he would like to take a more active role in San Marcos politics. “It’s been something I’ve been going around with for a long time.”
Polanco said he first became interested in politics during the Bill Clinton presidency while he was still living in his hometown of Greenwood, Indiana. He was raised by a single mom with one older sister, a younger brother and a younger sister. He joined the Greenwood (just south of Indianapolis) fire department after high school.
“A few years later, I met a girl online, and she lived here in San Marcos. So I picked up and moved here.”
His jobs in Texas have included office manager, call center agent and digital content moderator for a social media platform. He is currently a Texas State University student with a Double Major in Communication Studies and Political Science with a minor in Spanish.
“I was always working, you know, just doing the grind to survive. So I never really thought it (holding elected office) was a realistic thing. But then I went blind, and I have a little bit more free time now. … so I got into some community organizing.”
Improvements in public transportation accessibility is one of the areas he would focus on if elected to the city council, particularly paratransit options for people with disabilities, he said.
“I would just like to see more attempts to reach out to the disabled community altogether … that’s an untapped resource where some of these people could be leaders in the community.”
Another priority for Polanco would be preserving the character and culture of San Marcos by preventing chain stores and developers from “paving over areas and just changing the character of a neighborhood.”
He singles out the land behind the Centro Cultural Hispano de San Marcos as an area he would like to see developed as a heritage site rather than sold for commercial buildings or real estate. “I want to honor the heritage and traditions that exist.”
Part of the challenge of maintaining the charm and affordability of the San Marcos area is keeping down rent and housing costs, he said.
“I am in favor of rent freezes. I’m in favor of putting a cap on rent increases if we don’t do freezes. … I would also limit the amount of Airbnbs, which take homes away from families. If I could I would ban BlackRock and other private equity from the housing market altogether, because they’re just buying up homes, leaving them empty and driving up housing costs.”
Polanco, who prefers to be called “Chrispy,” considers his down-to-earth attitude and his accessibility as strengths in his campaign profile.
“I want to make myself available to people like, I’m just a regular guy. I’m no different than a lot of people in San Marcos. I’m a nerd, I’m a dork. I really love hearing people talk about what they’re interested in and what their hobbies are. And I want to know their stories, what’s going on with them.”
As for Polanco’s hobbies, he enjoys reading audio books, watching movies and listening to music.
“I’ll watch just about anything, even “Power Rangers.” Same with music, I’ll listen to just about anything, though, what I gravitate towards is rock music, metal, specifically punk.
