Election
Denton Mayor Gerard Hudspeth reflects on 6 years of service Gerard Hudspeth’s tenure as the mayor of Denton will come to an end early this summer after three terms in the position. He will retain his seat until June 23, when the new mayor is sworn in after the city’s runoff election between Chris Watts and Brian Beck. That election will take place June 13. Hudspeth was raised in Denton and has been the mayor since 2020, having been elected to the position three times, the maximum consecutive term limit for the same seat on City Council. He recently spoke with Community Impact about his start in local politics, highlights from the last six years as the city’s mayor and what’s next for him once he leaves office. Answers have been edited for length, style and clarity.
What led you to want to run for mayor of Denton? My dad has always been active here in politics [and was] on the school board. One of his friends was like, “Hey, you should run for council.” [I spent] three years on council from 2017-20. [In 2020,] I didn’t feel like wholesale changes would be best for the city. I talked to the people who had been on council longer than me, and none of them were going to run who were similarly focused, so I threw my hat in the ring to try to continue down the path we were on to have that consistency. What project or initiative are you most proud of spearheading during your terms? It’s really about city staff and giving them what they need because they’re going to be there for 20, 30 years, hopefully. I’m most proud to give them the resources, tools and information they need to be successful and serve the city well. My job simply is to be eyes and ears and say, “I talked to some people, and here’s a concern. Have we looked at it? What can we do to help them mitigate those concerns?”
COURTESY CITY OF DENTON
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