Change Address

VOTE411 Voter Guide

Highland Park Town Council

In 1975, the Town adopted a Home Rule Charter that calls for a Council/Manager form of government consisting of a Mayor and 5 Town Council Members. The Mayor Pro-Tem is appointed by the Mayor with the concurrence of the Town Council. In addition, the Mayor and Town Council appoint the Town Administrator, the Town Attorney, the Municipal Court Judge, the Town s Local Health Authority, the Town Secretary and all Boards and Commissions.All members are elected at-large for a 2 year term in May of even numbered years and serve without compensation. Each member is limited to three successive 2 year terms in office. The Mayor is elected separately from the Town Council Members; candidates for Mayor do not run against candidates for the Town Council Members’ seats. For Mayor, if no candidate receives at least 50% of the votes, there will be a runoff election. For Council Members, voters may vote for up to five candidates and the candidates with the most votes win.

Click a candidate icon to find more information about the candidate. To compare two candidates, click the "compare" button. To start over, click a candidate icon.

  • Candidate picture

    Alan Friedman
    (N)

  • Candidate picture

    Margaret Keliher
    (N)

  • Candidate picture

    Mark Marynick
    (N)

  • Candidate picture

    Don Snell
    (N)

  • Candidate picture

    Mike Tibbals
    (N)

  • Candidate picture

    Leland White
    (N)

Biographical Information

QUALIFICATIONS: What qualifies you to serve on the City Council?

BUDGET: How do you propose to manage budgetary challenges with the need to provide the expected level of service?

INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONSHIPS: How should your city work with other governments such as the U. S. Department of Homeland Security?

STANDARDS OF CONDUCT: What policies, procedures and guidelines would you support to protect residents from discrimination?

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION: What growth or changes to public transportation options do you believe your city should provide, if any?

CHALLENGE/OPPORTUNITY: What are the city’s greatest challenges and opportunities over the next several years?

{_btnLabelFor(compare1, _isInSelection(compare1))}
{_btnLabelFor(compare2, _isInSelection(compare2))}
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Occupation Business Owner
Education Undergraduate from Harvard University. MBA from Southern Methodist University Cox School of Business
I am a Highland Park native (HPHS ’02) with a professional foundation built on Harvard discipline and an SMU MBA. My career is rooted in stewardship—analyzing complex financial structures to identify efficiencies. I offer the rare combination of deep generational roots and the objective, modern business perspective required to lead a municipal enterprise without the baggage of legacy legal entanglements. I am the only candidate under 70 years of age, and I believe my subset of constituents—the young families and professionals who are the future of this Town—is currently underrepresented.
Highland Park residents expect—and deserve—'Platinum Level' services. I propose a Zero-Base Budgeting approach that prioritizes our core pillars: Public Safety and Infrastructure (including our public library and public pool). By applying a forensic lens to administrative 'burn rates' and leveraging my background in private-sector efficiency, we can maintain our elite service standards while protecting our AAA bond rating and ensuring our tax dollars are invested in the Town’s people and future, not its bureaucracy.
Our relationship with federal and state agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, should be one of Strategic Reciprocity. We must ensure Highland Park is integrated into regional intelligence and emergency preparedness networks to protect our residents, while fiercely defending our local autonomy. We cooperate on security and infrastructure grants, but we lead on local policy.
I support a culture of High-Integrity Governance. This means ensuring our Town Charter and employment manuals are living documents that reflect the highest ethical standards. We protect residents by maintaining a transparent, professionalized Town Hall where every citizen is treated with the same 'white-glove' service and respect that defines the Highland Park brand. Our policy is simple: Excellence without exception.
Highland Park is a residential enclave, not a transit hub. My focus is on Intelligent Mobility. We should support local enhancements—like the Katy Trail connectivity and pedestrian safety—while ensuring that any regional transit expansion (DART) does not compromise the security, parking availability, or the quiet enjoyment of our residential blocks. We prioritize the mobility of our residents first, which requires careful, forensic consideration of DART and other outside influences on our main thoroughfares, specifically Mockingbird and Preston Road.
Our greatest challenge is the 'Teardown Trap'—the risk of losing our architectural soul to generic over-development. Our greatest opportunity is Modern Stewardship: a delicate blend of policies aimed at incentivizing the preservation of our historic homes while allowing families to modernize their interiors or build thoughtful additions. We have the chance to be the 'Bridge to the Future,' proving that a town can embrace 2026 technology while honoring 1907 values.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Powered by League of Women Voters Education Fund