Mayor-elect John Huffman and councilmember-elects Randy Robbins and Amy Torres-Lepp are scheduled to take the oath of office as City of Southlake elected officials at 5:30 p.m., May 11 at Southlake Town Hall. Can’t be at the meeting? Watch the livestream or recorded video.
John Huffman – Mayor
In 2015, John Huffman was elected as the City of Southlake councilmember representing Place 5. Since 2019, he has served as the Deputy Mayor Pro Tem. He was on the Southlake 2035 Corridor Committee, Southlake Parks Development Corporation and Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone while on the Council. Prior to that, he served on the Zoning Board of Adjustment. Huffman will now serve as mayor of the City of Southlake.
Dr. Randy Robbins – Place 2
Dr. Randy Robbins will serve as the councilmember for Place 2. He has lived in Southlake for more than 17 years. He previously served on the City of Southlake Community Engagement Committee from 2014 - 2017 and the GRACE board of directors.
Amy Torres-Lepp – Place 5
Amy Torres-Lepp will serve as the councilmember for Place 5. She previously served on the City of Southlake Planning and Zoning Commission from 2019 – 2021. Torres-Lepp is a graduate of Leadership Southlake, Citizens Academy and CLASS. She is also an active member of the Southlake Chamber of Commerce and has volunteered for GRACE Feed the Kids and Carroll ISD.
Outgoing Mayor Laura Hill and Councilmember Shawn McCaskill will attend their last meeting for their respective offices. Both had reached their term limits.
Laura Hill - Mayor
Southlake Mayor Laura Hill, Southlake’s first female mayor, was elected in 2015 and re-elected in 2018. She served on the Southlake City Council beginning in 2004. As mayor, she founded the Mayor’s Alliance for Unity and Culture in 2018 and Southlake Kids Interested in Leadership in 2015.
Her priorities have been youth, community, safety and security, partnerships and high-value public services. She regularly invited children to visit Town Hall as part of the Mayor for a Day program. In 2017, she helped launch Celebrate Southlake, an annual gathering to celebrate culture. She has been a strong supporter of the Southlake Police and Fire Departments and formed a safety task force following multiple school shootings, as well as using a school resource officer at every Carroll ISD school. She is an active member of the Metroport Cities Partnership and worked to have Southlake collaborate with professional colleagues. She has worked to provide excellent City services at reasonable costs to the community, helping to approve 10 tax relief measures since 2009, while also pursuing ideas to improve the quality of life for residents.
Shawn McCaskill – Place 2
Shawn McCaskill was elected to the Southlake City Council for Place 2 in 2015. He served as Deputy Mayor Pro Tem from 2016 – 2019 and Mayor Pro Tem since 2019. While on the Council, he served on the Southlake Parks Development Corporation, Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone, Youth Sports Association Task Force, Bob Jones Nature Center Board of Directors, Corridor Planning Committee and the COVID-19 Economic Recovery Task Force. Prior to being elected as a councilmember, he served on the Planning and Zoning Commission, Southlake 2030 Committee and the Zoning Board of Adjustment.
Southlake is turning 64 on September 22 and everyone is invited come together to share their spirit and celebrate the City we love and call home! To kick-off the celebration, the Mayor’s Alliance for Unity and Culture is hosting a city-wide poster contest, calling for submissions of original art by Friday, October 2.
The theme of the contest is “We are Southlake!” and each artist is asked to visually represent what they love and are celebrating about our community this birthday. Participants are asked to display the posters or art in your windows or front yard for the community to see and enjoy throughout during the City’s birthday week September 20 - 26.
Mayor Laura Hill and the Mayor’s Alliance for Unity and Culture will judge entries and select winners. Winners will be announced in early October.
Art submissions will be judged by age category (see official rules for more information). The winners of each category will have their art displayed on the light poles throughout Southlake Town Square this fall! All posters submitted will be included in a celebratory mosaic, also exhibited in Southlake Town Square, to share the unity and spirit of Southlake.
All art must be the original work of the entrant and should be finished and unframed. Any artistic medium or size is acceptable, but entries must be submitted in vertical/portrait orientation. Winning submissions will be displayed on the light poles in Town Square and may require cropping to fit. Full art contest submission guidelines can be found on the contest website and all guidelines must be met to qualify for entry.
For more information and to submit an entry, visit: CityofSouthlake.com/MAUCArtContest.
The Mayor’s Alliance for Unity and Culture hosted a Virtual Town Hall on July 29 with the Southlake Police Department to ask and answer questions Southlake residents have about the Police Department.
Watch the event recording and follow-up video here.
Mayor Laura Hill was joined by Alliance members and Southlake residents Anthony Shelton and Elisa O’Callaghan to host and moderate the event. Acting Police Chief Ashleigh Casey answered questions along with Captain Randy Thomas, SRO Sergeant John Stokes, SRO Corporal Blas Hernandez, SRO Frank Rogers (Carroll Sr. High School), SRO Cory Rattan (Carroll High School), SRO Brett Roberson (Carroll Middle School), and SRO Anthony Pate (Dawson Middle School).
“The Alliance filled a complete calendar of incredible events for our citizens to experience during 2020 and had to be canceled due to COVID-19,” Hill said during the event. “They were quick to pivot this summer, especially after the murder of George Floyd. We came together and made the decision to give our citizens an opportunity to speak to us and ask us their questions.”
During the event, the Southlake Police Department answered questions that were submitted ahead of time by Southlake residents. Casey and her team answered questions relating to police policies, training and education, the School Resource Officer program, equipment and other policing matters. Though questions were not taken during the event, all questions asked were tracked and after the event Casey answered those questions.
Look for more virtual events from the Mayor’s Alliance coming this fall. Have an idea for a Mayor’s Alliance event? Submit it here.
