A new chapter is unfolding for the Southlake City Council. With the elevation of Mayor Pro Tem Shawn McCaskill to the position of Mayor, the return of Councilmember Randy Robbins, serving his second term in Place 2, and the introduction of new Councilmember Frances Scharli in Place 3.

Shawn McCaskill is stepping into the role of Mayor, succeeding John Huffman. Mayor McCaskill has dedicated numerous years to both Council service and community involvement. Since 2015, he has held the leadership positions of Mayor Pro Tem and Deputy Mayor Pro Tem during his service as a member of the City Council. Mayor McCaskill has also served on numerous boards and committees both as a member of the Council and before his service, including the Southlake Parks Development Corporation, Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone, Youth Sports Association Task Force, Audit Committee, Bob Jones Nature Center Board of Directors, Corridor Planning Committee, COVID-19 Economic Recovery Task Force, Planning and Zoning Commission, Southlake 2030 Committee, and the Zoning Board of Adjustment. In addition, he is an active community volunteer and leader, as well as an attorney and shareholder at Godwin Bowman PC law firm in Dallas.

Randy Robbins is entering his second term serving as Place 2, where he has served since 2021. He has also served on the Corridor Planning Committee during his time on Council and, before that, on the Community Engagement Committee from 2014 – 2017. Professionally, he is the Chairman of cardiac anesthesia services at the Medical Center of Lewisville, Vice-Chairman of the Department of Anesthesia at Baylor Medical Center in McKinney, and on the Clinical Quality Committee at Baylor in Plano.

Frances Scharli is filling the Place 3 seat. Her record of service to the City includes time spent as Chair of the Southlake Parks and Recreation Board, Secretary of the Southlake Parks and Development Corporation, representative of the 2035 Corridor Planning Committee, member of the Joint Utilization Committee as a City Council member from 2006-2013. Scharli is also a Southlake Citizen Academy graduate, a Southlake Executive Forum member, a White’s Chapel Methodist Church Finance Committee and Administrative Board Member, a Carroll Independent School District Volunteer, and a Girl Scout Brownie Leader.

These elected officials will join Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Kathy Talley Place 1, Councilmember Ronell Smith Place 4, Councilmember Amy Torres-Lepp Place 5, and Mayor Pro Tem Randy Williamson Place 6 in leading the community and steering the City’s policy direction.

The City of Southlake invites you to attend a swearing-in ceremony for returning City Councilmember Ronnell Smith, returning City Councilwoman Amy Torres-Lepp, and incoming Councilmember Shawn McCaskill.

The ceremony will take place during the city council meeting on Tuesday, May 17, 2022, at 5:30 p.m. A reception following the meeting will be hosted in the lobby of Town Hall.

The City will also recognize and celebrate outgoing Councilmember Chad Patton.

Shawn McCaskill – Place 3

Councilmember Shawn McCaskill previously served in Place 2 in 2015 and served as Deputy Mayor Pro Temp from 2016-2019. He will return as Place 3 when he takes the Oath of Office at the May 17 City Council meeting.

 

 

 

 

Ronell Smith – Place 4

Councilman Ronell Smith returns for a second term. He initially took oath in 2019 and previously served on the Zoning Board of Adjustment.

 

 

 

 

Amy Torres – Lepp Place 5

Councilwoman Amy Torres was recently elected to serve in Place 5 in 2021. Prior to her service as a City Councilmember, she served on the Planning and Zoning Commission. She is a Leadership Southlake Graduate, Class Graduate, and an active member of the Southlake Chamber of Commerce.

 

 

 

 

Chad Patton – Mayor Pro Tem

Chad Patton was elected to serve on the City Council Place 3 in 2016 and has served as Mayor Pro Tem since 2021. Before his service as an elected official, Councilmember Patton has served on the 2035 Corridor Planning Committee, Zoning Board of Adjustment, and Parks and Recreation Board.

 

 

To learn more about the City Council, please visit the City's website.

Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from the candidates for Southlake City Council at the upcoming virtual City Council Candidate Forum, hosted by the Community Engagement Committee (CEC).

The CEC is a City of Southlake Committee and a nonpartisan body dedicated to facilitating citizen engagement opportunities and communication between residents and local government, typically through SPIN Town Hall Forums.

This SPIN Town Hall Forum takes place on Monday, October 5, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. It will be broadcast on the City’s cable channel (Frontier channel 34 and Spectrum digital channel 190) and online via Video on Demand. A recording of the forum will be made available within 48 hours of the end of the program.

The candidate forum is a public opportunity to familiarize residents with each of the candidates:

Place 1:

Sabreena Hakemy
Kathy Talley

Place 6

Randy Williamson
Victor Avila

Program

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this program will use a virtual format. Questions for the candidates should be submitted using this form: http://bit.ly/AskSLKCandidates2020. All questions must be submitted no later than 3:00 p.m. on October 5—no questions will be accepted during the forum. The moderator will consolidate similar items and may edit questions for clarity.

The forum will begin with each candidate providing an opening statement. Next, all candidates will have the opportunity to respond to questions submitted by the audience. Finally, all candidates will be asked to provide a closing statement.

Make sure you’re ready for either early voting, starting October 13 or election day, November 3, by checking out our voting guide. For more information about the election, visit CityofSouthlake.com/Elections.