4 vying for 3 spots on Lakeway City Council
Lakeway voters will select three City Council members from among four candidates on May 4.
Incumbents Kelly Brynteson and Jennifer Szmanski are running for their second terms, alongside first-time candidates Matt Sherman and Christopher Levy. The three candidates with the most votes will be elected.
The only incumbent whose term is expiring and is not running for reelection is Mayor Pro Tem Luis Mastrangelo, who has reached his term limits.
Early voting runs from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on April 22 to April 27, from noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday, April 28, and from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Monday, April 29, and Tuesday, April 30. On election day, residents can vote at the Lakeway Activity Center from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.
Kelly Brynteson
Brynteson, a small business owner and competitive intelligence professional, was first elected in 2022. She said the biggest issue facing the city is its rapid growth. She said the city is not built for the type of growth it is experiencing because Lakeway is not designed in a grid.
She mentioned the upcoming RM 620 expansion project as a way to accommodate growth. The four-lane highway is set to expand to six lanes in the coming years. Now, Brynteson said, “if we have an accident, it all shuts down.”
Brynteson said her goals for the upcoming term, if elected, are balancing the budget, growing small businesses, transportation and road safety, strategic development and community engagement.
“I review our yearly budget carefully and through a microscope,” Brynteson says on her website. “I am the only council member who voted against raising taxes the past two years while I have been on council.”
She said she is fiscally conservative and that the city should keep taxes low, especially when considering elderly residents. Brynteson said the city should focus on incorporating small to medium-size mom and pop businesses into development to increase retail and commercial sales taxes, and to lower property taxes for residents.
Brynteson said she is the best candidate because she has four appointments as a standing City Council member, the most of any member. Her appointments include the arts committee, planned unit development review, the development agreement committee and the Capital Area Council of Governments.
Christopher Levy
Levy, the CEO of the NFA Group Inc., said that one of Lakeway’s biggest challenges is a lack of unity.
“Old Lakeway is surrounded by new communities like Rough Hollow, Serene Hills, Alta Vista, Arbo Lago, The Reserve and La Montagna. However, we don’t operate as one city,” Levy said. “For example, many of the people in these communities do not vote in our city elections because they feel distant from the city or disenfranchised. My goal is to unify all the communities of Lakeway into one Lakeway.”
Levy also stressed the importance of completing the Town Square to drive sales tax and promote in-city commerce, as opposed to residents traveling out of Lakeway to shop and dine.
“To really drive commerce and sales tax, which will keep property taxes down, we need to look at how we can tap into the hotel (occupancy) tax fund to possibly build an appropriately sized convention center, which will in turn create more hotel tax, property tax and sales taxes,” Levy said.
Levy said his goals also include driving revenue to the new town square and continuing to support the Lakeway Police Department.
“I want to continue to ensure that the city is safe and secure by continuing to support the Lakeway PD through my efforts with the Lakeway Police Foundation,” Levy said. “We have been working hard to ensure our officers are healthy, have the support they need from the community and are able to effectively police Lakeway.”
Levy said he is the best candidate due to his experience in cybersecurity, as well as his 30 years as a Lake Travis-area resident.
“As a member of the Lake Travis community for 30 years, I am the only candidate who has seen Lakeway grow from a small hamlet village into a regional powerhouse with a strong balance sheet and a bright future ahead of it,” Levy said.
Matt Sherman
Digital advertiser Matt Sherman has served as a Lakeway Zoning and Planning commissioner and was chairman of the 2024 Lakeway Comprehensive Plan panel and president of the Lakeway View homeowners' association.
Sherman said the biggest issue Lakeway is facing is its water supply.
“Lake Travis is currently experiencing a drought,” he said. “It is crucial that we work together with the Lower Colorado River Authority, our water partners and nearby municipalities to raise awareness in our community, implement strategies for water conservation and foster smart development — not overdevelopment."
Sherman expressed support for the upcoming parks bond, and the development and upkeep of Lakeway greenspaces.
One of his goals for Lakeway, Sherman said, is preserving the city’s “unique identity,” while “addressing the goals set by our residents through recent surveys and ongoing communication.”
“My decisions will be informed by our 60-year history, ensuring that as we adapt to current demands, we maintain … the qualities that make our community special,” Sherman said. “Recently, there have been discussions about using other cities as models for our future development. I strongly disagree with this approach. We should be leaders, not followers, setting standards that others aspire to. This will ensure that our decisions both enhance and maintain Lakeway’s distinctiveness. I am committed to working hard to achieve this.”
He said he is the best candidate because of his investments in Lakeway, and his experience serving the city.
“My wife and I are raising our young daughter here, (and are) fully invested in preserving Lakeway’s unique character and high quality of life,” Sherman said. “My current service as a commissioner on the Zoning and Planning Commission, as chair of the 2024 Comprehensive Plan, and regular advocacy at city meetings demonstrates my dedication to improving our community for future generations and my ability to get things done.”
Jennifer Szmanski
Incumbent Szmanski, director of public affairs for the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas, first won a council seat in 2022. She said one of Lakeway’s major issues is rapid growth, whether or not the growth is sustainable, and how to move forward with future growth.
Szmanski also mentioned public safety as an issue she intends to focus on, and supporting the Police Department is a continuing goal of hers.
“Public safety has always been my top priority,” Szmanski said. “I think that's something that can spiral out of control quickly, and we have to support our law enforcement and provide them with all the tools necessary — keeping up with technology and all the things that are available to them to combat crime.”
She also mentioned the city’s water conservation crisis and said Lakeway must be open to new ideas and technologies for conserving water.
Szmanski noted smart development of the upcoming town center as a goal for her reelection. She said by supporting local businesses in the center, Lakeway can increase its sales tax revenue.
“My goal for this area is to have a commercial retail area where businesses will thrive (and) small businesses can thrive,” Szmanski said. “A lot of our residents go outside of Lakeway, like Bee Cave or Austin, to do things. My goal is to make this a place where residents stay in Lakeway (and) support Lakeway businesses.”
Szmanski said she is the best candidate because of her two years of experience, including sitting through two budget cycles, along with her professional experience working in government relations and her “ability to work with not only our city staff and other counselors, but also our stakeholders and our community members.”
“The majority of my work on council has centered around working with everyday residents on issues that they want to see resolved, and we've been able to do a lot of things, small things, but it is the small things that count to our residents,” Szmanski said.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: 4 vying for 3 spots on Lakeway City Council
