Joven, Thompson headline list of candidates for Odessa Mayor, City Council

ODESSA, Texas (KMID/KPEJ) – Making Odessans more proud of their hometown is one of the many reasons Craig Stoker is running for the at-large seat on the Odessa City Council. Stoker, the current Executive Director of Meals on Wheels Odessa, is making improvements to the city’s small business community a focal point of his campaign.

“I’ve asked several times, “Are you trying to identify these roadblocks that are stopping small businesses from coming?” and I don’t know if I’ve ever necessarily gotten a good answer,” he said. “So hopefully we can do these things. If not, then it’s certainly a priority of mine.”

Stoker is running against current at-large City Councilwoman Denise Swanner, who was elected in 2020.

District 1 Councilman Mark Matta has also announced he will be running for re-election. In District 2, incumbent Councilman Steve Thompson is running for a second term and is making infrastructure a priority.

“Beat and Bo’s got 2,000 homes going out on 100th Street and 338,” Thompson said. That’s a lot of houses under construction right now and we’re not ready for them. And we’ve got to get these roads fixed.”

Thompson also said he wants to improve the Derrington water plant. While he feels there is more to do, he referenced his 2022 vote on making Odessa a ‘sanctuary city for the unborn’ as reasoning behind his decision to run again.

“And I really believe we can get our city back on track and try to stay focused on fixing problems, not legislating morality.”

Another big race in Odessa is for mayor. Javier Joven is seeking re-election…and is also focusing on infrastructure.

“And also, other things we need to continue to have master plans on the east side of the road into Ector County and Midland is where the growth is happening, and so we’re dedicating more money to that.”

He’s facing off against challenger Cal Hendrick – who wants to bring a new approach to the Mayor’s office.

“But you have to be willing to work hard, you have to be willing to think it through and you have to sometimes think a little outside the box to make it happen.”

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