Draft:Shane R. Saum

Shane R. Saum (born March 22, 1985) is a City Councilmember for Lago Vista City Council Place 1. Councilman Saum was elected on November 7, 2023 with 65.5% of the vote.

Personal Life
Councilman Saum was born in Ravenna, Ohio on March 22, 1985. He graduated from West Geauga High School in Chesterland, OH in 2003. Saum graduated from Ohio University in 2008 with a Bachelor of Science in Education with a focus in Social Studies. In 2010, he graduated from San Diego State University with a Master of Arts in History. His 2010 thesis "The Olympic Cold War" was recognized in both 2017 and 2018 as one of the top 10 most accessed theses by SDSU graduates out of 4,500 electronic titles. In 2018, "The Olympic Cold War" received over 5,700 clicks. This number includes browsing and complete downloads.

Career
Before running for City Council, Saum served as a legislative staffer in the Texas Legislature for nearly a decade starting in 2013. He served in roles such as a legislative staffer to Rep. Abel Herrero, a Program Manager in Governor Greg Abbott's Economic Development and Tourism Office, a Chief of Staff to Rep. Geanie Morrison and a Senior Policy Advisor to Senator Lois Kolkhorst (R). While working for the Governor, Shane managed the Texas Enterprise Fund, a $100+ million grant program which helped attract/retain businesses committed to creating over 11,000 jobs and spending more than $4.3B in Texas. Saum was also the Founder and CEO of ATX Plays, LLC, a charity-driven adult sports and recreation league, that in 2016 won the Austin Chamber of Commerce's Most Uniquely Austin Business, as voted on by the community. Additionally, Shane served as President and CEO of Texans for Economic Development in 2022. Shane ran for Lago Vista City Council Place 4 in 2022, but lost to the incumbent.

In 2023, Councilman Saum was elected with 65.5% of the vote on November 7th and sworn in on November 16th. In February of 2024, Councilman Saum passed an ordinance establishing a Local Preference Program in Lago Vista, which would create a scoring advantage for local businesses when going out for city bids. This ordinance was covered by KXAN News on February 27, 2024. In March of 2024, Councilman Saum published an op-ed in the Dallas Morning News titled "Texas metro area’s growth is straining a small town’s water infrastructure." The op-ed called on the Texas Water Development Board to provide a new scoring metric for small towns like Lago Vista that are located near high-growth metro areas like Austin and are applying for financial assistance for water infrastructure projects. The Councilman also testified to the Texas Water Development Board on the same topic in February.