Carlos St. James
Candidate for District 2 Director

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After more than a decade in Texas, I have found a permanent home in Leander. This is my community. My wife and I have raised two sons and three daughters here.

I’ve spent over two decades working in the electric power sector and know that the overall cost of electricity continues to drop – yet our electricity bills rise. I want to address that -- while also working to provide special rates for seniors and the veterans among our co-op members.

But this industry affects me in a very personal way too: the rising risk of blackouts has put one of my daughter’s life at risk: she was born with special physical needs, which means she needs emergency medical equipment at hand that requires electricity at all times, and she needs medicine that must remain refrigerated. This is something that affects not just our family but thousands across Texas.

My leadership roles in energy-related institutions include:

• In Texas I joined the board of the Texas Renewable Energy Industries Association and quickly got to work on merging the institution with CleanTX, creating a single solid institution;
• In partnership with Bill Richardson, a past U.S. Secretary of Energy, and the heads of some of the largest oil & gas companies in the Middle East, established the Middle East-Americas Energy Council to help promote greater energy investment from that region;
• Co-founder of the Argentine Renewable Energies Chamber, which in partnership with the local government and U.S. embassy helped establish policies that attracted foreign investment in energy;
• Board member of the Washington-based Latin American & Caribbean Council on Renewable Energy, promoting U.S. investment in the hemisphere

Regarding community-related work, I can add this:

• was a member of Leander’s Parks and Recreation Committee in 2022-2024,
• also member of its Economic Development Committee (2023-2025)
• was a member of Leander’s quinquennial Charter Review Commission (2023)
• along the way I established a 501(c)(3) non-profit called the Leander Foundation
• I also established Keep Leander Beautiful, an affiliate of Keep Texas Beautiful

I’d love to be a part of the team that addresses the issues at Pedernales Electric Co-op and seek a seat on the board.