San Marcos, October 13, 2025
News Summary
Brandon Oles is running for San Marcos City Council Place 2, focusing on community engagement and affordable housing. With a strong background in military service and construction management, Oles aims to represent all citizens across political lines while emphasizing the need for solar energy and affordable housing in the city.
San Marcos — Brandon Oles is campaigning for San Marcos City Council Place 2. His campaign centers on community engagement, development experience, and representing a broad cross-section of the city’s residents.
Key campaign points and public priorities
His background includes serving in the Marines, being a student leader at Texas State University, and working as a project manager in the construction industry. Oles’ campaign focuses on representing all people in San Marcos, not just those on the left or right. The campaign highlights a combination of military service, higher-education leadership, and private-sector construction management as core qualifications for local government service.
He plans to create an energy policy focused on introducing solar panels to ease the electric grid’s load. The campaign also includes a plan to host Town Hall meetings for direct citizen interaction and to offer incentives to developers that prioritize affordable housing. His campaign includes hosting Town Hall meetings for more direct citizen interaction and offering incentives to developers focusing on affordable housing. The campaign contrasts these priorities with recent local development trends and places a higher emphasis on affordability.
Biography and professional experience
He was born on an Air Force base near Spokane, Washington, to parents who were in the Air Force. Oles spent his childhood in a small town called Brookeland in East Texas and attended high school in Woden, Texas. He entered military service at a young age and subsequently transitioned to education and a construction career in Texas.
He joined the Marines at 18, served as a radio operator, and completed a tour in Afghanistan in 2011 in the Green Zone along the Sangin Valley, with a mission to destroy poppy fields to cut Taliban funding. After eight years of service, after eight years, he received a medical discharge due to developing Type 1 Diabetes, which prevents him from serving in the Marine Corps.
Post-service, Oles moved to San Antonio, encouraged by a Texas State alum girlfriend to attend the university on the GI Bill. He graduated from Texas State with a degree in Construction Science. During his time at Texas State, he held student leadership roles; he was involved in student government as the president of the Veterans Alliance and as a senator representing veterans at Texas State.
Currently, he works as an Assistant Project Manager overseeing commercial construction projects, which he says will help him navigate infrastructure contracts and engage with developers as a council member. In that role, Oles emphasizes his experience managing multi-billion-dollar projects, overseeing scheduling, contracts, and finances related to development.
Campaign rationale and local priorities
Oles believes his diverse experiences prepare him to connect with San Marcos’ varied population and engage with the community effectively. He frames his service, education, and project-management work as practical preparation for negotiating contracts, understanding construction timelines, and balancing city infrastructure needs against development pressures.
Oles criticizes the trend of developers pushing $500,000 homes, stating that although housing is available in the area, it is not affordable. The campaign proposes developer incentives aimed at increasing the supply of lower-cost housing options and emphasizes more frequent direct engagement between residents and council members through town halls.
What voters can expect
The campaign lists three main pillars: broadened community representation across the political spectrum, an energy policy that seeks to reduce strain on the electric grid through solar adoption, and targeted housing incentives to increase affordability. The candidate cites project-management experience as an asset for reviewing infrastructure contracts and working with developers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is running for San Marcos City Council Place 2?
Brandon Oles is campaigning for San Marcos City Council Place 2.
What is Brandon Oles’ background?
His background includes serving in the Marines, being a student leader at Texas State University, and working as a project manager in the construction industry.
What does Oles say his campaign focuses on?
Oles’ campaign focuses on representing all people in San Marcos, not just those on the left or right.
Where was Brandon Oles born?
He was born on an Air Force base near Spokane, Washington, to parents who were in the Air Force.
Where did he grow up and go to high school?
Oles spent his childhood in a small town called Brookeland in East Texas and attended high school in Woden, Texas.
What is known about his military service?
He joined the Marines at 18, served as a radio operator, and completed a tour in Afghanistan in 2011 in the Green Zone along the Sangin Valley, with a mission to destroy poppy fields to cut Taliban funding.
Why did he leave the Marine Corps?
After eight years, he received a medical discharge due to developing Type 1 Diabetes, which prevents him from serving in the Marine Corps.
What did he do after leaving the military?
Post-service, Oles moved to San Antonio, encouraged by a Texas State alum girlfriend to attend the university on the GI Bill.
What degree did he earn and where?
He graduated from Texas State with a degree in Construction Science.
What is his current job?
Currently, he works as an Assistant Project Manager overseeing commercial construction projects, which he says will help him navigate infrastructure contracts and engage with developers as a council member.
What experience does he emphasize in development?
Oles emphasizes his experience managing multi-billion-dollar projects, overseeing scheduling, contracts, and finances related to development.
What roles did he hold in student government?
He was involved in student government as the president of the Veterans Alliance and as a senator representing veterans at Texas State.
How does he describe his ability to connect with the community?
Oles believes his diverse experiences prepare him to connect with San Marcos’ varied population and engage with the community effectively.
What is his proposed energy policy?
He plans to create an energy policy focused on introducing solar panels to ease the electric grid’s load.
What housing policies does his campaign include?
His campaign includes hosting Town Hall meetings for more direct citizen interaction and offering incentives to developers focusing on affordable housing.
What critique does he make of local development trends?
Oles criticizes the trend of developers pushing $500,000 homes, stating that although housing is available in the area, it is not affordable.
Key features
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Campaign | San Marcos City Council Place 2 candidacy |
| Military service | United States Marine Corps, radio operator, Afghanistan tour in 2011 |
| Education | Texas State University, degree in Construction Science |
| Professional role | Assistant Project Manager — commercial construction |
| Campaign priorities | Solar energy policy, Town Hall meetings, affordable housing incentives |
| Community focus | Representing all people in San Marcos |
Timeline
| Date / Time | Event | Status / Source |
|---|---|---|
| Birth (date not specified) | Born on an Air Force base near Spokane, Washington | Article |
| Childhood (date not specified) | Spent childhood in Brookeland, East Texas; attended high school in Woden, Texas | Article |
| Joined Marines (age 18) | Entered Marine Corps and served as a radio operator | Article |
| 2011 | Completed a tour in Afghanistan in the Green Zone along the Sangin Valley | Article |
| After eight years (date not specified) | Received a medical discharge due to developing Type 1 Diabetes | Article |
| Post-service (date not specified) | Moved to San Antonio and attended Texas State on the GI Bill | Article |
| Graduation (date not specified) | Graduated from Texas State with a degree in Construction Science | Article |
| Present | Works as Assistant Project Manager; campaigning for City Council Place 2 | Article |
Visual summary charts
Years of known military service
Campaign priority checklist
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Additional Resources
- Community Impact: San Marcos City Council Place 2 Candidates
- Wikipedia: San Marcos, Texas
- San Marcos Daily Record: Article 31533
- Google Search: San Marcos City Council Brandon Oles
- The University Star: Student Government News
- Google Scholar: Municipal Elections Texas
- Community Impact: San Marcos Buda Kyle News
- Encyclopedia Britannica: San Marcos City Council
- San Marcos Daily Record: Article 31532
- Google News: San Marcos City Council
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