I grew up in Llano, graduated from Llano High School, and returned home in 2023 after 20 years away with experience in business, leadership, and strategic planning. I’m happily married to Dawna Virdell Allen, who also grew up and graduated from here, and we have two daughters, Claire and Audrey. We chose to return to Llano to join my family business, which has been in the Buttery family since 1892, and to manage my family ranches, which have been in the Allen family since 1884. Dawna and I wanted our children to grow up in the town we love and both call home.
1. What qualifications, skills, or experience do you bring that would make you an effective member of the Llano City Council? I hold communication and business degrees from The University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from SMU in Dallas, where I received a full merit-based scholarship and graduated in the top of my class. Most of my career was spent with ExxonMobil, where we lived in the United States, Canada (the reason I own skates for all who have asked!), and Singapore and worked projects across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Russia. My responsibilities included negotiating major international agreements, managing a $6 billion credit portfolio, leading small and large teams, and overseeing budgets and financial models. I also helped lead ExxonMobil’s exit from Russia after the war with Ukraine. Everyone brings different strengths to public service, but I believe my combination of hometown roots and real-world leadership experience gives me a unique perspective. Leading diverse teams, managing large budgets, and working on major projects has prepared me to help guide Llano thoughtfully, responsibly, and with a long-term view.
2. What motivated you to run for Llano City Council?
Llano is a wonderful place to live and raise a family, but too often we have put off hard decisions that need to be made. I believe this is an important time for our city, and I felt I could continue to use my experience and skills to help move Llano forward. With my family and roots here, and with so many people depending on the decisions we make today, I want to do my part to help make Llano the best it can be.
3. What do you see as the most pressing issues facing the City of Llano today?
The most pressing issues facing the City Council are the ones that most directly affect the daily lives of Llano residents. We must be responsible with taxpayer dollars while making needed investments in basic infrastructure, especially water and sewer systems that our community depends on every day. Unfortunately, this is much easier said than done and I anticipate some very difficult decisions needed to balance the two. Water security is also essential to Llano’s future and should be addressed with input from citizens, stakeholders, and technical experts. Finley is currently setting up these discussions as part of the work plan we’ve developed over the past six months. Just as important, the city needs stable leadership and a strong organizational structure so residents can have confidence in their local government. Our community deserves thoughtful planning to achieve sustainable, long-term solutions.
4. Water is one of Llano residents' biggest concerns. What, in your belief, is the best path for Llano regarding our water future? Please be specific.
With the growth Texas is experiencing and statewide stories about aquifer depletion and low reservoirs, Llano residents are justified in being concerned about our water future. I believe water scarcity could be the most significant crisis Texans face in my lifetime. Water security is not new for Llano; I have recommendations and proposed dam drawings my granddad shared with city leadership more than 20 years ago. This issue falls into two buckets. First, our existing water and wastewater infrastructure — the systems that process, distribute, and discharge water. Needed upgrades are expected to cost tens of millions, and many projects have been delayed for years. The longer we wait, the older the infrastructure gets and the more expensive improvements become. The city has to take a long-term, practical approach and begin addressing those needs. Second is water supply — how much flows through Llano and how much we retain behind the dams. Levels change based on rainfall, sediment buildup, and consumption. We need a clearer, fact-based understanding of the risk of running short by working with experts and stakeholders to understand scenarios and likelihood. While an eyesore, dredging to maximize water volumes behind our dams will likely remain a necessary fact of life.
5. How would you approach the budget process to fund the city’s needs without placing additional burden on taxpayers?
One of the first things I would look at is building the budget from the ground up instead of rolling last year’s numbers forward. I favor zero-based budgeting, where each department starts at zero and must justify expenses rather than building off the prior year. While this requires more work, it would be a smart, disciplined approach for Llano. From there, we need to layer in long-term capital needs, especially infrastructure, in a realistic way. We cannot do everything at once, but we also cannot keep delaying projects. We need a solid five-to-ten-year cash flow view to understand likely revenue, major expenses, and how to phase projects.
A practical example is the recent financial loss in the water department, which appears tied to a cash flow decision made several years ago. In 2022, debt was incurred to finance capital investment, with principal repayment beginning in 2025 at more than $400,000 annually - roughly equal to the department’s 2025 loss. While I cannot comment on the 2022 assumptions, a basic cash flow projection would have identified the future financial impact. My approach would be to reduce unnecessary spending, which I believe Finley is already doing well, plan ahead, and ensure every taxpayer dollar is spent where it matters most. We also need a strong understanding of available grant funding to offset certain projects.
6. How can the City Council work with staff and existing resources to move the JLK Event Center, Llano River Golf Course, City Pool, and Lantex Theater toward self-sufficiency? First, I strongly support these assets because they help make Llano special. They add to quality of life and make Llano a better place to live and visit. It is also important to recognize people are working hard to move these facilities in the right direction. For example, the golf course showed a profit in the first two months of the fiscal year, and I believe both Dane at the golf course and Brittney at the JLK are putting in real effort with visible results.
This conversation needs to be looked at more broadly. These are “quality of life” assets, and towns that want to attract families, visitors, and investment must offer assets that make people want to be there. We should also be honest and consistent when discussing costs. The city spends several hundred thousand dollars each year maintaining parks, which I fully support because they are an important gateway to our town and river, but parks are the city’s highest-cost quality-of-life asset. If we discuss the cost of these assets, we should talk about all quality-of-life investments similarly.
We also need to look beyond what appears on a financial statement. The golf course and JLK help generate economic and community value beyond what is shown on paper. They support events like charity golf tournaments, stock shows, the Wild Game Dinner, and other gatherings that bring people to Llano. Proceeds from these fundraisers, totaling hundreds of thousands annually, support youth programs, nonprofits, and charitable causes. Without these facilities, much of that would be harder to do. Many users are also visitors who spend money at restaurants and stores.
When moving these assets toward self-sufficiency, the answer is to manage them well, promote them aggressively, support staff, and measure success not only by direct revenue but also by community value. We should look for ways to improve operations and reduce subsidy where possible, while recognizing some investments are worth making for their return in quality of life, tourism, and community benefit.
7. How would you approach economic development and business retention while preserving Llano’s small-town character? I believe Llano can pursue economic development and business retention without losing the small-town character that makes people want to be here. The goal is not to become the next Marble Falls or Fredericksburg, but to build on what already makes Llano special — our historic downtown, the river, ranching heritage, and a welcoming, authentic, affordable way of life.
That means focusing on growth that fits Llano. One opportunity is attracting high-paid remote workers and young families who want a safe, connected community with access to the outdoors and strong quality of life. I can think of about a dozen already living in Llano, spending money locally and volunteering with youth, church, and charitable organizations. We need to keep improving basics like high-speed internet, healthcare access, and housing so people can move here without pricing locals out.
We also need to support tourism in a way that benefits local businesses year-round, not just on a few big weekends. That means building on successful events, creating more shoulder-season activity, and better connecting the river, downtown, shopping, food, and lodging into one experience. While drawing new business is important, retaining existing businesses is just as critical. We should focus more attention on helping them grow and create jobs, supporting employers who have already invested in Llano — a key part of economic development that does not get enough attention.
8. What are your top priorities for Llano's aging infrastructure? I believe this was addressed earlier, but my top priorities for Llano’s aging infrastructure are water, wastewater, and the basic systems people rely on every day. These are the foundations of a functioning city and are nonnegotiable.
The first step is understanding the projects needed and their costs. The city then needs to prioritize them based on risk, urgency, and long-term value, and adopt a strategic plan citizens understand, with a timeline based on what the city can afford.
One of the biggest challenges is turnover in council and city management, which makes it harder to stay focused and follow through on long-term projects. For better outcomes, we need a solid plan and consistent strategy and leadership to see it through.
Much of the initial work has been captured over the last six months in the Council Work Plan discussed in recent meetings and agenda items. I give Finley credit for moving this forward.
9. How do you plan to engage with residents and ensure their voices are heard in council decisions? Will you take direct questions from citizens? I have had several citizens, city employees, and even some of the people running for council reach out and meet with me in my office. I welcome that. Given my current role on both council and professionally and my involvement across the community, I am already engaging with residents on a regular basis. My office is always open, and I believe being accessible is an important part of public service.
10. If elected, what specific goals would you aim to accomplish during your term?My goal would be to help the city make real progress on major issues instead of continuing to push them down the road. That starts with developing a clearer long-term plan for infrastructure, especially water and wastewater, so citizens understand what needs to be done, what it will cost, and how projects can be phased over time.
I would hope to bring stability, thoughtful leadership, and a long-term perspective to the council. My goal would not be to promise quick fixes, because funding and human resources are real constraints. Instead, I would want to help the city make sound decisions, build momentum, and leave Llano in a stronger position.
I would also like to see a more disciplined budget process focused on priorities, reducing unnecessary spending, and better connecting day-to-day budgeting with long-term capital planning. In addition, I would support economic development that helps existing businesses grow, encourages the right kind of investment, and preserves the small-town character that makes Llano special.
