“Justin’s small-town feel isn’t defined by size alone; it’s defined by relationships, safety, accessibility to leadership, and a strong sense of community identity. Preserving that doesn’t mean stopping growth, it means guiding it intentionally.”
City of Justin General Election
Candidate Profile
Meet Shelby StClaire – Candidate for City Council Place 6
Election Day: Saturday, May 2, 2026
How have your background and experience shaped your perspective for City Council, and what inspired your involvement in Justin?
My background is rooted in leadership, service, and community engagement.
Professionally, I have worked in operations, finance, and organizational leadership, where I’ve learned the importance of accountability, transparency, budgeting discipline, and clear communication. I understand how decisions on paper affect real people in real life, whether that’s managing resources responsibly, building strong teams, or creating systems that serve the people they’re meant to support.
Beyond my professional experience, I’m deeply community oriented. I believe leadership isn’t about titles, it’s about stewardship. It’s about listening well, bringing people together, and solving problems with integrity and common sense. Those values shape how I approach City Council decisions: thoughtfully, practically, and always with the long-term health of our city in mind.
My involvement in Justin is inspired by my love for this community. Justin is growing, and with growth comes opportunity, but also responsibility. I want to help preserve what makes our town special while ensuring we’re planning wisely for the future. That means responsible development, infrastructure that keeps up with growth, public safety support, and making sure residents feel heard and respected.
I got involved because I care. I care about strong neighborhoods, fiscal responsibility, ethical leadership, and leaving our city better than we found it. I believe local government works best when leaders are accessible, transparent, and willing to have hard conversations with honesty and respect.
Justin isn’t just where I live, it’s my home. And serving on the City Council is about protecting that home for current families and future generations.
Justin is experiencing steady growth. How would you balance growth with preserving Justin’s small-town feel?
Growth is inevitable, but how we manage it is a choice. Approximately 86 people move to Denton County each day. This contributes to the county's rapid population growth.
Justin’s small-town feel isn’t defined by size alone; it’s defined by relationships, safety, accessibility to leadership, and a strong sense of community identity. Preserving that doesn’t mean stopping growth, it means guiding it intentionally.
First, we must prioritize smart, responsible development. That means ensuring infrastructure, roads, water, drainage, public safety, and schools keep pace with expansion. Growth should never outstrip our ability to serve residents effectively.
Second, we need to protect what makes Justin unique. That includes thoughtful zoning, protecting green space where possible, supporting local businesses over unchecked commercial sprawl, and maintaining architectural standards that reflect our character rather than turning us into “Anywhere, USA.” We recently completed this with our Old Town Master Plan and will soon begin the 156 Overlay portion to compliment this.
Third, communication matters. Residents deserve transparency and a real voice in major development decisions. Small-town feel comes from people feeling heard, not surprised.
Finally, fiscal responsibility is key. Growth should strengthen our tax base without placing unnecessary burden on current residents. Strategic partnerships and careful planning allow us to expand opportunity while protecting long-time homeowners.
To me, balancing growth with preservation means being proactive instead of reactive. It means planning with intention, honoring our roots, and making decisions that future generations will thank us for.
Justin can grow and still feel like Justin. It just requires leadership that values both progress and preservation.
What issues matter most for Justin in the next three to five years, and how would you address them?
Over the next three to five years, Justin will face a defining season. Growth is accelerating, and the decisions we make now will shape our city for decades. I believe there are four key priorities:
- Infrastructure & Traffic Management
As development continues, our roads, drainage systems, water capacity, and emergency services must keep pace. We need proactive planning, not reactive fixes. I would support comprehensive infrastructure assessments, long-range capital improvement planning, and ensuring developers carry their fair share of impact costs so current residents are not footing the bill for growth.
- Responsible Development
Not all growth is equal. We must evaluate projects based on long-term community benefit, not short-term revenue. That means protecting neighborhoods, maintaining zoning standards, and being intentional about commercial versus residential balance. Development agreements should reflect Justin’s values and protect our small-town character.
- Public Safety & First Responder Support
As our population increases, so does demand for police, fire, and emergency services. We must ensure staffing, equipment, and training stay ahead of growth. Public safety is foundational; families choose communities where they feel secure.
- Fiscal Responsibility & Transparency
Residents deserve to know how their tax dollars are being used. Over the next few years, we must guard against unnecessary spending while investing wisely in infrastructure and public services. That means conservative budgeting, building reserves responsibly, and maintaining open communication with the public.
Ultimately, the next three to five years are about intentional leadership. If we plan wisely, support smart growth, protect public safety, and remain fiscally disciplined, Justin can grow stronger without losing what makes it special while lowering the tax burden on our homeowners through smart commercial development. When you hear the word or words, coming soon, or stay tuned, it is because we are actively negotiating with developers to bring certain commercial growth to our beloved City.
I believe in steady, thoughtful progress, not rushed decisions and always putting residents first.
What are your top three priorities for Justin over the next 3–5 years, and how do you plan to accomplish them?
To me, transparent city leadership means more than meeting the minimum legal requirements, it means operating with integrity, accountability, and openness at every level.
Transparency requires that decisions are made in the open, supported by clear reasoning, and accessible to the public before votes are cast, not explained after the fact. Residents should never feel blindsided by major development decisions, spending increases, or policy changes. With the caveat that some of these issues are discussed in Executive Session and that information is not made public for legal reasons.
A brief overview of the Executive Session is below.
Accountability is equally important. Elected officials are stewards of taxpayer dollars and public trust.
That means:
Ensuring conflicts of interest are avoided and disclosed.
Demanding clear financial oversight and responsible budgeting.
Holding ourselves, staff, and city partners to ethical standards.
Asking tough questions before approving major expenditures or long-term commitments.
Ethical leadership means doing what is right, even when it’s unpopular or inconvenient. It means consistency, fairness, and applying policies equally to everyone.
If re-elected, I would continue to commit to proactive communication, early community engagement on significant issues, and making sure residents have access to understandable information about how and why decisions are made.
Trust is not automatic, it is earned. And in a growing community like Justin, maintaining public trust will require steady leadership grounded in transparency, ethical standards, and accountability.
That is the standard I believe our residents deserve. Integrity is important to me because it’s the foundation of trust, and without trust, leadership fails.
Integrity means doing what is right even when no one is watching. It means being consistent in your values, transparent in your decisions, and accountable when you make mistakes. Titles and authority don’t create respect, character does.
At the end of the day, policies can be debated, but character should not be negotiable. Integrity ensures that no matter the issue, the process is fair, ethical, and grounded in what’s best for the community as a whole.
That’s why integrity isn’t just important to me, it’s essential.
Executive Session Overview:
An Executive Session is a closed portion of a City Council meeting that is allowed under Texas law for very specific reasons.
It is not a separate secret meeting, it happens during a properly posted public meeting.
Under the Texas Open Meetings Act, City Council can meet privately only to discuss limited topics such as:
Personnel matters (like hiring, evaluations, or discipline)
Legal advice from the city attorney
Real estate negotiations
Certain economic development discussions
Security issues
Here’s what’s important for residents to know:
The Council must first meet in public and announce the legal reason for going into Executive Session.
No final decisions or votes can happen behind closed doors.
Any official action must be taken after returning to open session.
Discussions in Executive Session are confidential by law.
Executive Sessions are meant to protect sensitive matters, not to avoid transparency. The law tries to balance the public’s right to know with situations where privacy is legally required.
If you ever have questions about why an Executive Session was held, you have every right to ask. Open government works best when residents stay informed and engaged..
Disclaimer: We do not endorse any candidate. This content is for informational purposes only to help Justin voters make informed choices.