Six candidates have filed for two two-year terms on the Village of Salado Board of Aldermen. Salado Village Voice features candidate profiles and questions and answers with the candidates leading up to the election, which will be May 2. Candidates will appear on the ballot in the following format: Gail Allard, Michael McDougal, Linda Reynolds, Rick Marruffo, Kevin D. Shoun and Jeff Vancura.

Gail Allard

Neighbors and friends, my name is Gail Allard. I have been a community member since 2010 and opened our business, Salado Glassworks in 2011. My family moved to the Village in 2015. Both our children are enrolled in Salado elementary and middle schools.
As a member of Salado’s business community, I have received the Business of the Year award for 2023 and the Citizen of the Year award for 2013. I have been fortunate enough to find my place as an artist in the Village and I am proud to be a part of Salado’s cultural fabric.
During tougher times, I was able to strategically navigate and survive the hardships during major highway construction that shut down businesses on Main Street. I worked through confusing building codes, red tape and regulations when I expanded. I have made conservative financial decisions that have allowed me to thrive as a business, even in lean economies.
My family owns a farm and we spend a great deal of our free time working and improving the land. I am an outdoorsman and volunteer for the Texas Wildlife Association’s Adult Learn to Hunt Program.
If I am asked to serve as Alderman, I will do my best to support our current administration by continuing to foster strong community trust. I will promote and assist in making careful financial decisions on budget. I would also work alongside our tourism department and assist in expanding our hospitality, arts and visitor economy.

Michael McDougal

Eighteen years ago I moved to Salado from Sherman, Texas, after visiting several summers prior.
My wife, Carrol and I reside at 2201 Chisholm Trail. We have three children and eight grandkids.
During this time frame, I served as one of your Alderman tor three conservative terms or six years.
I began my professional experience in Sherman, Texas after receiving a Bachelor degree from Southeastern Oklahoma State University. My first assignment was as a sixth grade teacher. Later, I served the district at all levels of the principalship, concluding my service as the District Superintendent. This public school experience totaled 34 years. I concluded my professional service after serving as an Associate Professor at Southeastern for ten years.
During this entire time, I served in the U. S. Army Reserve enlisting initially as a private. I progressed through the ranks from private to Major General. This developed into retirement as a Major General.
My dual career would be most helpful in serving a Village Alderman. Six years of serving as an Alderman, presented numerous tangible village experiences that will improve Village leadership decisions that greatly will benefit our village.
My professional degrees are Bachelor of Science, Southeastern State University, Master of Education and Doctorate of Educational Leadership at University of North Texas, U. S. Army Command and General Staff College and the U.S. Army War College.
I would be honored again to serve as one of your Village Alderman.

Linda Reynolds

In August one year, President Truman dropped atomic bombs on Japan. The next June, President Trump was born in NYC, his father’s family from Germany, and mother’s from Ireland.
Two months later, I was born in Michigan to a father from Goliad, Tx, and mother’s family from Canada.
President Trump and I are the beginning of the Baby Boom Generation. I am a proud member of this generation, raised with a strong belief in hard work, responsibility, and living within our means.
I graduated from Indiana University ( National Football Champions 2026), and retired after 35 years of teaching in Indiana, Canada, NY, and Maine.
My husband died when my daughter was 12, so I had two house mortgages, and a daughter’s college education to manage on my teacher’s salary.
Consequently, I am a fiscal conservative, and will not support putting the Village in debt. Like many of you, I know what it means to make tough financial decisions, and stretch every dollar.
No November Road Bond!
Maybe, one day, when all of Main St, and the I35 access roads are filled with bustling businesses instead of empty lots and empty buildings, Salado will earn enough sales tax to consider some major road repairs?
I am not a career politician—I am a neighbor, a teacher, and a problem-solver.
I would be honored to earn your vote.

Rick Marruffo

My name is Rick Marruffo, and I’m proud to be a candidate for Alderman for the Village of Salado.
I served our great nation for over 26 years in the U.S. Navy and retired as a Senior Chief Petty Officer in 2013. My military career took me to many corners of the world and gave me the opportunity to attend college, where I earned a Master’s degree in Business Administration.
After my parents passed away, I moved to Texas in 2019. I had traveled throughout the state searching for the right place to call home. After visiting many towns from Fort Worth to San Antonio, I knew Salado would be our forever home. It is a beautiful village, rich in history, with so much to offer.
I believe we should preserve what makes Salado special while planning responsibly for the future. I have spent my life serving my country, my community, and my family, and I will continue to do so. Salado and the surrounding communities will continue to grow, and with teamwork, we can ensure that growth is managed wisely in a way that benefits our village and the wonderful people who call it home.
Let’s do it together.

Kevin D. Shoun

I’m Kevin Shoun, and I’m proud to be running for Alderman in the Village of Salado.
I served over 20 years in the United States Army as an aviation mechanic, where I quickly advanced into leadership roles, managing teams, overseeing complex operations, and advising senior leaders. I was consistently promoted ahead of my peers, entrusted with increasing responsibility, and retired as a First Sergeant. I deployed twice to Afghanistan, experiences that shaped my leadership style, grounded in accountability, discipline, and putting people first.
My family and I moved to Texas in 2021, and after careful consideration, we chose Salado for its strong schools, small-town character, and its unique place in the heart of Central Texas. This is the community we chose to call home and where we are proud to raise our children.
Since settling here, I’ve made it a priority to give back, coaching youth baseball, speaking with Salado High School students, and organizing community food drives to support local families. Investing in people and paying it forward isn’t something I talk about, it’s something I live.
Professionally, I’ve built a successful real estate business serving families across Central Texas, giving me a firsthand view of the growth and change impacting communities like ours.
Salado is at a pivotal moment. Growth is coming. We can either react to it, or lead it. I believe in protecting what makes Salado special while planning responsibly for the future, without placing unnecessary burdens on our community.
I’d be honored to earn your trust and your vote.

Jeff Vancura

We consider ourselves lucky to have found Salado. Coming up on six years now as Salado residents. We love this community. Main Street with its set of unique shops. The numerous social groups that meet over Coffee, Breakfast, or Praise. The overwhelming Generosity seen in Food Pantry and Shoe Drives. All of this makes Salado a Unique and Wonderful community.
The question we face now is how to manage our growth. How fast do we want to go? What do we want Salado to look like years from now?

My priorities as an Alderman candidate include:
– Infrastructure: Ensuring clean water and maintaining quality roads.
– Smart Planning & Zoning: Preventing new developments from impacting existing homes and prioritizing local businesses downtown over chain establishments.
– Public Safety: Maintaining fully staffed police and fire departments.
– Growth: Consistent ordinance enforcement, collaboration with economic development groups like the Chamber of Commerce interested in bringing visitors to Salado (and their $’s) and ensuring the Village expands at a pace that we can support.
Working 30+ years in the High Tech industry, I’ve built a set of skills that can help the Village move forward and still remain Salado. I spent a decade as an Engineer / solving problems, a decade managing R&D projects to be on-time / on-budget, and a decade doing business development & proposals that taught me how to work well with others to deliver win-win solutions for all.
Let’s work together to Keep Salado a One of a Kind Community.