MCALLEN, Texas - Mark Murray, an assistant professor at South Texas College and president of Future RGV, has announced his candidacy for McAllen City Commission.
He is running in District 5 for the unexpired term not fulfilled by City Commissioner Seby Haddad. Haddad is now running for Texas House District 41.
Murray has lived in the district for over 12 years.
“I believe in integrity, ethical behavior, and fiscal responsibility,” Murray said, announcing his candidacy.
“I a firm believer in public service over personal ambition. I want more transparency in city government.
Murray said that if elected, he wants to be the commissioner who responds to constituents’ needs. “I want to work for the benefit of “All”, not just special interest groups,” he said.
Murray continued: “I want to ensure that McAllen’s (and the Rio Grande Valley’s) water infrastructure and supply, as well as the electric grid, can meet the demands of continued growth. I also want to continue downtown revitalization projects to encourage increased downtown shopping.”
Murray has been employed as an assistant professor of political science at STC for over 20 years. He teaches American Government and Texas Politics. For three years, he has served as chair of the political science department, where he manages a budget for the 7th largest academic department at the college.
Murray’s education is extensive. He attended the University of Kentucky from 1997 to 2002 as a Ph.D. candidate in political science where he specialized in Transnational Politics with emphases in International Political Economy and Latin American Politics. His research involved whether regional trading blocs were trade creating or trade diverting.
He also studied at the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) at the University of Michigan in the summer of 1998 focusing on Time-Series Analysis and Maximum Likelihood Estimation.
He received his master’s degree in political science from San Diego State University in 1997, where he specialized in Cross-national Politics with an emphasis in Latin American Politics. His master’s thesis is entitled “Privatization in Mexico and Russia: A Comparative Analysis”.
He received his bachelor’s degree in political science from California State University, Fullerton in 1993 and his associate’s degree from Saddleback College in 1990.
Murray has been involved in various leadership positions at STC. He served as a senator in the Faculty Senate from 2007 to 2009, president-elect from 2009 to 2011, president from 2011 to 2013, and past president from 2013 to 2015. He served again as senator from 2016 to 2020 and as parliamentarian from 2020 to 2024.
Murray is a member of the Texas Faculty Association (TFA), the National Education Association (NEA), and served in leadership positions for a statewide organization. He served as a member of the Texas Community College Teachers’ Association’s (TCCTA) Legislative Committee from 2015 to 2016 and the TCCTA Membership Services Committee from 2016 to 2019, where he served as the Committee Chair from 2017 to 2019. Murray is currently serving again as member of the TCCTA Legislative Committee.
Murray has been active in local charitable organizations for many years, such as McAllen Citizens League, Operation Interdependence (for Veterans), and the McAllen Guns ‘N Hoses (McAllen Police and Firefighters) Benevolent Fund. He is also the co-captain for his Neighborhood Watch program.
Murray serves as co-chair of the McAllen Traffic Safety Commission and as a member of the McAllen Housing Finance Board.
“I have always been passionate about my community and I’m eager to use my experience and skills to help the City of McAllen and its citizens continue to prosper,” he added.
Murray has been happily married to his wife, Irma (Moreno) Murray, for nearly 18 years. He has a daughter (Chrystale) and a grandson (Jasson).
