Wimberley Mayor Gina Fulkerson announced that she will not be seeking re-election when her term finishes in May of 2024.
“I love this town, and I have truly loved being mayor,” Fulkerson said. “I am grateful to my friends, family and this wonderful community for the opportunity to be Wimberley’s mayor and for all the support along the way.”
In Fulkerson’s time with the city, both Wimberley and the world have seen plenty of changes.
She was originally elected in May of 2020 when governmental entities were still trying to figure out how to respond to the emerging COVID-19 pandemic. Then came natural disasters like the freeze in February of 2021.
Fulkerson said that she is proud of what has been ac- complished at the city during her tenure including the finalization of the city’s sewer system, the stabilization of city staff with a new city administrator and other key hires, funding for new sidewalks as well as the city’s acquisition of multiple properties including the Oak Park & Welcome Center and parking lot downtown. She was re-elected in 2022.
“We faced a lot of uncertain times, but those are all changes that are very positive and consistent with the character of our town and our community,” Fulkerson said. “I’m glad we were able to deal with the day-to-day and the emergencies that came up, but also get a lot of good things done.”
At the time of her first election, Fulkerson had to leave her seat on the Wimberley Independent School District Board of Trustees to take the role as mayor. She had served on the school board for 12 years, two of which were spent as president of the board. After more than a decade in civic leadership, and the addition of a few new grandchildren, Fulkerson is ready to step back – at least a little bit.
“I want to devote a lot more time to family and relationships,” Fulkerson said. “We have different priorities in our life now that we have grandchildren and that Tom, my husband, and I are both retired. This community is still a priority to us. It is very important to us. I’ll stay involved, but at a different level, so I can devote more time to family, friends and the community in a different role.”
Fulkerson has also served as the director of the Wimberley Education Foundation. Wimberley High School Academic Booster Club, Amigos de Jesus and at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church.
While Fulkerson still has time left in her tenure, she said the upcoming revision of the Comprehensive Master Plan is something everyone needs to keep an eye on.
“The comprehensive plan will be in progress over the next year and a half,” Fulkerson said. “I hope when that comes up that we will have lots of community involvement and awareness. We need to be very careful about that plan reflecting our values as a community, especially when it comes to our natural resources and the feel and character of our town.”
