Looking Back on Lew’s Legacy as Lockhart’s Mayor
Publisher’s Note: I recently asked Lew White to give me a recap of his tenure as he served as one of our city’s biggest cheerleaders in the positions of City Council and Lockhart Mayor. Here is what he explains he is proud of and what he looks forward to the new administration pursuing.
As I look back at my time on Council and as Mayor, I remember the small ag and ranching community that was Lockhart in 1980. The population was 7,500. There were two red lights, and you dialed 5 numbers to connect on the phone. The square was all small mom-and-pop businesses, including clothing stores, a feed store, a hardware store, FLNB, and Lockhart Savings and Loan. My wife and I brought our family here when I purchased a dental practice. After four years, I decided to run for City Council to serve my new community and to learn how a city operated.
Fast forward to 2026, and Lockhart’s population is now over 18,000 and growing. I’ve always advocated for growth, welcoming new families, friends and relatives, our young people who have started new families and want to remain here, and new small business owners. A thriving, vibrant city should welcome new people, new talents, new ideas. They should also help pay for the rising costs of running a city.
I have had the opportunity to oversee several major projects in town. The top five might be:
1. The widening of Highway 183 to four lanes with a turn lane and four sidewalks for a two-mile stretch through town. Traffic safety and walkability were our main goals. You don’t appreciate how many people rely on walking and bicycles to get around.
2. The city has expanded its water supply from a well field SE of town to include water from GBRA from the San Marcos River and the Alliance Water project from the Carrizo Wilcox. The City has already started looking at another well field for the future.
3. Lockhart was also successful in getting grant funding for almost five miles of sidewalks connecting schools and parks.
4. Economic Development. The city had a small business park on Highway 20. It has since developed a second on MLK and a third now at 2720 and 130. Employers such as the prison, Serta, Irby Electric, Iron Ox, Visionary Fiber Technology, Garage Door Services, Lockhart Fine Foods, Caldwell Manufacturing, Real Cold, McElroy Metal, Factory Builder Stores, Hill Country Foods, and Ziegenfelders have created probably over a thousand new jobs for residents.
5. ESD #5 and Austin Community College. The City worked successfully with the County and the City of Luling to create full County coverage for ambulance service to maintain a larger professional staff and faster response times. ACC was approved to bring secondary education to our County to provide a better-trained local workforce.
The city has certainly met this growth challenge head-on. For those who believe we are unprepared. Let me tell you, we have a plan for just about everything: transportation, water, sewer, electric, airport, animal shelter, to name a few.
Our housing has skyrocketed, with close to 10,000 housing units actively being planned. These developments will offer many alternative housing options and sites for new schools, and police and fire.
The animal shelter is always a major concern in the community. The existing shelter was built in-house with city and prison labor for considerable cost savings and has since had over $700,000 in improvements made. It’s a great facility that the city and the County have successfully joint-ventured, but that will need to be revisited due to the large number of animals coming in from the County.
The downtown redevelopment was recently completed, upgrading utility infrastructure, sidewalks, lighting, traffic flow, and visibility. The city has also addressed major needs by working with Lockhart ISD to develop a new aquatic center and a new recreation center to provide family exercise facilities and meeting space.
Lastly, our new tourism office will open the first weekend in November, which will provide an office open six days a week for visitor information and city promotion.
Major challenges remain. One of my biggest regrets is not being able to attract a health care facility to town. St. David’s recently acquired the urgent care center, but we need more. Two large hospital corporations are still considering Lockhart for a 24/7 ER with lab, X-ray, and observation beds, but no news yet. Our grocery needs persist. HEB has purchased property with hints of a new store within 2-3 years. Street conditions, increased traffic, City Hall renovations, police recruiting, and a new police station will be issues that the new Council will have to face in the future.
I have had the pleasure of working with seven city managers and many different Councils who have all been dedicated to making Lockhart a better place to live. I thank you, Lockhart, for letting me be a part of that effort.
——Mayor Lew White
