I am seeking the endorsement of the Hays County Young Democrats because this campaign is rooted in real representation, accountability, and lived experience. To the best of my knowledge, if elected, I would be the first Latina Commissioner in Hays County who is openly Spanish-speaking and able to communicate directly with families who are too often excluded from local government because of language.

I have consistently highlighted, supported, and stood alongside the Hays County Young Democrats and young voters; especially Latino voters, LGBTQ+ neighbors, immigrants, working families, and others most vulnerable when systems fail. I have seen young people lead with courage, urgency, and moral clarity, and I share that same commitment to justice rooted in humanity.

I am requesting this endorsement because my values and my work align with yours: protecting the vulnerable, expanding participation, and building a Hays County where no one is invisible and no one is left behind. SI SE PUEDE!

My background is grounded in frontline professional experience and long-standing community leadership in Hays County Precinct 4. My work has included legal and administrative settings as well as real estate and property investment, where I engage directly with land use, housing, water access, septic systems, flood zones, infrastructure, budgets including professional experience working with budgets across local, national and international contexts, and families navigating their largest financial decisions. This experience has given me a practical, hands-on understanding of how county decisions affect people’s daily lives.

Beyond my professional work, my leadership has always been community-centered. I’ve held, helped and created clubs and civic spaces focused on dialogue, education, and civic engagement, including Bridges of Literature, SSMS Parent Village, DSISD Parent Village, Amigos Y Paisanos, Mujeres Activas, Dripping Awake, PRIDE of Dripping Springs, Border Missions, Dripping Springs Neighbors en Español, and many more. Through these efforts, I’ve organized public conversations, voter engagement, cultural gatherings, food distribution, and direct support for immigrant families, LGBTQ+ neighbors, and working-class residents.

As a mother raising my children in Precinct 4, my leadership is deeply personal. I understand county systems not from theory, but from lived experience—showing up during crises, advocating for families, and working alongside neighbors to solve problems together. That combination of practical knowledge, community trust, and people-first leadership is what has prepared me to serve responsibly and effectively.

My first goal is protecting Hays County’s water and long-term environmental sustainability. Our county’s rapid growth places increasing pressure on aquifers, recharge zones, and water availability, and these resources must be treated as finite and sacred. My plan is to support and work collaboratively with our groundwater districts, rely on science-based planning, and strengthen oversight of large-scale developments that threaten water security. I will advocate for expanded rainwater harvesting initiatives, conservation incentives, and public education—offered in multiple languages—so families across Hays County can participate in protecting our shared resources. Long-term water stewardship requires both smart policy and an informed, engaged public.

My second goal is building infrastructure that is safe, resilient, and fiscally responsible. Roads, drainage, and utilities must serve the people who live here today while planning responsibly for tomorrow. My plan is to prioritize maintenance, flood mitigation, and safety improvements before costly expansion, and to pursue available state and federal funding so we reduce unnecessary financial pressure on local residents. I bring a strong understanding of budgeting from years of managing complex budgets across local and international contexts, and I will apply that same discipline to county finances—ensuring taxpayer dollars are spent carefully, transparently, and where they have the greatest public benefit.

My third goal is fostering a county government that is transparent, accessible, and centered on people. I do not believe leadership means assuming I know what’s best for everyone. It means listening consistently. Long before running for office, I’ve created and hosted monthly community gatherings, dialogue nights, and public forums—often in partnership with local small businesses—to hear directly from residents. As Commissioner, I will continue and expand this work by creating regular public feedback loops through in-person meetings, social media, and modernized communication tools, so residents know how decisions are made and how to engage. I will champion citizen advisory committees, support faster response times, and ensure county government reflects the voices of immigrants, LGBTQ+ neighbors, working families, seniors, and rural residents alike.

I want to be remembered as a Commissioner who never left anyone behind and always put people first—because a county works best when everyone belongs.

"TODO CAMBIA" MERCEDES SOSA. This song reflects my life and how I lead. I am a first-generation Texan, Hispanic and Polish raised by a single mother in deep poverty. We had no car, survived on about $100 a month, and I grew up knowing how close we were to homelessness. I was a gifted child in an underfunded school system, talent and intellect alone was never enough. I was told to stay in my place. But I didn’t. I became a real estate investor and later owned and ran international businesses in another country, managing budgets and becoming successful.“Todo Cambia” reminds us that systems can change, power can change, and fear can change, but dignity, courage, and love endure. It takes courage to keep showing up when you’re not protected by institutions or establishments, when all you have is your voice and your community. This song speaks to resilience, migration, motherhood, and the quiet strength of people who refuse to disappear. That is how I lead, and that is why this is my song.

I do not support the current state of ICE as it operates today, nor do I support expanding county involvement in immigration enforcement through 287(g) agreements.

What occurred in early 2025 in Dripping Springs—where mothers and children were detained and disappeared through coordinated enforcement actions—hit deeply close to home. These are the families I work with, the parents of children my kids go to school with, the neighbors who attend community gatherings and ask questions quietly after meetings. This is where my roots are. These are not headlines to me; these are people I know.

I have publicly addressed this multiple times and have not stayed silent. I have supported impacted families through direct community networks, helped facilitate and assist community dialogue meetings—including those hosted by the Hays County Young Democrats, by clubs I hold and have created, and by other grassroots efforts across the county. I have helped coordinate events where attorneys were brought in to provide legal information and resources, using homes, churches, and trusted community spaces so families could ask questions safely. I have consistently used my platform to demand transparency, due process, and humanity.

While state law may mandate certain forms of cooperation, local leadership still matters. As Commissioner, I will work to limit and stop harm wherever possible, insist on transparency around any county participation, and oppose policies that criminalize existence or separate families. County government should focus on housing stability, public health, education, and community safety—not facilitating fear or trauma.

I will always stand on the side of families, due process, and humanity—including our most vulnerable families—because public safety is built through trust, dignity, and inclusion, not silence or intimidation. I AM NOT AFRAID. YO NO TENGO MIEDO.

I do not support the use of automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) or AI-driven policing technologies. These are not neutral tools. For many in Hays County—particularly immigrants, women, LGBTQ+ neighbors, people of color, and working families—surveillance represents fear, profiling, and privacy invasion, not safety.

This has also become a women’s rights issue. Across the country, we have seen how digital tracking and data collection have been used to target women seeking reproductive healthcare—such as the high-profile example where a woman in Dallas was digitally tracked in relation to an abortion decision. I fully support a woman’s right to bodily autonomy and the ability to make her own healthcare choices. Tools that can be used to monitor or infer personal health decisions only deepen harm and distrust.

I have been very vocal about this issue through social media, through using my platform, and through supporting people by writing and amplifying comments and concerns. I have written messages, raised awareness consistently, and shown up at community meetings and Hays County Commissioners Court meetings. I have used my voice to amplify these conversations so that vulnerable and targeted voices are heard, not ignored.

Public safety should never come at the expense of fundamental rights. Real safety is built through trust, transparency, and accountability—not through constant monitoring or fear-based tools. As Commissioner, I oppose invasive surveillance technologies that undermine civil liberties and community trust. When it comes to protecting people’s dignity and rights, I stand firmly with our community—and as our Hays County Judge made clear, get the flock out of here.

I DO NOT support the development of large-scale AI data centers or similar projects in Hays County when they pose significant risks to our water supply, energy grid, environment, and long-term sustainability.

Hays County is already facing water scarcity, rapid growth pressures, and infrastructure strain. Data centers are extremely water- and energy-intensive, often with limited local benefit, and they place disproportionate burdens on aquifers, groundwater recharge zones, and utility systems that families and small businesses rely on.

I have publicly raised concerns about unchecked development and the cumulative impact these projects can have on our county’s natural resources. I have used my platform to amplify resident concerns, particularly around water use, environmental degradation, transparency, and the lack of meaningful community input. Residents deserve to know who benefits, who bears the costs, and what protections are actually enforceable before decisions are made.

As Commissioner, my approach would be rooted in precaution and accountability. I would support stronger environmental review, collaboration with groundwater districts and utility providers, and clear limits on projects that threaten water security. I would also advocate for public education—offered in multiple languages—so residents can understand the implications of these developments and participate fully in the decision-making process.

Economic development should not come at the expense of our water, our land, or our future. Growth must be responsible, transparent, and aligned with the long-term well-being of the people who live here—not driven by corporate demand alone. I will always put the health of our county and the voices of our residents first.

Yes, I believe a genocide is being committed against Palestinians.

This is not language I use lightly, but the scale and severity of what we are witnessing demands moral clarity. Tens of thousands of Palestinians—predominantly women and children—have been killed. Entire neighborhoods have been destroyed. Hospitals, schools, and critical infrastructure have been targeted. Hundreds of thousands of people face displacement, famine, lack of clean water, and the collapse of basic sanitary conditions. These actions constitute collective punishment and violate international humanitarian law.

All human life is precious. The deliberate use of methods and strategies that result in the mass killing of civilians—regardless of religion or ethnicity—is indefensible. Condemning the October 2023 attack by Hamas and rejecting antisemitism does not preclude naming the ongoing and disproportionate harm being inflicted on Palestinian civilians. Holding these truths together is not contradictory—it is necessary.

While I am running for local office and do not set foreign policy, I believe local leaders still have a responsibility to speak when basic human rights are being violated. Ceasefire resolutions matter because they affirm shared values: justice, equity, dignity, and the protection of civilian life. Silence or neutrality in the face of mass suffering is not neutrality at all.

I support an immediate and permanent ceasefire, unrestricted humanitarian aid, and accountability under international law. Peace cannot be built on dehumanization or the denial of basic human needs. A just and lasting future requires recognizing the humanity of Palestinians and Israelis alike and ending violence that targets civilians.

Human rights are not conditional. They must apply to everyone, everywhere.