Lessons from Running for Local Office: Do the Boring Stuff, Says Mayor Elida Castillo

Elida Castillo is the new mayor of Taft, Texas, a director for LCV’s Chispa Texas program, and an alumna of LCV’s candidate training. A longtime environmental activist, Elida decided to run for office to fight the power of the oil and gas industry in her community. In 2024, she was elected to the Taft City Council, and in 2025 she ran for mayor.

Elida’s mayoral victory is also a victory for local residents harmed by the fossil fuel industry’s pollution and influence in the community.

“There is a lot of corruption in Taft, and there has been misappropriation of resources. This has led to degrading infrastructure, public works layoffs and worse city services, and a lack of trust in the town’s leadership,” says Elida.

Elida ran for mayor to promote more transparency and community input in big decisions. One example: a proposed refinery project that needs the approval of the Taft City Council to proceed. Historically, the Council made these decisions without much (if any) consultation with residents.

As the Council allowed the oil and gas industry to expand, residents suffered the impacts of worsening air quality and toxins. And despite the fossil fuel industry’s claims to bring prosperity to the places where they locate, Taft residents have dealt with increasingly frail infrastructure. For example, the ancient sewer system often fails to deliver reliable residential water service.

As she works to address these issues, Elida has made accessibility and responsiveness hallmarks of her time in elected office. She believes this was a major factor in her election.

“The community knew they could trust me from my time as a council member. I am someone who will keep them updated on what is going on,” Elida reflects.

One of the big tasks ahead for Elida is straightening out the finances of Taft. In addition to the issues with misappropriation of funds, the city hadn’t done an audit or reported publicly on finances in the last year. There are also several pending lawsuits against the city to address.

“I am planning to have a forensic audit performed, but I’m afraid of what we are going to find,” says Elida.

One piece of low-hanging fruit: Taft historically neglected pursuing available state and federal funding, such as post-disaster recovery support.  For example, when a hailstorm damaged many residents’ homes, the city neglected to declare a disaster and request support.

“Residents can’t even afford plastic sheeting for their broken windows. If we get disaster funding, we can help residents address the costs of restoring their homes and businesses. There are other grants that we can also pursue to help with our infrastructure needs,” Elida explains.

While Elida has her work cut out for her as a new mayor, she is inspired by the trust voters placed in her. “There is nothing that can replace communicating with your constituents, listening to their concerns and addressing them,” she says.

Reflecting on her two campaigns, Elida has advice for others considering a run for local office. First, show up for the boring stuff like meetings relevant to the position, whether that’s city council, the school board, or others. And take the time to be accessible to voters.

“Get to know the issues and don’t get discouraged. If you are there to make a difference in the community, people pick up on that. You may think voters aren’t paying attention, but they are,” says Elida.

The incumbent mayor she ran against had more swagger, more signs and a noisier campaign, and she expected to lose. But by election night, it was obvious that she had more support. She had a whole team of volunteers out with her, while he was alone.

Her second piece of advice: get candidate training. “Time is your most precious resource and you have to use it efficiently. The timeline activity at the end of the training is really helpful, getting clear on when to hire staff, send campaign mail, and more.”

We in the Conservation Voters Movement are looking forward to hearing (and sharing) more about Elida’s journey as a new mayor!

Our country urgently needs more leaders who share our vision of a world with a healthy environment and healthy communities, protected by a just and equitable democracy. To empower more people in our movement to become leaders, LCV and our state affiliates offer robust leadership development opportunities. Read more about LCV’s Candidate Academy and other programs.