Real Estate Photographer in Leander, TX

Christine DeLisle has served as Leander's mayor since May 2021.

LEANDER, Texas — Leander mayor Christine DeLisle announced during the Sept. 18 city council meeting that she will step away from her position, effective Oct. 16.

DeLisle said she and her family have made the “difficult decision to relocate" after she served as mayor since May 2021 and previously represented District 4 on the Leander City Council for three years. Her current term was set to expire in May 2027.

“I’ve been reflecting a lot on why I’ve been up there — what I was elected to do,” DeLisle said. “At first, I vowed to bring more commercial development to the city, and then I wanted to bring more function and just get things kind of straightened out.”

DeLisle highlighted several milestones during her time in office, noting that key city positions and services now exist that weren’t in place five years ago. She credited the city’s growth to a more strategic approach and a willingness to invest in long-term infrastructure and amenities.

“We’ve become a powerhouse, looking at our budgets,” she said. “In 2018, when I got here, we were bringing in $5.16 million in sales tax. This year, it’s estimated we’ll be just under $12 million.”

She also pointed to achievements such as expanding recreational offering (including girls’ softball), opening a new recreation center, hiring a conservation specialist and increasing capacity to support future growth.

DeLisle has not formally resigned her position but said she plans to serve until the council meeting on Oct. 16. Mayor Pro Tem Nicole Thompson will assume mayoral duties following her departure.

“I intend to serve every day to the best of my ability until the end of our meeting on October 16,” DeLisle said. “I want to make clear that I’m not running for any office, nor am I running from anything.”

DeLisle expressed pride in her contributions to Leander and optimism about the city's future.

Mayor Pro Tem Na'Cole Thompson will step into the role on an interim basis on Oct. 16 until a special election is called.

LEANDER, Texas — The city of Leander will soon start searching for a new mayor, after current Mayor Christine DeLisle announced last week that she would be stepping down from the role mid-term.

During a city council meeting on Sept. 18, DeLisle said she and her family made the decision to relocate.

"I'm sad to not see a lot of our projects through to fruition, but it is 100% the right choice," DeLisle said.

DeLisle, a council member for three years before being elected mayor in 2021, then re-elected in 2024, was set to serve until May 2027. Mayor Pro Tem Na'Cole Thompson will be stepping into the interim role on Oct. 16, until the city calls a special election for mayor.

During DeLisle's time on the dais, Thompson said she was a leader in water infrastructure, adding a full-time conservation specialist; supporting economic development in the area, and adding more parks.

"We're making progress with infrastructure, we're making progress with water, we're making progress with entertainment," Thompson said. "I'm excited to be able to be at the helm when Christine steps away to just continue that forward progress."

Thompson moved to Leander back in 2007 and said since then, the city's population has increased about 10 times in size.

"I've seen Leander grow from 10[,000] to 15,000 [in] population, and now we're knocking on the door of 100,000," Thompson said.

Thompson said many people have been moving to the area for the school district and more affordable housing. Her hope is that as more people keep moving in, they keep developing everything residents need.

"We don't want our residents to always have to lave and go out of the city to go to work, to buy food, to have entertainment, and so we're trying to create a place for that to happen right here in Leander," Thompson said.

Thompson said the next mayor will need to be a strong leader who's focused on development, small businesses, water and parks.

In Leander, council members and the mayor role are still volunteer, unpaid positions, so many of them have other full-time jobs. Thompson said as the city continues to grow, that could be the one thing holding them back from retaining quality leaders.

"We want them to represent so many different interests, and we want them to spend so much time in the community," Thompson said. "It becomes difficult to balance that if you're running a business, have a job, have a family, and then you're taking 10 or 15 hours a week doing council responsibilities."

She said she hopes the city adds compensation to these roles in the future, so they can bring in leaders who are able to dedicate themselves fully to the role.

"That's going to be important as the city continues to grow and move forward, that we do something like that," Thompson said.

Once DeLisle formally files her resignation request, the city will have 120 days to call a special election, which will fill the mayor's seat for the remainder of her term.

KVUE asked Thompson if she herself would run for mayor. She said as of right now, she is just focusing on her role as Mayor Pro Tem.

LEANDER, Texas — During Thursday night's city council meeting, Leander Mayor Christine DeLisle announced her plans to resign in the coming weeks.

"Sometimes we make a lot of plans in our lives and God and life intervene and take you in a different direction," DeLisle said during the Sept. 18 meeting.

"It's been a lot of discussion in my household, and a lot of life has happened and everything's OK, but we have made the difficult decision to relocate," DeLisle said. "I'm sad to not see a lot of our projects through to fruition but it is 100% the right choice."

According to her website, DeLisle has served as Leander's mayor since May 2021, following three consecutive years as Place 4 on the Leander City Council.

She reflected on her tenure, noting she was initially elected with goals to bring more commercial development to the city and improve governmental functions. She also helped oversee the hiring and onboarding of a new city manager.

"My campaign promises were consistent that I wanted to do these things," DeLisle said. "Our staff has grown, our city manager isn't new anymore, key positions that didn't exist five years ago exist."

DeLisle praised the current city staff as "the strongest team that [she's] ever worked with."

DeLisle emphasized she is not seeking other political office and expressed pride in her work leading the city.

"I want to make clear that I'm not running for any office, nor am I running from anything," she said. "I'm proud of the work that we've done here and I'm excited for the work you're going to do on the foundations of what we've built. Leander's going to be OK."

According to a statement from the Leander City Council, DeLisle has not officially resigned yet:

She made a personal statement Thursday night that she intends to resign in the coming weeks. Once we receive a formal resignation delivered to the city secretary’s office, we will place an item on the Council agenda to accept her resignation and call a special election to fill the unexpired term. Per statute, the election would need to be held within 120 days of the resignation. When Council accepts her resignation, that will be her final meeting, and the mayor pro tem will fulfill the responsibilities and duties of the mayor.