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Mayoral candidate profile: Michael Hall

Posted at 3:51 PM, Oct 16, 2018
and last updated 2018-10-16 20:05:20-04

Unlike the candidates he’s running against, mayoral hopeful Michael Hall is new to Corpus Christi.  The Chicago native chose to move here in 2014.

“I had to decide where I wanted to live and where I wanted to raise a family and we decided Corpus Christi is the best place to raise our daughter,” said Hall.

Hall says he’s running for mayor to make the city a place his infant daughter can be proud to call home.  If elected, Hall says his first priority will be to audit the city’s books.

“What I want to do is reshape the budget for the city,” said Hall.  “I want to reduce our debt burden.  If you look at our long term liabilities for the city, it’s about $1.9 billion, which is a huge number.”

Improving the city’s aging infrastructure is also one of Hall’s priorities.

“Building a stable infrastructure allows you to grow the city in any way you want it to grow, but you can’t do that without the stable infrastructure,” said Hall.  “When you complain about infrastructure, who do you call?  You call an engineer.”

A licensed engineer by the State of Texas, Hall holds bachelors and masters degrees from Purdue University, and works as a engineering consultant for local refineries.  That background he says, makes him uniquely qualified to address issues with streets, utilities, and other city services.

“I’ve been through these projects, I’ve been through large capital projects with the refineries,” said Hall.  “I’m used to working in that kind of environment, I’m used to working with big numbers.”

At 28 years old, Hall is the youngest candidate on the ballot.  This is also the first elected office he’s sought.  Despite his age, political inexperience, and limited time in the area, organizations like the Corpus Christi Police Association, Corpus Christi Firefighters Association, and Nueces County Sheriffs Associations have all endorsed him.  Hall’s also been endorsed by the Island United PAC, and the Corpus Christi Association of Realtors.

“I’m not in anyone’s pocket, I don’t really have any relatives here, I don’t owe favors to anybody,” said Hall.  “I’m here to objectively make Corpus Christi a better place for every citizen.”