There’s a familiar face in the Kerrville the mayor’s office.

In early May, voters returned Joe Herring Jr. to the seat he first won more than 30 years ago. 

Herring, 62, was Kerrville’s mayor for one term from 1992-1994. The city’s website credits him with helping revitalize the downtown area and building its riverwalk.

Herring is a Kerrville native, a fixture in the community and a member of a number of local organizations. Before running for mayor this year, he was the Place 3 representative on the Kerrville City Council. 

He and his sister run Herring Printing Company, a red brick print shop on the banks of the Guadalupe River in downtown Kerrville. The business was founded by their parents in 1964.

Kerrville, a city of 25,000 people, is about 65 miles northwest of downtown San Antonio. Kerrville hasn’t seen its population boom like other areas of Hill Country, as it has added about 2,500 residents since 2010, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Herring recently spoke with the San Antonio Express-News about his vision for Kerrville and what his priorities will be as mayor. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

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Q: What motivated you to run for you run for mayor if you have the same amount of voting power as the other city council members? How is being mayor different than being a council member?

A: I shifted over to one chair to the right.

Former Mayor Judy Eychner was term-limited out. She couldn’t run again. She did a great job and she asked me to run because we were both pursuing similar goals for the community.

About 400 citizens about four years ago got together in committees and decided what they want Kerrville to become. It’s written into the Kerrville 2050 plan, When I ran for office, my repeated theme was I support the 2050 plan. This is what Kerrville said it wanted to be and I’m going to work to make it happen. That includes economic development.  It includes water. It includes parks. It includes taking care of our streets, water and sewer issues

My role, I feel, over the next two years is to shepherd many of the different projects we have going on to be in conformance with that plan. That’s what people said they wanted when they voted. They wanted that plan to continue.

It’s true, I have the same number of votes as I did before, I have the same responsibilities as I had before. The difference, of course, is some ceremonial differences. I have to sign all the documents like ordinances and resolutions and stuff, but when you chair a meeting, you help the flow of that meeting and also have some input onto the agenda of the meeting.

We’re a city manager form of government. The city manager runs the city. The mayor does not, which I’m thankful for. But that is more of a perception change than anything else. I’m lucky to have four people on the city council with me who are all capable. All would also be excellent mayors.

It’s been 30 years since I was mayor. And I’m now 62. So maybe I know more now than I did then. Funny thing I’ve learned, a lot of the issues we were working on in 1994 are still issues in our community today. I think there are issues in all communities. I think the problems don’t change, but the people do. 

Q: What are some of those issues? Kerrville isn’t a Hill Country hot spot for growth like Boerne and New Braunfels.

A: Water will always be an issue. Housing will always be an issue. Affordable housing and attainable housing have always been issued. Economic development will always be an issue.

Our supply of houses was much lower than the demand for houses. We’ve done several things (to change that). We approved deals with Lennar Homes. The first deal builds, I think, 150 homes. The second deal will build about 500 homes. Those homes will be priced according to a (federal) formula to be attainable. I think with that supply coming online,  and older homes and homes that need renovation, hopefully the prices will become stable instead of going up so quickly.

The biggest employer in Kerrville is our hospital. The professional staff — doctors, nurses, and all the people who make a hospital go — are having trouble finding places to live. … We’re working on helping supply housing that’s needed not only for a hospital, but for our school district, for a fire department, for a police department … teachers who need a home, but just haven’t been able to find anything.

I would not be surprised by how many people are actually driving in from Boerne, even San Antonio to work here. It’s nice in Kerrville. People like being here. Not to speak ill of San Antonio, but (Loop) 1604 and (Interstate 10), right now. … It’s crazy. You can escape some of that by being in Kerrville.

One of our (water supply) solutions we have come up with is something called an aquifer storage recovery well, which is like an underground reservoir. Because of our geology here, you can treat the water, inject it back into the ground and it stays there. And then you can pull it out when you need it. That was an innovation from 30 years ago.

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Q: What should Kerrville aim to be? San Antonio isn’t encroaching like it is in some other Hill Country cities, so how do you shape the identity of the city relatively unburdened from that influence?

A: I think our biggest challenge is to maintain our small-town way of life. Being close to San Antonio is convenient. Being close to Austin is convenient, but we don’t want to, we don’t want to be subsumed by them. When I go to H-E-B, it’s nice to see a lot of people I know.

Q: You run a Kerrville history blog in your spare time. What about Kerrville’s past do you want to bring into its future?

A: I think our history is mostly focused on the river. That’s settler history, 20th century history, but it’s also prehistoric history. There are lots of archaeological sites along the river. 

In city government, what can we do to make that river more accessible? Not only for visitors, but for people who live here? I think that’s one of the big things I’ll be working on. … We love visitors. We’re happy people like coming here. But most of my focus will be on things that the people who live here can enjoy.

Q: What should San Antonio residents know about Kerrville?

A: Well, Kerrville has always had historic ties to San Antonio. … The thing about Kerrville, is if it’s hot and muggy in San Antonio, it’s always a little cooler up here. 

We have wonderful restaurants. outdoor amenities. It’s a good chance just to charge up your batteries. And we enjoy even daytrippers coming up and hanging out for a bit. And then heading back home.