The City of Wimberley announced that, following the official Certification of Unopposed Candidates for the May 2 General Election, the City Council will present an ordinance at the March 5 Council meeting to formally cancel the City’s May General Election for Mayor and City Council Places 2 and 4. Under the Texas Election Code, when all candidates in an election are unopposed and certified as such, the governing body may cancel the election and declare those candidates elected to office.
The City Secretary has certified in writing that no opposed candidates have qualified for the Mayor, Place 2 or Place 4 seats. As a result of the certification, Jim Chiles will continue to serve as Mayor, Anne Ulfelder will be declared elected to City Council, Place 2 and Sam Werner will be declared elected to City Council, Place 4.
According to her submitted biography, Ulfelder built a career grounded in strategic thinking, creative execution, and a talent for making brands endure. With more than 25 years experience working with Fortune 500 and multinational companies, she has led marketing and brand initiatives across four continents for organizations including JP Morgan Chase, MasterCard International, Monster.com, Nestlé, Olympus, Motorola, and Hasbro. Her work spans major television campaigns, social and digital marketing, national print advertising, multi-level direct marketing programs, and high-profile sponsorships such as the Olympics and World Cup—along with a few memorable challenges, including managing a coast-to-coast blimp fleet. She later enjoyed an award-winning second career as a residential realtor before retiring.
Since moving to Wimberley in 2018 with her husband, she has remained deeply engaged in civic and nonprofit service. She’s served on multiple City of Wimberley committees, currently chairs the Wimberley Planning and Zoning Commission, has volunteered with WAG and the Hays County Food Pantry, and recently completed her term as President of the Board of Trustees at Unity Church of Wimberley, where she also leads the church’s Adopt-A-Highway program. Ulfelder is also a certified personal trainer and mom to four adult children.
She holds a B.A. in English and Journalism from Texas Christian University and a master’s degree in marketing communications from Syracuse University.
Sam Werner grew up in the small, rural river town of Amherst, Wisconsin. According to his biography, he did not realize it at the time, but having access to the great outdoors and splashing around in the river played an instrumental role in shaping me and my path in life.
He graduated from the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point with a double major in Water Resources and Chemistry. After completing his master’s degree in Environmental Engineering from Syracuse University in 2011, he moved to Texas seeking blue skies and barbecue to go along with opportunities in Texas. In Houston he worked in both education (high school science) and civil engineering (public water infrastructure) and met his wife.
“We often found ourselves escaping the city to the Hill Country. As we started our family, we knew we wanted to find a little slice of heaven to connect with nature and to develop closer community,” Werner said.
“I never thought I would move back to a small town, but here we are, and we can’t see ourselves living anywhere else. The move to Wimberley was nearly three years ago, and I am excited about the future of Wimberley and the opportunity to serve our community in keeping Wimberley strong and vibrant while preserving its character and charm with thoughtful stewardship of our natural resources.”
Current Council Members Bo Bowman (Place 2) and Bob Clark (Place 4) did not file for re-election and will complete their existing terms in office.
The officially elected candidates will begin their new terms of office after being sworn in between May 5 and May 13. The exact date and time of the swearing-in ceremony will be announced once finalized.
The ordinance to cancel the May 2, 2026 election will be presented and acted upon at the City Council meeting on March 5. Once adopted, the ordinance will be posted in accordance with Texas Election Code requirements.
