WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — Four residents of Wichita Falls have thrown their hats into the ring to become the city’s next mayor, and all four mayoral candidates are set to face off on the debate stage.

After reaching the three-term limit, Wichita Falls Mayor Stephen Santellana is no longer eligible for reelection, meaning his time as the mayor of Wichita Falls will end when his term expires on December 31, 2023.

Ahead of the upcoming election on Tuesday, November 7, 2023, four individuals have been campaigning to become the next mayor of Wichita Falls:

• Beverly Taylor Ellis
• Tim Short
• Scott Poenitzsch
• Carol Murray

Before the polls open for early voting on Monday, October 23, 2023, a debate hosted by KFDX, KJTL, and Texoma’s Homepage will air on Thursday, October 19, 2023, on both KFDX and Texoma’s Fox.

The debate will be moderated by KFDX Evening Anchors Darrell Franklin and Lauren Linville. During the hour-long debate, the four candidates will answer questions from viewers and explain how they intend to tackle the biggest issues facing Wichita Falls if they take office.

Viewers may watch the debate on KFDX 3 at 6 p.m. and on Texoma’s Fox 18 at 10 p.m. If you can’t catch the debate on television, don’t worry: it will stream on our website, TexomasHomepage.com, at 7 and 10 p.m. the same day.

After the debate ends, the entire program will be added to Texoma’s Homepage for interested viewers to replay at their leisure.