Shawn Teamann

Entrepreneur

Faith I Family I Community

I have lived in the Texoma area my entire life, and I have lived in the Sherman city limits for over 20 years. My priorities are my faith, family and community. I attend Church at Western Heights Church of Christ in Sherman, Tx. I have an amazing wife of 13 years, Randi Teamann, and we have been blessed with two incredible children, Charli and Beckham.

I have been a business owner most of my life, and I began my entrepreneurial journey in high school. At that time, I started a residential/commercial landscaping business called “College Bound Mowing”. This business had great success, and I operated it throughout high school and college.

I attended college at Southeastern Oklahoma State University (SOSU) on an athletic and academic scholarship. I received my bachelor’s degree in 2005. While attending Southeastern, I began the next chapter of business ownership. In 2005, I became a partner in Nautilus Family Fitness in Sherman. Since that time, we have expanded the brand regionally and have locations from Paris to Gainesville back and forth across the red river.

Entrepreneurship has given me the freedom to serve my community through non-profit boards and elected positions. I have been proud to serve as the secretary treasurer of the Texoma Behavioral Health Leadership Team, as a board member and president of the Sherman Kiwanis Club, as an ex-officio board member of the Sherman Economic Development Corporation, as a board member of the Sherman Chamber of Commerce, and a board member of the Lamar County Coalition of Business and Industry. We have many incredible service organizations in the Sherman community, and I have enjoyed supporting and volunteering for many of them, not listed above.

In 2016, I was elected to the Sherman City Council, and I am currently serving (hold-over) in my 3rd council term as Deputy Mayor.

Mayor Objectives

I am a dedicated leader with a strong commitment to our community. With over 25 years of entrepreneurship and 8 years of City Council experience, I am proud to be running for Mayor of this great city! As a small business owner, I understand the importance of fiscal responsibility and making efficient decisions. I have been a steadfast advocate for infrastructure improvements and keeping the cost of living in Sherman low. I believe a city’s success should not be judged on the growth it experiences but on the quality of life of its citizens. Growth should be a byproduct of success. If a city delivers exceptional public safety, streets, utilities, green-space, and a vibrant business environment, it will by default become a desirable community. Sherman has had some great wins over the last 8 years, but I believe we have our best years ahead of us. Some of my priorities included:

Improving Infrastructure:

The city of Sherman has vital infrastructure needs. I believe the top priority moving forward should be getting back to the basics. The growth is upon us, and we need to make sure that our foundation can support it. Since I joined the City Council in 2016, we have increased our street reconstruction mileage from 4-6 miles a year to roughly 20 lane miles in 2024. As TXDOT continues construction on our major highways, our city streets are taking on more traffic. We need to ramp up reconstruction of our city streets to keep up with the additional traffic and growth. We need to secure additional water rights at Lake Texoma to ensure we always have plentiful water to provide for the impending growth, and we need to improve our existing runoff waterways to prevent flooding in different areas of the city. The city has old water and sewer lines in several areas, these need to be addressed. Before we move on to new projects, we have to take care of what we have.

Quality of Life:

Quality of life comes down to several key elements; cost of living, safety, career opportunities, walk-ability, outdoor activities, and entertainment. Sherman has recruited several large employers that will bring high paying jobs, like Texas Instruments and Global Wafer, but we can’t stop there. We not only need to continue recruiting additional career paths to diversify our job offerings, but we need to focus on creating a vibrant community. Sherman has always been known for its charm and the people who live here. We can’t lose ourselves in growth. To enhance our charm, we need to listen to our communities. The number one most requested park amenity is walkability. Sherman needs pathways for families to walk safely to destinations like downtown, parks, schools, and businesses. We need to continue helping our downtown development through infrastructure improvements and access. We have to continue working with our police and fire departments, to ensure they have the resources and manpower to perform their jobs efficiently. We have to keep the cost of living low. Families are feeling the pressure of inflation and the associated tax burden. I have been proud to advocate for the citizens by opposing tax increases and fee creation, every year since joining the Council in 2016.

Managing Growth:

I believe it is a Mayor and Councils responsibility to be an advocate for the citizens. We have to seek guidance from the communities we serve, take the guidance, be an advocate for it, and be transparent with the actions taken. We have an opportunity to manage the growth we are experiencing through zoning and master planning. I have been proud to advocate for growth policies that give an expectation playbook to developers. We will continue to receive requests for zoning changes and new developments, but as a council, we have to put the existing citizens and community first. Growth needs to pay its own way, and as I often say “Growth should pay for Growth”. Since joining the city council, I have done 100’s of news stories to get the information to the public. Transparency should be a top priority.

I have a proven track record of advocating for our citizens. I believe that by addressing the foundational issues such as our infrastructure, securing water rights, and enhancing our quality of life, we can create a thriving and vibrant community that attracts growth naturally. Transparency is key to effective governance, and I have always been dedicated to providing impartial information to the community.