Mayor and City Council

Beyond her role as Mayor, Mary M. Dennis has established an exceptional record of leadership at the local, regional, state, and national levels. She currently serves as Chair of the Alamo Area Council of Governments (AACOG), where she leads multi-county initiatives addressing regional planning, transportation systems, and public safety programs. At the national level, she serves as Vice Chair of the National League of Cities’ FAIR Committee (Finance, Administration & Intergovernmental Relations) and is a member of both the Advisory Committee and the Small Cities Council. Her former NLC involvement includes service on the Audit Committee, Legislative Action Committee, Finance Committee, Nominating Committee, Transportation and Infrastructure Services Committee, and the National League of Cities’ Board of Directors (2019–2023). She is also a Board Member of the National Association of Regional Councils (NARC) and Co-Chair of its Economic and Community Development Committee, shaping policies and federal advocacy efforts to strengthen communities across the nation.

Within the Texas Municipal League (TML), Mayor Dennis has held multiple leadership positions, including serving on the Executive Committee, the Nominating Committee, and as Chair of the Texas Municipal Center Visioning Committee. She has also served as President of TML for the 2016–2017 term and continues to provide guidance to municipalities across Texas on risk management, governance, and legislative priorities as a Board Member of the TML Intergovernmental Risk Pool. Regionally, she represents Live Oak with the Northeast Partnership, serves as an Alternate Member of the Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization Transportation Policy Board, is the Regional Director for the Texas Association of Black City Council Members, and also participates in the Bexar County Suburban Cities and the San Antonio Mobility Coalition, Inc.

Mayor Dennis’ civic engagement further extends through her involvement with the San Antonio Women’s Hall of Fame, the Judson ISD Bond Oversight Committee, the San Antonio Women’s Chamber of Commerce, and her role as Honorary Commander, Joint Base San Antonio. She has served as a keynote and featured guest speaker for institutions such as Wayland Baptist University, Texas Tribune Festival, the Young Women’s Leadership Academy, and Northeast Lakeview College, inspiring audiences with her message of leadership, service, and faith.

Through all these roles, Mayor Mary M. Dennis has built an extraordinary legacy of public service marked by collaboration, advocacy, and tireless dedication to the residents of Live Oak and the broader region. A graduate of Sam Houston High School, she attended Our Lady of the Lake University and is a licensed mortician. She is also the proud mother of one daughter, Christina Dennis, and grandmother to Cierra, Chase, and Christine. Mayor Dennis epitomizes the power of persistence as well as the incomparable power of an abiding faith in God.

Before becoming a City Councilmember, Angela served as the Vice President of LOCAP (Live Oak Citizens Assisting Police), a name she coined. She also served on the Parks and Recreation Commission, Economic Development Corporation, Zoning Board of Adjustment, and on a committee to update the city’s charter. She graduated from the Live Oak Leadership Academy and has volunteered in countless city events and activities.

Angela has over 20 years of federal experience. Her educational accomplishments include degrees in Business, Human Resource Management, and Education. Her passion for volunteerism was embedded in her at an early age, coming from a family that believes that you are blessed to be a blessing to others. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, a mentor to at-risk students, and a committee member on several boards in school districts throughout the area.

Angela’s commitment is to serve the City of Live Oak and its residents with honor and integrity. She is dedicated to bringing her best self and providing transparency as the foundation for supporting the city to continue to elevate and innovate. She is ready to serve!

Dr. Perez is a proud three-time alumni of the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston. She practices as a board-certified adult and geriatric nurse practitioner who is also board-certified as a subspecialist in palliative and hospice care. She is recognized as an expert and pioneer in Supportive Palliative Care.

She serves Texans as a noted team-builder, effective advocate and bill drafter across the settings and roles. She is active across multiple state, national and international nursing, health care and policy organizations. She is Chair for the Texas Palliative Care Interdisciplinary Advisory Council. Currently, she leads Team Texas as one of six states selected by the National State Academy of State Health Policy (NASHP) supported by the John A. Hartford Foundation for their new national Serious Illness Institute two-year project.

In her first term, Dr. Perez has served as an appointee to the Texas Municipal League (TML) Legislative Summitt and involved with the Texas Association of Hispanic Municipal Officials (AHMO). Live Oak is an active partner in the National League of Cities (NLC). Dr. Perez serves in the NLC, Women in Municipal Government (WIMG) and the Hispanic Elected Officials (HELO).

Dr. Perez looks forward to the future with the deepest gratitude and appreciation for the Live Oak community’s support. She is honored and blessed to continue her efforts in public service to improve the health and quality of life for her premier community of Live Oak and great state of Texas where the community lives, learns, works, and plays.

Cimics was also an Honorary Commander at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph Air Force Base from 2000-2008. During his time in Live Oak, Cimics also volunteered for over a decade with the Fire Department and eventually became an EMT. Cimics is a TML Certified Municipal Officer and enjoys seeing the growth that Live Oak has experienced throughout his tenure as a Councilman, which started in 2010. He is also a Member of the Live Oak Economic Development Corporation. Cimics continues to be very active in our community by serving on several civic organizations such as LOCAP (Live Oak Citizens Assisting Police). In his spare time, Cimics enjoys traveling with his wife Peggy. They have taken over 18 various cruises.

In 2010, upon realizing stability in his professional endeavors, Dahl sought to contribute more to his local community. With his experience and background in development and construction, the logical first step was planning & zoning. Once a vacancy became available, Dahl applied for, and was unanimously appointed as an alternate member of the Live Oak Planning & Zoning board in 2010. During his short time on Planning & Zoning, Dahl offered unique insight and critical risk reward perspectives from the vantage point of a city regarding future development and implications of the board’s decisions. Dahl religiously attended Planning & Zoning meetings and also began routinely attending City Council meetings as well where he grew frustrated with one council member’s apparent focus on special interests and lack of commitment. Dahl knew this was not good for the future of Live Oak and he could do better. Dahl ran for City Council place 5 on a platform of common sense solutions for the greater good of the city. He was elected to City Council in May, 2011.

During his tenure on the City Council, Dahl has remained true to his initial values of financial security, support for police and fire and maintenance and improvements to the City. Dahl was the leading voice in the move to demolish and sell off the former Live Oak Civic Center and support a market study for a new hotel and conference center, paving the way for the development of the Hilton Garden Inn and Live Oak Conference Center in February, 2016. Dahl was a strong advocate of economic incentives to secure the development of IKEA and The Live Oak Town Center. Recently, he has been a strong supporter of the City of Live Oak Parks Master Plan and required improvements. Dahl continues to evaluate and support positive development opportunities within the limits of our city.

Dahl has seen four city managers and has run for reelection six times, unopposed. Dahl holds true to his core beliefs of rendering common sense decisions that are right for the community as a whole.