City Government

Mayor and Commissioners

Paul Harpole, Mayor:

Paul was raised in Denver, Colorado. After high school he entered the Army in 1968, serving two tours in Vietnam as Crew Chief on a Medevac helicopter. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree at the University of New Mexico. He began a career in the automobile business in 1976. He moved to Amarillo in 1982 as General Manager of John Chandler Ford, where he later became a partner. Paul opened Paul Harpole Motors, LLC. after the sale of John Chandler Ford.

Paul has been married for 37 years to Jenny and has two grown children. Paul is President of Paul Harpole Motors, LLC.

Paul has been involved in civic activities including the Boy Scouts, United Way and Panhandle Twenty/20. Recently Paul was one of 300 people nationally named to the Boy Scouts of America’s 100th Anniversary National Hall of Leadership.

Paul has served as an Amarillo City Commissioner from 2005-2007 He served as Vice-Chairman for the Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ) since its inception. He has represented the TIRZ board at the Downtown Amarillo, Inc. meetings since their beginning.

He is a member of St. Thomas the Apostle Church where he served as Board President, taught Sunday school, and served as Committee Chairman and Assistant Scoutmaster of St. Thomas Boy Scout Troop 87.

Phone: (806) 378-3010

Term of Office: 2011-2015

Email: Mayor@amarillo.gov

Ellen Robertson Green, Commissioner Place 1:

Ellen also serves as Chief Communication and Marketing Officer at Amarillo College, responsible for marketing, public and media relations as well as crisis communication on behalf of the college. She acts as chief spokesperson for AC. Ellen oversees KACV-TV, the PBS station licensed to the college, and FM90 radio station and produces and hosts a weekly PBS public affairs television program, Face to Face.

Previously she served as Director of Communications for Amarillo College, documentary producer for KACV-TV (PBS) and taught journalism and speech communication courses for both Amarillo College and West Texas A&M University.

Prior to Amarillo College, Ellen spent several years as a television news anchor and reporter and worked also as an account executive for an advertising agency with four locations in Texas and Oklahoma. She earned a Bachelor of Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin and a Masters of Art in Communication from West Texas A&M University.

Ellen is married to David Green, a minister, and together they have 4 children.

Phone: (806) 371-5131

Term of Office: 2011-2015

Email: Place1@amarillo.gov

Social Media:

Brian J. Eades, Commissioner Place 2:

Commissioner Eades is a native of Amarillo who was raised in the Olsen Park neighborhood. He graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Science from Texas A&M University. While considering applying to medical school, he was active in masters-level work at the Jerry S. Rawls College of Business at Texas Tech University. He then matriculated at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in 1981, and completed his specialty training at the Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas. He has since practiced Obstetrics and Gynecology in Amarillo for almost 22 years. In addition to medicine, Commissioner Eades is a manager and Medical Director at Awaken Spa, a medical day spa in Amarillo.

Brian Eades and Jennifer Powell married in 1987. They have two daughters, Lauren and Rachel. Lauren is a recent graduate from Tufts University in Boston with degrees in International Relations and Spanish, while Rachel is at Amarillo College. Last but certainly not least, Jennifer is the business manager at St. Andrews Episcopal School.

Since his election to the city commission in 2007, Commissioner Eades has prioritized issues of public health and safety. The Mayor and the Commission established Amarillo’s first new fire stations in 50 years. They also developed the new Amarillo Emergency Communications Center and Emergency Operations Center to coordinate disaster planning. A new ambulance permit has been put in place along with and a new bridge at 3rd and Grand that will soon open the area to better emergency and economic access. Currently serving as the chairman of the Emergency Care Advisory Board, Commissioner Eades’ monitoring of “pre-hospital” care in the city is increasingly fine-tuned.

Economic development has also been a priority of Commissioner Eades. Projects evaluated and approved by the Amarillo Economic Development Corporation (AEDC) have been a mainstay of progress in our city and region. Projects including Bell Helicopter, Alstom, Hilmar Cheese, and other financial and food service industries have grown during his administration. As a board member of the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce, Commissioner Eades is an aggressive advocate of maintaining a healthy business community.

Commissioner Eades has been an ardent supporter of downtown redevelopment. As member of the Amarillo Local Government Corporation, Eades will supervise the construction of a new multi-purpose events venue, a parking garage, and a convention hotel using tax incentives with public/private partnerships.

As a life-long conservative, Commissioner Eades has perspectives on public safety, water reserves, taxation, infrastructure, and job growth that reflects his deeply held West Texas values.

Phone: (806) 355-6330

Term of Office: 2007-2015

Email: Place2@amarillo.gov

Social Media:

Jim Simms has served on the City Commission since 2005. He has been very active in the community serving in numerous volunteer capacities. He owned his own business for 28 years, selling out in 1999. He was then in the banking world for 11 years before quitting it to handle investments and enjoy life more.

Jim has been married to Freeda since 1957, has three children and six grandchildren.Phone: (806) 352-7572

Term of Office: 2005-2015

Email: Place4@amarillo.gov