A Veteran Leader: Mayor Pete Cain of Anna, TX

As a native Texan, the battle cry “Remember the Alamo” resonates as not just a testament of a bloody fight in San Antonio or fuel for the painful birth of a new republic, it stands as marching orders for each of us to recognize and reflect on the sacrifice that so many men and women before us have made. The Corporal R.D. Foster Veterans Memorial in McKinney lists the names of over 400 soldiers from Collin County who made the ultimate sacrifice and never returned home. Countless other men and women from Collin County or currently living here have served in recent conflicts around the globe. This week we observe Veteran’s Day on November 11th, marking 106 years since the end of World War I on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. This is a day set aside to not only remember those who gave their lives, but the veterans of our armed forces that continue to give so freely of themselves today.

One man in particular sets the standard for veterans in Collin County. Born in Abilene, raised in Giddings, and schooled for a time in Waco at Baylor University, Anna Mayor Pete Cain is as Texan as they come. After the unwelcome discovery that college football required a bit more talent than he possessed Cain left Baylor and joined the Marine Corps. From 1988 to 1994 he found himself doing everything from search and rescue during the Exxon Valdez oil spill to intense battles during Operation Desert Shield and ultimately Desert Storm. “My oldest son was born while I was there. My wife was being induced and I didn’t want to miss it so I managed to find a payphone in the desert and called the hospital room. I got to hear everything. It was awesome, though it did cost me $735 which would feel like $25,000 today!” Shelling out that kind of money for a collect call would be unimaginable to the average Marine fighting in Iraq, but the brief connection with family during such a critical time reinforced his dedication to duty and personal sacrifice.

A Servant Leader

“Being in the military teaches you what leadership really is,” Cain reflects. “It’s about putting others before yourself, listening, and making decisions that help the whole team.” His experience with an exceptional leader named Gunny Angus who “cared about us so much that it ground him down” left a lasting impact on Cain’s own style. Observing this leader taught him the importance of balancing compassion with resilience, a lesson he has carried into his civilian roles. “There were other leaders who approached it from a place of ‘Hey, I’m doing my job, you do yours,’ and really there is a time and place for that style of leadership as well.”

Returning to Texas after his military service, Cain moved to Anna in 1999 and quickly became a prominent figure in the community. “The day after we moved in I came to downtown Anna to sign my sons up for youth football. They were short on coaches and before I left that day I had agreed to take a team. I guess we just haven’t run out of places I felt I could step in and help out yet.” Since that day he has served on the Anna ISD school board and the Greater Anna Chamber of Commerce, where he eventually became chair. His volunteer work, including serving as an elder at Pin Oaks Christian Fellowship, reflects his philosophy of servant leadership—a belief that a true leader serves those around them and places the needs of others first.

“For me, being a leader is about giving back,” he says. “It’s about really listening to people, stepping in to help when needed, and always making decisions based on what’s best for the community.” This philosophy guides his work as mayor, where he emphasizes the importance of teamwork and humility. “When something good happens, it’s not because of me—it’s because of the team we have here. That’s what keeps us moving forward.” Cain’s commitment to serving others has earned him respect throughout Anna. His leadership style, which combines humility with a clear sense of purpose, resonates deeply in a community that values strong relationships and support among neighbors.

A Surging Location

Even in a town moving and growing as rapidly as Anna, many people are surprised to learn that the Mayor and City Council aren’t compensated for their time. That doesn’t seem to be an issue for Mayor Cain though. “I don't know that I can ever look at the budget to a point where I'm willing to not have a firefighter, or not have a peace officer, or not have a librarian, so that I get paid. That’s where the real work is. I’m just here to help provide policy, try to do the best we can for those community servants and the residents of Anna.”

Anna is undergoing a rapid transformation. In 2000, the town’s population was just 1,225. By 2020, it had surged to 16,896, and today, it stands at over 20,000. With projections indicating a possible population of almost 200,000 in the future, Cain and other city leaders have embarked on an ambitious Comprehensive Plan to guide this growth while maintaining Anna’s small-town charm and community spirit.

At the center of this plan is a revitalized downtown district designed to be the heart of Anna. The vision for downtown includes a blend of residential, commercial, and entertainment spaces, creating an environment where people can live, work, and play. Mayor Cain is enthusiastic about this transformation, seeing it as an opportunity to preserve Anna’s character while bringing new energy to the area. “Our goal is to create a downtown where people want to be—a place where families make memories and neighbors come together,” he explains. The city is investing in walkable streets, community spaces, and storefronts designed to attract small businesses, artists, and local vendors.

Additionally, Anna’s future includes an entertainment district that promises to become a major attraction for residents and visitors alike. This planned hub will offer dining, shopping, and recreational activities, making it a destination for family outings and social gatherings. Cain sees this district as an opportunity to keep local spending within the community while also drawing visitors from surrounding areas.

A Selfless Love

For Cain, the love of community goes beyond the responsibilities of his office. After 25 years of living in Anna, he is deeply tied to the people and the values of the town. “The best part of Anna is the people,” Cain says without hesitation. “Time and again, I’ve seen how the community comes together in times of need.”

Cain shares stories of neighbors stepping up during crises, such as during the Texas freeze of 2021, when residents worked together to cook meals and ensure that families had the resources they needed. “The power was out all over and one of the ladies in my church sent a message and said, ‘We’re going to cook, spread the word.’ We were out there in a grocery store parking lot cooking in 19-degree weather, making sure people had a hot meal,” he recalls. “Over the course of five days we fed 1500 families. It’s times like that when you see what a community is really made of. The people here are impressive, and it might be like that in other communities, I don’t know, but I absolutely know it is like that in Anna.”

His love for Anna is also evident in his vision for the city’s future. Cain talks excitedly about plans to develop the downtown area and improve infrastructure while maintaining the close-knit, small-town feel that residents cherish. “We’re going to grow, no doubt about it,” he says, “but we need to grow in a way that keeps our community spirit intact.”

That community spirit remaining in place along with the rapid growth was evidenced in 2023 when the Anna Coyotes became 4A state football champions, a topic Mayor Cain enjoys discussing with great pride. “I get to be the PA guy at the high school football games, the ‘Voice of the Coyotes’, though my wife Denise prefers the title ‘Mouth of Anna,’” he says with a chuckle. “I haven’t missed a game, home or away, since 2005. I love it.” Yet another way that Cain volunteers his time framed as a personal delight. He speaks with deep passion of the joy he receives from being a part of Anna and “seeing a neighbor get a big win.” He works hard to find needs and understand what the community wants by listening to his neighbors. One great example exists in the form of a skate park. “I wasn’t fully on board, I’ve never been to a skatepark, because,’ he jokes, “I don’t enjoy hospitals. But we built this thing and it’s slammed, young and old, people love it. And if they love it and they want it, I need to find a way to help them get it.”

Cain’s faith plays an essential role in his life and leadership. “I live by two verses in the Bible,” he says, referring to Matthew 22:37-39. “Love the Lord your God, and love your neighbor as yourself. If we all followed just that second rule, the world would be a much better place.”

For Cain, this love translates into service—whether it’s serving his church as an elder, his city as mayor, or his family as a husband, father, and grandfather. His family, he notes, has been a tremendous support throughout his journey. He and Denise have been married for over 35 years, and they now enjoy watching their children raise families of their own. His wife, though introverted, supports him fully in his role as mayor, often laughing about the attention he gets while out in public. “Every time we go to the store, someone stops me to talk about the city,” he says. “My granddaughter once asked, ‘Do you know everyone here?’ I told her, ‘No, but I care about everyone here.’”

His love for his grandchildren translates to the city of Anna as a whole. “If we can do something for the kids, I’m in. That’s the future. That’s all we’ve got. I'm not talking about, you know, what kind of education they get or what kind of life they get to lead. It's do they see love and joy and kindness every day? Because if they don't, we need to figure out how to show them that. Because they emulate what they see. So if I have any influence here, we may not always agree, but we’re always going to be loving and kind.” While kindness is his default he understands that the world as a whole isn’t always kind. So in yet another volunteer capacity Mayor Cain uses his Marine Corps training and firearms expertise to teach a free self defense class to young women in the area. “It’s only for females and they learn awareness and the soft points on the body and how to manipulate them. We do it for free because I have young ladies in my life that I care about and I want them to learn to protect themselves.” His shooting skills, by the way, learned in the Marine Corps are the one thing he says no other mayor in Collin County can match, though he stops short of issuing any direct challenges to test him on that.

A Legacy of Service

On this Veterans Day, we honor the sacrifices of those who have served in our armed forces, acknowledging the debt of gratitude we owe to the men and women who protect our freedoms. For leaders like Mayor Pete Cain of Anna, Texas—a Marine Corps veteran shaped by his experiences in Desert Storm—this day is a reminder of the courage, commitment, and loving service that American armed forces instills. Cain’s life and leadership reflect the selflessness and dedication that veterans bring to their communities long after their service ends. Men like him embody the values of honor and duty that sustain both the nation and the local communities they help build and protect.

Since our brief hour together I have spoken often about Pete Cain. Friends have heard about him and I’ve told my teenage sons about about our conversation. They’ve heard of his sense of duty, sacrifice, and service driven by love for his community. I’ve drawn inspiration from him in recognizing the time and place each of us occupy and rather than bemoaning that it isn’t as grand as someone else's, looking around and finding ways to make it better for those around me. As our time together drew to a close and we stood to leave, I said with all sincerity, “Mayor Cain, it has been such a pleasure to get to know you, I’m really honored that you would talk with me.” With a slight look of mild amusement mixed with genuine confident humility he shook his head, gave me a slight smile, and said, “We’ve got to raise your bar higher, man.” Of all people, Mayor Pete Cain is well versed in raising the bar. Every father who has ever sent his son off to basic training does so with the hope that the man who returns will be the man Pete Cain has proven himself to be.