Published: May 09, 2008 07:39 pm            

Candidates stress community participation

Grandview slate unopposed; no incumbents seek return

By Matt Smith

msmith@trcle.com



Of all the Johnson County cities holding elections tomorrow, Grandview is guaranteed the biggest turnover. The incumbents in all three city council seats up for election chose not to seek another term. They are Councilwoman Barbara LeBaron, Place 1 incumbent; Councilman Harold Laird, Place 3 incumbent; and Councilman Jay Davis, Place 5 incumbent.

The outcome of Grandview’s city election is a given at this point as candidates in each of the three open places are unopposed.

Two candidates remain on the ballot for the Place 3 race, however. Crystal Holmes entered the race but withdrew after she said she realized other commitments would keep her from having enough time to dedicate to council service. Holmes termed her withdrawal as conceding the race because she pulled out after the deadline for doing so.

Technically, voters could still elect Holmes, said Sherry Bagwell, Grandview administrative assistant. Should that happen, Holmes said, she would decline to serve. A second candidate, Twilla Orr, entered the race but is not on the ballot because she dropped out before the deadline.

Howard Ray Johnson remains the sole active candidate in the race.

“I was prompted to get into the race after a friend approached me and said he thought I’d make a good candidate,” Johnson said. “So, I started talking to people around town, and they agreed, and it grew from there.”

Johnson said he hopes to accomplish several goals.

“I’d like to get our police department back to proper staffing so they can have a larger presence in town,” Johnson said. “I also think we have some infrastructure needs to look at and long-term planning to work on. We all want Grandview to grow, but we want to make sure it’s a good, controlled growth.”

Revisiting city ordinances to determine which are outdated and which need to be updated should also be done, Johnson said.

Place 1 candidate Chuck McGowen is also unopposed.

“I want to see Grandview prosper, and I’m looking forward to try to add to the good work that the previous councils started. The last two councils have done a magnificent job of returning the city back to fiscal responsibility, and I want to help carry that on.”

McGowen graduated from Grandview High School and said his 35 years of business experience should provide good qualifications for serving the city.

McGowen called Grandview and community important.

“I have a very deep passion for this community,” McGowen said. “My grandparents on my mother and father’s side are from here. I’m a fifth-generation native on one side and a sixth generation on the other.”

McGowan said he remains optimistic regarding Grandview’s future.

“Some poor decision-making from the councils of 2000-05 really took a toll on the city, and there’s a lot that remains to be done,” McGowen said. “But, we have three really good council members retiring and three really good ones coming in to take their place. I think we’re going to see some really neat things coming up for our community.”

Place 5 candidate, Bill Pannell, also unopposed, cited a desire to serve the city.

“I want to be involved because I’m a big believer in doing your part for your community,” Pannell said. “You can’t complain if you don’t do your part.”

Pannell works as a water superintendent for Cleburne.

“I think Grandview is a small town with some financial difficulties that are holding us up with infrastructure and water and sewer and other problems,” Pannell said. “I think my experience will help in those areas and in making smart decisions on how to spend the taxpayers’ money.”

Grandview Mayor Jack Orr and councilmen Travis Buck and Simon Reyna are not up for re-election this year.

“We hate to lose three good members of the council,” Orr said. “But I’ve been talking to the three coming in and we’re all ready to go and looking forward to working toward Grandview’s future.”

Other Johnson County city races tomorrow include:

zx Cleburne — Mayor: Incumbent Ted Reynolds and Bill Miller. Single Member District 1: Dr. Robert Kelly. Single Member District 4: Incumbent John Warren and Kirklin Cross Sr.

zx Burleson — Mayor: Incumbent Ken Shetter. Place 2: Incumbent Jim Wadlow. Place 4: Carter L. Mahanay, Walter Norwood and Glenn Wilson. Place 6: Incumbent Chip Stephens.

zx Joshua — Mayor: Incumbent Merle Breitenstein and Lance Vaden. Place 1: Larry Taylor and Noelyn (Butch) Isom. Place 3: Incumbent Cameron Smallwood. Place 5: Incumbent Tom Tallent.

Joshua residents will also vote on 10 propositions.

zx Rio Vista — Place 3: Incumbent Johnny Lynn and Charles Evans. Place 4: Incumbent Kevin Dollar, Brenda Hall and Marquitta Cookie Fowler. Place 5: Incumbent Jay Futrell and Kenneth Dickerson.

Rio Vista residents will also vote on whether to allow the sale of alcohol for off-premise consumption.

Voting hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Visit www.cleburnetimesreview.com for voting locations. Look for the elections section.

        

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