An overview of the May 12 election
By Pearl Cantrell
Monitor Staff Writer
CEDAR CREEK LAKE–(Editor’s Note: This is a Revised article of one appearing in the Voters Guide, Sunday, April 28)
Now in the early voting period prior to the May 12 Local Election date, here’s a summary of the races and issues in which voters will be casting their ballots.
Only one school district is holding an election this go around. Two candidates have filed for Place 3 on the Kemp school board. Incumbent Keith Foisey faces off with challenger Melinda Polk. Place 4-seated John Taylor drew no challengers, so will be reinstalled automatically. Mabank ISD chose to retain its election in May; however, no one filed to run against incumbents Gary Sapp for Place 7 or Kenneth Odom for Place 6.
City residents in Gun Barrel City, Eustace and Kemp will also be voting to retain their leaders or vote in new ones. In Gun Barrel City, voters will choose between current mayor Dennis Wood or reinstall past mayor Paul Eaton. Also council members Dennis Baade and Melvyn Hayes are up for re-election. Baade is facing challengers Jim Braswell, Sandra Ward, Bluebonnet Emporium owner, while Hayes is opposed by Allen Andis.
In Eustace, three seats are up for re-election. Those are currently held by Robert Pickle, Marlin Chambers and Chuck Powers. However, Randy Johnson has also signed up to run for these at-large positions. Like musical chairs, only three can be seated. Eustace will hold its May 12 election at E.L. Kirk Gymnasium. Early voting is being held at city hall.
The City of Kemp drew several candidate for spots on the city council. Challengers Dorothy Locklin and David Smith hope to depose incumbent Jesse Morton in Place 1. While Laura Peace and Shane Helton are campaigning for Place 3, and Todd Weber tries to regain his former vacated position.
Kemp Council Place 5 incumbent Leodis Buckley faces challenger Scott Clearman, a former Kemp ISD trustee.
Kemp leaders face daunting financial challenges ahead, as they deal with a water/wastewater system and plant that needs replacing and is supported with funds from less than 1,000 customers – many of whom are on fixed incomes.
Other cities, like Seven Points and Mabank, were able to cancel their elections due to non-opposition to current office holders, during the candidate filing period. A candidate in Seven Points withdrew his name, when he learned what it would cost the city to hold an election.
The story is similar for West Cedar Creek MUD. The rest have opted to change the time of their local elections.
Local taxing entities were given the option of keeping their elections in May every year, or change them to odd-numbered years or move them to be included in the general election date in November. The option arose from a change in the election rules to better accommodate Americans living on foreign soil, like active military.
The new rule meant that counties, like Henderson County, could no longer guarantee the availability of voting machines in the May election on even-numbered years, due to the possibility of a Primary runoff election. (Henderson County Precinct 1 commissioner, with its four candidates, is likely to go into a runoff election.)
Malakoff and Trinidad ISDs have moved their elections to even-numbered years in November and extended terms of office to four years, while Eustace ISD has opted to hold elections in May, but only on odd-numbered years. Kemp and Mabank ISDs will continue to hold annual elections and rent equipment from a source other than the county.
The cities of Tool and Payne Springs have moved their elections to November, as has East Cedar Creek Fresh Water Supply District, which will hold elections in even-numbered years.
All the rest of the local political subdivisions have decided to retain the annual May election date.

Revised May 12 election candidates for cities and school districts

SCHOOL DISTRICTS Kemp ISD Place 3 Keith Foisey Melinda Polk Place 4 John Taylor (Two seats available) Cities Eustace City Council Marlin Chambers Robert Pickle Charles Powers Randy Johnson (Three seats available)

Gun Barrel City Mayor Paul Eaton Dennis R. Wood Council Place 2E Allen Andis Melvyn Hayes Place 4W Dennis Baade Jim Braswell Sandra Ward Proposal To reauthorize ¼ of 1% local sales tax to continue providing revenue for road maintenance; otherwise return to EDC for business support and recruitment

Kemp City Council Place 1 Dorothy Locklin Jessie Morton David Smith Place 3 Shane Helton Laura Peace Todd Weber Place 5 Leodis Buckley Scott Clearman

 

Cars and crawfish at Mabank Pavilion May 4-5
Special to The Monitor
CEDAR CREEK LAKE–Registration for the second annual Cedar Creek Lake Car Show Poker Run will be from 5 - 7 p.m. Friday, May 4, at Chili’s, in Gun Barrel City and everyone is invited to join the fun.
Everyone with transportation, hot rods not required, can buy one hand and be a part of the event for $10. Additional hands can be purchased for $10 each.
Five other stops are available to pick up cards, including Mabank High School and the final stop at B n R Pit Grill in Mabank.
A prize party will be held at the Pit Grill, including cash and door prizes.
Proceeds from the Car Show and concession benefit the Cedar Creek Lake Area Chamber of Commerce.
Starting at 8 a.m. Saturday, May 5, hot rods, motorcycles, trucks, new Fords and Chevys, and people will start pouring into the Mabank Pavilion to start the sixth Annual Cedar Creek Lake Car Show and Kiwanis Krawfish Boil.
The Chamber Grill Team will be cooking burgers, hot dogs and other grill items. The Cedar Creek Kiwanis Club will be serving crawfish or “mud bugs” with all the trimmings.
Crawfish will be served from 8:30 a.m. until sold out.
The Cedar Creek Lake Area Chamber of Commerce Car Show committee partnered with the Mabank Education Foundation so visitors can easily make donations by taking a test spin in a new Ford.
Support the “Drive One 4 UR School” program to help raise up to $6,000 for the Education Foundation. Donations will be used to support classroom teachers in unique and innovative ways that otherwise would not be funded.
Volunteers will assist licensed Texas drivers fill out a short release form needed to participate in the test drive.
Entry forms for the Car Show can be obtained through the chamber of commerce office or the day of the show.
There will be door prizes, t-shirts for the first 100 entries, and a 50/50, plus a professional DJ playing cruisin’ tunes.
Registration for the show will start at 7 a.m., judging will begin at 11 a.m. and the awards will be presented at 3 p.m.
The show is finished when all of the awards have been handed out.
Preregistration cost is $20 and $25 the day of the show.
Visitors to the Car Show, upon free admission, can take a look at the new Chevrolets and Buicks from Teague Chevrolet.
The 2011 Car Show featured 144 entries and organizers expect to surpass that number this year.
“There’s no way that we could provide this wonderful community event every year without the generous support of our underwriting sponsors,” chamber president Jo Ann Hanstrom said. They’ve stepped up over the years to make this one of the most successful and well-attended events of the year at Cedar Creek Lake.”
We’re pleased that we’re able to continue to offer a free admission event for families,” she added.
For more information regarding the car show or crawfish boil, call the Cedar Creek Lake Area Chamber of Commerce at (903) 887-3152, email at info@cedarcreek-lakechamber.com,  or go to www.cedarcreeklakechamber.com.
 

 

Come Adopt Us At The Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake

We have many animals at the Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake in Seven Points in dire need of a good home. Please call or stop by the Humane Society today and rescue one of these forgotten animals. The Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake is located on 10220 County Road 2403 in Seven Points. For more information, please call (903) 432-3422 after 11 a.m. We are closed on Wednesday.

For further information visit our website at petfinder.com