Area voters have plenty to ponder

April 26, 2010 3:05 pm Carol Christian wrote:
One of the busiest ballots in the May 8 suburban election is Deer Park’s, with a four-way race for City Council Position 5 and three contenders for Position 6.

Position 6 Councilman Jeff W. Pound, 44, filed for re-election Feb. 8, the first day to request a place on the May 8 ballot.

Pound is co-owner of Fairmont Funeral Home & Cremation Services and was first elected to council in 2008.

His two opponents are Eddie Dove, 55, a real estate broker, and E. Dale Wortham, 51, an electrical worker.

Pound said his goal in seeking a second term is to continue serving the entire city and to keep Deer Park vibrant.

He pledged to work with all residents to provide activities for all age groups and to promote “solid, clean economic growth.”

“The future of Deer Park is bright, and I look forward to helping drive solutions to the noise, traffic and drainage issues that affect parts of our city,” Pound said. “We have good people working on these issues, and I will continue to focus on them while I am on council.”

Pound also said he would continue to be a strong advocate for the men and women in the city’s police, fire and emergency medical services.

“Needless to say, I am not perfect, but I have always sought to be a council member the citizens of Deer Park can be proud of and to make decisions based on what’s best for everyone,” he said.

Dove, who said he has run for council several times since the 1980s, said one reason he entered this year’s race is that the city’s code enforcement program is too punitive.

“The town is like a homeowners’ association and is getting worse,” Dove said.

One indication that some code enforcement officers are overzealous, he said, is their practice of checking the registration status of vehicles in residents’ driveways.

In the past, he said, residents received notices if vehicles on their property were obviously wrecked or junked.

“Now they’ll send you a citation over an expired inspection sticker,” he said. “This has gotten out of hand.”

Dove said he also was concerned at reports the city’s emergency medical service sometimes called a private ambulance company for patients who were not considered to be seriously ill, rather than transporting the patients in city ambulances. He said his mother had that experience about a year ago.

Wortham, who ran in 2007 for Position 3, said he’s running again because he wants to help shape the city’s approach to growth.

“We’ve had a lot of good growth in Deer Park, but I don’t believe we did it in a way our infrastructure could support,” Wortham said.

“Some of that growth has contributed to flooding.” he said. “If we’re going to forecast growth, we at least need to have a plan in place to make sure the infrastructure keeps up.”

Wortham said he took issue with the city’s recent decision to bring in four or five hotels without drainage improvements to support them.

“I’m not anti-hotel, and I’m not anti-business,” he said. “We need to expect growth and plan for that growth.”

Wortham said he would also like to see the city explore funding options for creating a quiet zone along the railroad tracks adjacent to Texas 225.

Jason Morris, a 30-year-old director, also entered the race for Deer Park Council Position 6, but later withdrew.

These are other contested races in the May 8 election:

DEER PARK

Position 5

Beckie Stockstill Cobb (i), 56, insurance agent

John J. Janatsch, 67, retired

G. Terry Lutz, 63, retired

Bill Zastrow, 67, retired

LA PORTE

For or against

Reauthorization of a quarter-cent sales tax for city street maintenance and repair.

District 4

Charles “Heavy Fed” Gilliam, 40, activist

Tommy Moser (i), 49, electrical consultant

District 5

Louis Rigby (i), 61, retired

Abraham Rosa, 33, self-employed

MORGAN’S POINT

Position 2

Jimmy Sledge Jr. (i), 52, attorney

Sammi Hammers, 61, accountant

SHOREACRES

Alderman

G.T. “Gerry” Victor (i), 72, marine consultant

Nancy J. Schnell, 39, student/homemaker

DEER PARK ISD

For or against:

A $158 million school bond issue.

The school board race is uncontested.

LA PORTE ISD

Position 4

Jim Schul, 52, chief information officer

Lee Wallace, 56, sales

Position 7

Bill Fennell, 61, principal, Houston Learning Academy

Dee Anne Thomson, 45, customer service supervisor

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