Candidates file for municipal, school board races

Feb 9, 2010 — Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Traci Shurley and Eva-Marie Ayala

Feb. 9, 2010 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- A longtime Arlington school board member said Monday that he won't seek a seventh term as filing opened for this spring's municipal and school district elections.

Jim Ash, 56, who has served on the board since 1992 and has been its president four times, was first elected about the time this year's senior class was born. He said it "seemed like it was a nice thing for me to graduate with them."

He's looking forward to spending more time with his family and doesn't have plans to run for another office.

"Serving the students of AISD was my one hope, and I was very fortunate to be able to do that," he said.

Board President Mike O'Donnell had previously said that he won't run again. He's been on the board since 2004.

Three candidates filed for their seats Monday. Tammy Taylor and Alisa Simmons will run for Place 5, which is held by O'Donnell. Simmons ran for Place 2 in 2008, receiving 34 percent of the vote in a loss to Peter Baron.

John Hibbs is running for Place 4, which Ash holds. Hibbs is a father of three who served as chairman of the district's recent bond advisory committee.

Candidates have until March 8 to file for the May 8 elections. Here are filings for other races.

Fort Worth

Two incumbents filed for their seats on the school board Monday.

Chris Hatch, 63, a certified public accountant, is seeking re-election for the District 6 seat. He has represented southwest Fort Worth since 2004. He has previously sought the board's at-large presidency and the District 97 seat in the Texas House.

Longtime Trustee Judy Needham, 68, a consultant for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tarrant County, filed for the District 5 seat representing the west side, a seat she's held since 1996.

Two other seats, Districts 2 and 3 on the east side, are also up for election. They have been held by Jean McClung and Christene Moss, respectively, for 20 years. Both have said they intend to file.

One of the biggest issues to face the next school board will be considering whether to close small schools. Trustees are struggling to get a handle on the district's finances. A complex state funding system limits how much money a district can raise without calling a rollback election to increase taxes.

District officials are reviewing campus enrollment and other data to determine how to best use district resources, which may include school closures. Trustees will likely vote on school closures and/or consolidations in the fall semester.

Colleyville

Carol Wollin filed for re-election for City Council Place 1. A retired assistant professor of nursing, Wollin, 57, described herself as an active community volunteer. Her first elected office was from 1993 to 1997 on the Grapevine-Colleyville school board. She was elected to the council in 2007.

Mayor David Kelly, 53, also filed Monday for re-election, running for a third term. He is a certified financial planner with Cornerstone Professional Advisor Services in Southlake. Kelly, first elected mayor in 2005 to a shortened two-year term, was re-elected for three years in 2007.

Place 2 Councilman Michael Muhm also filed for re-election. He was first elected in an August special vote to fill an unexpired term. Muhm, 51, owns a home-based company, Recognition Resources of the Southwest.

Grapevine

Mike Lease and Darlene Freed filed for re-election to the Grapevine City Council.

Lease, 57, owner of a contracting firm in Southlake that specializes in healthcare construction, won the Place 3 seat after a runoff in 2007. The eight-year Grapevine resident is chairman of the Grapevine Chamber of Commerce and director of the Grapevine Heritage Foundation.

Freed, also 57, is seeking her fifth term at Place 4. She has lived in Grapevine for more than two decades, has served on the Planning and Zoning Commission and is a member of the Grapevine Rotary Club and chamber of commerce.

Southlake

Two planning commissioners filed for open seats on the Southlake City Council.

Al Morin, 68, is seeking Place 4. Morin retired in November as the human resources director for the Boy Scouts of America. Jeff Wang, 53, filed for Place 5. Wang is a real estate consultant. Wang and Morin resigned from the commission to run for the council seats.

Place 4 Councilman Gregory Jones and Place 5 Councilwoman Virginia Muzyka cannot seek re-election because of term limits.

No candidates have filed for Place 3, held by Brandon Bledsoe.

On the Carroll school board, both trustees whose seats are up for election have filed for another three-year term. John Thane, 47, a Southlake financial adviser, is seeking a second term in Place 6. In Place 7, Sherri Evon Williams, 50, a homemaker, volunteer and real estate investor, is seeking a third term.

Other races

In Bedford, consultant James Griffin filed for City Council Place 3, now held by Lori Nail. Roy Turner filed for re-election to Place 5. Bedford Municipal Judge Timothy Murphy filed for re-election.

Three Hurst City Council members filed for re-election: Ann Holzer, Place 4; Billy McLendon, Place 5; and Nancy Welton, Place 7.

Keller City Councilmen Tom Cawthra, Place 3, and John Baker, Place 2, filed for re-election. Baker is also mayor pro tem. There were no filings for the Keller school board.

In the Mansfield school district, Trustees Sandra Vatthauer and Michael Evans have filed for re-election. Vatthauer, 48, is a petroleum engineer and has held Place 5 for six years. Evans, 43, is a pastor and has held Place 3 for three years.

In the Birdville school district, Trustee Ralph Kunkel has filed to keep his seat. Kunkel, 49, joined the school board in May 2002 and lives in North Richland Hills. Cary Hancock, 47, of Hurst, is seeking a full term. He joined the board in a special election in 2009 when David Pokluda stepped down.

In the Tarrant Regional Water District races, Trustee Marty Leonard filed for re-election. She and Trustee Jim Lane are both seeking four more years on the board that oversees the water district, which provides water to 11 counties. Lane indicated last week that he would seek re-election but has not filed.

Tarrant County College also has two board seats up for election. Neither board member Randall Canedy nor fellow Trustee Bobby McGee has filed for another six-year term.

Staff writers Aman Batheja, Jay Board, Jessamy Brown, Bill Hanna, Alice Murray, Nicholas Sakelaris, Bailey Shiffler and Diane Smith contributed to this report.

Newstex ID: KRTB-0070-41900351