Kyle City Limits
by BRENDA STEWART

I can’t say that I’m surprised at the outcome of the city council meeting last week. There have been rumblings about the city manager’s arrogance and tenacity for years but he was powerful and nobody seemed willing to cross him. The sentiment has been gathering momentum and building steam since Lucy Johnson threw her hat into the ring for the mayor’s seat last winter and promised to make the changes necessary to unveil our city government and make it more accessible to the citizenry. It was time for a change, from top to bottom, and I think that most folks could feel it coming, welcomed it, and respected that a politician was actually getting the ball rolling on a campaign promise. Now the search begins for a new city manager who will be able to share Kyle’s vision for the decade stretched before us.

If I’m not mistaken, our general election on May 8 ends one of the wildest rides our city government has taken in years. Early voting begins on Monday April 26 to replace the final two council members on our revolving carousel of a dais. Both seats are at-large (the whole city votes for each candidate) and everyone votes downtown at City Hall. Long-time city servants Michelle Lopez and David Salazar will be moving on to the next phase in their careers. Life outside Kyle city government, oh what will they do with themselves?

Luckily, Brad Pickett and Diane Hervol have agreed to step up and fill the remaining seats on the council.  Both are members of the Planning and Zoning Commission, have been actively involved in city government and are local leaders in the community. Both are fiscal conservatives and will finally set the missing pieces to the puzzle in place, which will round out this group of councilmembers representing us and leading us into the new decade.

Pickett is running unopposed, and Hervol will take on candidate Jason Welch.

For the first time in a long time you’ve got folks in the chamber who are actually interested in your ideas and opinions and they are the ones who are going to be making the decisions about your taxes and your quality of life. Let them know what you are thinking. Get involved. Or quityerbitchin.
brenda@haysfreepress.com