Of Cabbages and Kings
by BOB BARTON
Early voting to decide who will be major players on the Kyle political scene for the next three years began Monday, with about 70 of the more than 10,000 eligible voters casting ballots.
Using last February’s special election as a guide, most prognosticators are suggesting that total turnout next Saturday won’t exceed the 1,013 voters who chose Lucy Johnson to fill the unexpired term of then Kyle Mayor Mike Gonzalez.
Voters this time will decide whether Mayor Johnson will win a new three-year term and additionally whether councilmembers Becky Selbera and David Wilson will also be returned to office.
Johnson has been impressive in her first 14 months in office. She has displayed a strong work ethic during that time and an even more impressive ability to represent the city in functions both big and small.
She does her homework, interacts well with area community and political leaders, and is not an ideologue. Attempts to stir up some opposition to her re-election by a couple of self-branded conservative leaders fell flat when she received open support from numerous established Republican party leaders.
City elections in Kyle have a long record of non-partisanship, similar to those in most area cities, large and small.
Although our growth spurt has subdued a bit, our location on the busy Interstate 35 corridor demands an attentive and talented mayor. We’ve got one. By all means, let’s keep her.
There are also two council positions to be filled for new three-year terms. Last year we added three brand new members to our governing board and they have added new perspectives to many of the deliberations.
We also have a new city manager and Lanny Lambert is off to a very good start. He has a depth of experience in the field that is proving valuable to our entire council.
I am convinced we need to hold on to the two councilmembers who are seeking re-election. Becky Selbera is a Kyle native with deep roots in the community and an independent mind. David Wilson is a longtime resident who grew up in San Marcos where his father pastored the Methodist church. Wilson also is a Vietnam War veteran, a combat survivor of infantry warfare that was deadly and dangerous.
He and Selbera have proven themselves under fire in the field of public service by performance. That’s important when there is so much happening here. Now is not the time to speculate on the unknown.
Their opponents, like the mayor’s, appear to be good citizens interested in the welfare of the city. But this is a time when good intentions are not enough. We have a diverse and energetic city council with strong wills and divergent opinions. There is already a good mix of talent.
Three of them are up for re-election. I’m strongly advocating a vote for Mayor Lucy Johnson and councilmembers Wilson and Selbera sometime between now and May 14.
