The Kerrville Area Chamber of Commerce is presenting our first look at the candidates running for the Kerrville City Council, including two who have pending litigation against the city.
The candidate forum is set for 6 p.m. tonight at Schreiner University. The lineup:
- Place 3: Joe Herring Jr. and Katy Chapman-Hanna.
- Place 4: Robin Monroe and incumbent Brenda Hughes.
- Mayor: Brent Bates and Judy Eychner.
Monroe filed a lawsuit last month asking a district court judge to stop the May 7 municipal election. Monroe claims the election violates the city charter and state law. The city, however, issued a statement last week that it's moving forward with the election, and the Texas Secretary of State has their backing.
"The action of postponement was limited to 2020, pursuant to the gubernatorial proclamation. It did not authorize permanently moving the next election date for that term," said the Secretary of State's legal counsel. "The governor's proclamation only authorized a move to November 3, 2020. There is no authority for a local political subdivision, on its own order, to move an election to any other date."
The city had 20 days to respond to Monroe's lawsuit, but that deadline isn't until next week. Monroe is facing Hughes, who is actually at the center of Monroe's court argument. Elected in November 2020, Hughes' first term will be just 18 months due to the postponement of the municipal election that year.
Bates federal lawsuit accuses the city of improperly stopping work on a Water Street office building that is nearly complete. Bates and the city are at odds over several issues, mainly about firefighting sprinklers and access. Bates argues that the city's occupancy rules are wrong, that only about 50 people will be in the building at any one time, while the city argues Bates building is large enough to accommodate 200.
Bates is facing a battle against current City Councilwoman Judy Eychner, who has easily won two terms on the Council. Both are looking to succeed Mayor Bill Blackburn, who is not seeking re-election after two terms.
To replace Eychner at Place 3 is a race between former Mayor Joe Herring Jr. and nurse Katy Chapman-Hanna.
