El Campo city, school incumbents challenged
By SHANNON CRABTREE scrabtree@leader-news.com

With contested races for the El Campo City Council and both school board positions, El Campo voters will have some serious choices to make in May.

And there may still be more to come with candidate filing for the city of El Campo, El Campo school district, Wharton County Junior College, Isaacson Municipal Utility District and the Louise water board continuing though March 10.

Three boards already have contested races while three others have a full slate of unopposed incumbent candidates.

In El Campo ISD, posts held by trustees Melissa Erwin (Position 7) and Tommy Turner (Position 6) are up for a vote and both are now contested.

For the Position 7 seat, salesman Clayton Ryan has issued a challenge to Erwin's re-election bid.

For Position 6, Turner's effort to claim another term is being challenged by retired high school German teacher and former El Campo Mayor Paul Soechting.

In the city of El Campo, five candidates are currently seeking the three at-large posts on Council.

Incumbents Mayor Phillip Spenrath and Mayor Pro Tem Kenneth Martin are facing challenges from Farmers Co-op of El Campo General Manager Jimmy Roppolo and Tim Ryan, a business owner suing the city and its Council in an effort to force recent annexations to a vote, on the Citizens for a Responsible El Campo platform as well as El Campo volunteer firefighter and pastor Otha Edison.

The third at-large seat was vacated recently by the resignation of Kyle Smith.

In El Campo, the top three vote-getters of all at-large candidates earn the posts from which the mayor and mayor pro tem are historically selected.

In the Isaacson Municipal Utility District, seats currently held by Floyd Fisher, Floyd Shimek and Joe Juroska Jr. are up for contention.

Brenda George, a nurse, has filed to challenge the three incumbents who are all seeking additional terms.

In the IMUD, the top three vote-getters win seats on the board.

Other filings are:

Wharton County Junior College - Three positions are up for election: Position 3, held by Georgia Krenek of Wharton; Position 4, held by Phil Stephenson of Wharton; and Position 8, held by Oliver W. Kunkel Jr. of Needville.

All incumbents have now filed and are currently unopposed.

West Wharton County Hospital District - In the West Wharton County Hospital District, the terms of incumbents Michael Appling, Stephen Cooper, Kristi David, Chip Jenkins, Richard Kerzee and Anthony Cisneros are up for election.

District Clerk Irma Rocha reports all incumbents have filed.

Louise Water District - In the Louise water district, positions held by A.E. Thomas and Paul Blumrick are set to expire.

Manager Eula Mae Crowell reports both incumbents have filed for an additional term.