City prepares for May voting
Council districts expand to add in annexed areas
By SHANNON CRABTREE scrabtree@leader-news.com

DISTRICT DIVISIONS: Voting districts in the city of El Campo were redrawn this week to accomodate annexed areas. District 1 is in red, District 2 in yellow, District 3 green and District 4 blue. District 4 includes the newly annexed Sandy Corner neighborhood. Map courtesy of city of El Campo

The possible effect of nine new households on El Campo City Councilwoman Gloria Harris' district prompted her to vote against the ordinance adding annexed homes into municipal districts.

But the measure still passed 5 to 1, a move which should allow those in all areas annexed Dec. 11 to vote in the upcoming May Council election. Final approval from the Department of Justice is pending.

Although that review will include an examination of minority voting, city officials said they didn't have enough data to look at possible effects of the change.

"The last data we have is 1997," City Manager John Steelman said, but added, "I believe eight of the residences (going into District 2 on the southwest side of the city) are Hispanic and one is Anglo."

Harris, the El Campo District 2 representative, questioned what effect even nine new homes and potential voters could have on her district.

"I don't know how bad its diluted the district, because we don't know the ethnicity," she said. "Do you still have a minority district?"

District 2, Harris said, was drawn "to allow for a minority district in the city."

Harris has served as that district's representative for 18 of the last 20 years.

All annexed dwellings are being placed in voting districts adjoining them, City Attorney Ronny Collins said.

For the majority of residences annexed - an estimated 60 to 65 homes in the Sandy Corner neighborhood along North Hwy. 71 - that will mean inclusion into District 4 represented by Councilman Ed Erwin.

With that district's already heavily Anglo population, the addition is not expected to have any major effect on voting ethnicities.

In the upcoming May election, city of El Campo voters will be deciding upon at-large rather than district representatives although annexed individuals still have to be folded into districts to cast ballots.

For the May 2007 election, a district election year, the city had 8,143 eligible voters, according to the county elections administration office.

Of those, only 830 votes cast ballots despite a proposed senior citizen tax freeze also on the ticket.

In the last at-large representative election held May 2006, Mayor Phillip Spenrath collected 770 votes to win his spot on Council while Mayor Pro Tem Kenneth Martin garnered 529.

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

This year the El Campo at-large Councilman election has drawn seven candidates - incumbents Spenrath, a high school teacher and basketball coach; and Martin, a business owner; along with Henry Dornak Jr., a retired engineer and former Councilman; Otha Edison, a pastor and volunteer firefighter; Jimmy Roppolo, general manager of a farmers co-op; Tim Ryan, a business owner currently suing the city over annexation issues; and Richard Young, executive vice president of a wholesale nursery and chairman of the city's Planning & Zoning Commission.

Those wanting to vote in the city's May election have until April 10 to register.

Early voting for the May 10 election starts April 28.

The ongoing lawsuit seeking to put annexations to a vote shouldn't stop residents from annexed areas from voting in the upcoming May races.

El Campo businessman Tim Ryan, who is now also a City Council candidate, is suing the city in an effort to force recent annexations to a public vote.

The case was dismissed from Wharton County's 329th District Court last month and is currently on appeal with the 13th District Court of Appeals in Corpus Christi.

No hearing date has been set at this point.