Granite Shoals, Meadowlakes city candidates comment on May 6 election
In the print edition of The Highlander Tuesday, May 9, space did not allow for the full text of comments from winners in city elections in south Burnet County. A couple of candidates who came in behind their opponents had comments following the elections Saturday, May 6. The following here on HighlanderNews.Com are the thoughts they all shared.
Granite Shoals Mayor Carl Brugger
"I would like to thank Granite Shoals voters for electing me to a second term as mayor,”said Carl Brugger, who will return as mayor of Granite Shoals. “These results were only possible by the effort of my friends who supported my reelection efforts. I look forward to my next two years leading the council and working for the betterment of our community."
Meadowlakes Place 4 Councilman Ed O'Hayre
In Meadowlakes Ed O'Hayre was elected to Place 4 on the city council.
“Thank you all for voting and supporting me in my quest for a position on the City Council of Meadowlakes,” said O'Hayre. “We made it! I am excited and ready to go to work.
“I am committed to work in the best interest of the community. I received a text this morning that sums it up” 'Congratulations Ed! The People's Choice. You will represent them well and honorably.'”
“I have never taken on a task without a very strong commitment to get the job done,” O'Hayre continued. “I am first, and foremost, responsible to the community! I first visited the City of Meadowlakes 25 years ago. I have lived here for nearly two years, The City of Meadowlakes, as far as I am concerned, is the 'best kept secret' in Central Texas. Thank you again for supporting me, I am dedicated to serving you!”
Meadowlakes Place 5 Councilman Bobby Brown
Bobby Brown won Place 5 on the Meadowlakes City Council: “I would like to thank my Friends, neighbors, and everyone else in Meadowlakes who voted for me, and had the confidence in me to serve in their city government as a council member for the next two years. While campaigning, I learned a lot, that you can depend on friends, acquaintances, and neighbors to help you get through an election a lot easier, then trying to do everything by yourself.”
“I want to bring a fresh look to the council, and hopefully together with the existing members, and the other new members, we will be able to change the environment in Meadowlakes to be more user friendly to the ever changing demographics in our community,” Brown said. “We need to be able to cater to our existing retiree base and to the new young couples with children that are already in our community. The new long range planning group came up with some great ideas that we need to explore, and to see if some of those ideas are feasible and cost effective to be put in place right away. I will work hard to represent all Meadowlakes residents.”
A couple of candidates who missed the mark had messages for their supporters, as well.
Meadowlakes candidate Mel Hazlewood
Also in Meadowlakes, The Rev. Mel Hazlewood was a candidate for Place 4.
On Saturday night, he said: “In Psalm 30, the Psalmist says that 'weeping may linger for the night, but joy will come in the morning.'
“So, I look forward to Sunday morning! But tonight, I congratulate Ed O'Hayre on his victory and know that he will be a good council member. I also deeply thank those who supported me and voted for me-- they are the best.”
Granite Shoals candidate Mike Steenbergen
In Granite Shoals, Mike Steenbergen lost his bid for mayor but had much to say: “I want to thank the numerous voters in Granite Shoals that have supported my campaign for mayor. Running for public office is a personal sacrifice of time, resources and privacy.
“I am glad to represent the people who voted for me and have just one regret: I failed to deliver a victory. However, in 2016 after the General Election, I created a non-elected position of Citizens' Advocate along with a Citizens' Advisory Group and began attending city council meetings on a regular basis with several local voters. During the year we were able to move Valley View Road upgrades to the current street project whereas the council plan had proposed a 15 to 20 year delay before upgrading Valley View. We, as a Group also repealed the local deer feeding ordinance because of harsh penalties and misconceptions incorporated into the local law. We were also instrumental in assuring the new fence ordinance included citizen input in its final form. We also sponsored City Trash Clean ups and Voter Registration Drives. Today I announce the reactivation of the Citizens’ Advisory Group. We will continue to represent the citizens of Granite Shoals before the city council and will file a formal charter within the next month so we can expand membership. Roads, water, sewer, drainage and City Code will be the priorities addressed. I look forward to working with the citizens of Granite Shoals. Thank you.”
