One more race: Here's where Corpus Christi's council district hopefuls stand on the issues
Kathryn CargoEvery election season is different.
And Corpus Christi's 2020 election has been unlike any other.
Mayoral and City Council at-large and district candidates all faced the challenge of campaigning during the COVID-19 pandemic. They couldn't walk door to door or host large events like they normally would have.
Most candidates' campaigns ended on election day, Nov. 3. But six are headed for runoff elections Tuesday.
Paulette M. Guajardo, an at-large City Council member, and Mayor Joe McComb are in a mayoral runoff.
More:Runoff election for Corpus Christi mayor a competition of visions
Greg Smith, the incumbent District 4 councilman, is up against Kaylynn Paxson. Smith took the lead in his race on Nov. 3, but he didn't get more than 50 percent of the vote. Paxson was the runner up.
Political newcomer Rachel Ann Caballero led total voting results in the District 1 contest, but will be in a runoff against Billy Lerma.
Arrest warrant for district 1 hopeful
Caballero, 44, who runs a small bookkeeping and accounting business, has an active warrant for her arrest in Colorado. The Caller-Times confirmed this past week with Denver Criminal Court the warrant is active.
The warrant was issued March 5, 2004 and stems from a domestic violence incident that allegedly occurred two days earlier. Violations listed on the document were disturbing the peace, assault and threats to person/property.
Monday, the Caller-Times requested a copy of the arrest warrant from the Denver Police Department. The department has yet to respond. Only a case summary was available online.
Caballero posted on Facebook on Monday afternoon about the warrant following a mass text that was sent out the same day about the allegations.
In the post, Caballero defended herself and denied any claims she ever ran into legal trouble during her seven years living in Denver. She blamed political enemies with trying to smear her and scuttle her campaign.
More:Corpus Christi council hopeful denies criminal charges, says she's target of smear campaign
Caballero said she lived in Denver from 2000 to 2011, and was never cited, arrested, or served a warrant from 2004 to 2011. She said she never lived at the address listed on the warrant.
"I have not done any of the things listed on the screenshot/warrant," she said in the post.
She has been in contact with law enforcement agencies regarding the warrant. Caballero told the Caller-Times on Thursday she is scheduled to meet with a Denver magistrate to resolve the issue.
Lerma, 62, who is a retired Postal Service employee, said "he had nothing to do" with the mass text about the warrant, and he was surprised when he received it.
"I've ran over 10 campaigns for the school district during my tenure here, and I've never, ever said anything negative about any of my candidates," Lerma said. "I have always ran on my merits, on what I have accomplished."
"I assure you, and the voters and Rachel that I had nothing to do with this."
Lerma has been on the Tuloso-Midway Independent School District board of trustees for 25 years. If elected, he'll resign from the board.
District 1 top issues
The district represents a long stretch of the city, reaching from Calallen down Refinery Row, encompassing downtown and North Beach.
Caballero said her platform is "honesty, moral and integrity driven voting that benefits the entire community."
"I believe priorities should be infrastructure, all neighborhood upkeep, our horrible streets, and a reasonable and efficient budget," she said. "We need different people in office — not the career politicians; not the 'yes' politicians.
"And definitely not people that cannot ask the tough questions, hold people accountable, and stand up for what is right for all community members."
Lerma said while on the school board, he has worked with businesses to bring growth to the district. That would be his main focus on council.
His main concerns are Farm-to-Market Road 624 corridor traffic issues, entities having trouble getting city building permits, increasing foot traffic downtown, North Beach drainage problems, new business and housing developments and bringing in more high paying jobs.
"(District residents) just need somebody that's experienced and committed to working with other council members," Lerma said.
District 4 top issues
This district has the largest water bodies and encompasses a portion of southernmost Ocean Drive, as well as Flour Bluff and parts of Padre and Mustang islands.
Smith, 68, is the CEO of Pioneer Resorts Inc., and said his main concern for North Padre Island is the detrimental effect short-term rental can have on residential neighborhoods.
"We need to enforce our zoning laws in the neighborhoods that do not allow short term rentals," he said.
Addressing homelessness is his top priority in Flour Bluff. Smith said he recently helped Rising Tide Ministries get a grant to help homeless individuals reunite with their families.
City wide, Smith is focused on infrastructure and public safety.
Paxson, 30, who is the operations manager at Hester's Cafe, has ran her campaign on transparency.
"The no. 1 issue, to me, which is on my platform, is returning the focus to the community of District 4 by focusing on the needs of the community members in District 4 first," she said. "For District 4, the top concern is presence and accountability in leadership."
"Because, to me, that kind of encompasses the main needs, such as code enforcement, our homeless, the streets."
Desalination, streets and parks
The Caller-Times asked the district runoff candidates how to best address these three topics.
Responses were limited to about 75 words. They are printed verbatim as they were submitted by the candidates.
Here are the three questions that were asked:
- Parks are considered part of the city’s infrastructure. What is your view on the city’s current investment in park maintenance and improvements – and if anything should be changed, how so?
- Desalination plants have become a contentious topic in recent months. Do you support the current plan? Why or why not?
- Is there anything that could be improved in the city’s approach to street repairs – and if so, what could be improved and how?
District 1
Billy Lerma
- Age: 62
- Years of Corpus Christi residency: 62 years
- Occupation: retired U.S. Postal Service
Parks: I feel that parks play a big part of our Citizens freedom to be able to get to enjoy the outdoors more so now during our current situation with the pandemic. I believe that we must maintain our parks currently. I don’t have enough information on our current park situation to be able to give you a proper response.
Desalination: I do not support the current plan. I do believe that that desalination is a good source of water for our city. I don’t believe that our tax payers should pay for the cost of this water source. Our city is very fortunate to have big Industry, that are willing to pay for this water source and place it at a different location that will not harm our Inner Harbor.
Streets: I believe that we need to support our current Street Director and our City Manager with providing proper equipment and personnel to get the job done on our streets. I know that our Citizens will give the new Street Director the opportunity to do the job at hand.
Rachel Ann Caballero
- Age: 44
- Years of Corpus Christi residency: nine years
- Occupation: runs a small bookkeeping and accounting business
Parks: In my experience with the city’s parks & rec dept, I have come across some confusion with who’s actually in charge; making maintenance decisions; how it’s run; and the accessibility of the parks to the community. We should have a clear understanding of who gets to use, access, and charge to use our parks if it’s for personal profit.
We need to make sure that parks are available and maintained & that the funds are available to maintain them.
Desalination: I definitely need more access to information regarding this suggested initiative. I believe more research needs to be done with regards to the true need and why, the location of the plant, and the long term affect this will have on our bodies of water.
Streets: Yes, there is an extreme need and urgency to improve the city’s approach on street repairs. For example, we need to actually start repairing our streets and not just talking about it and charging a fee for it. There are some plans in place to repair Ocean Drive but this is just ONE of the many street issues we have throughout ALL of Corpus Christi. The current “plan” needs to be shared with council and the community.
District 4
Greg Smith
- Age: 68
- Years of Corpus Christi residency: 22 years
- Occupation: CEO of Pioneer Resorts Inc
Current: district 4 City Council member (elected 2018 and 2016)
Parks: Parks are a very important part of our City and our infrastructure. In the past two years the City has made significant changes in maintaining our parks. Additional crews have been hired and resources allocated to the Park Department. The Community enrichment fund which had five million dollars for park improvements is now being expended. A master plan for the Bill Witt regional park is being produced.
Desalination: Desal is an important source for future water supplies. I support using desal as a water source if it will be paid out of the industry funded drought surcharge and only when demand is 75% of our water supply. This follows current City policy and would not result in increased water prices to our ratepayers.
Streets: The City has changed its pothole repair plan using new materials and practices to extend the life of the repair. The City has also added new crews and equipment for street overlays seals that greatly lower the cost of these needed repairs to our streets. This allows for more streets to be repaved per year for the same amount of funding.
Kaylynn Paxson
- Age: 30
- Years of Corpus Christi residency: 15 years
- Occupation: operations manager at Hester's Cafe
Parks: Parks are a huge asset to our community. We need a better maintenance plan, and our current parks need to be repaired and invested in so that our families can enjoy them. Our community has great ideas on ways we can improve parks. My goal is to help find creative ways to make these ideas realities - the city and community can and should work together on parks.
Desalination: I’m not opposed to desalination technology. However, I’m not in support of moving forward with the current proposal until there has been sufficient communication and input from the community. Other options need to be fully examined so we can feel confident in selecting the best option that puts the community’s needs first, and is also responsible for our environment.
Streets: Our approach to street repairs needs to be doing the correct procedure with long term use in mind. With the new leadership in the streets department we have seen long needed improvement to this issue, and I’m excited to see this success grow.
Here are the key dates:
- Election day: Tuesday
- Vote canvassing: Dec. 18 until Dec. 2
- Inauguration: Jan. 12. New council members will be sworn in at City Hall.
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Kathryn Cargo follows business openings and developments while reporting on impacts of the city government’s decisions.See our subscription options and special offers at Caller.com/subscribe.
