Wednesday, May 8, 2024
SPRINGTOWN — Two members of the Springtown City Council are facing challengers in the upcoming May election.
Council members in Places 1, 3 and 5 are on the ballot to keep their seats for another two years. The last time these spots were on the ballot — in 2022 — none of the races were contested. This time is different as only Place 1 council member Ted Martinez lacks a challenger. Candidates David Martin for Place 3 and Planning and Zoning Commission member Jessica Castro for Place 5 are running against incumbents Mayor Pro Tem Walter Roberson and Scott Richardson, respectively.
Springtown City Council approves new ordinances and makes decisions on development in the city. Members are also in charge of adopting a city budget every year as well as the tax rate.
Election Day is Saturday, May 4, and early voting runs Monday, April 22 through Tuesday, April 30.
The Tri-County Reporter asked all the candidates vying for a seat on the Springtown City Council to tell us about themselves and their goals. Check out their responses (by place and by last name alphabetical order):
PLACE 3
Name: David Martin
Occupation: My first job out of college was at General Dynamics in Fort Worth where I worked in F-16 Systems Engineering and Flight Simulation. I then moved to Austin in the '90s and worked at the Applied Research Labs at UT in the Advanced Sonar Division developing and testing multiprocessor software algorithms for Los Angeles class submarines and autonomous underwater vehicles. I moved back to the DFW area in the 2000's and worked in the private sector for FedEx and Cadence Design Systems in the role of Software Release Manager. I am currently retired.
In 100 words or less, tell us about your education: I graduated valedictorian from the High School for Engineering Professions at Dunbar in Fort Worth in 1985. From there, I attended Texas A&M University in College Station and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in engineering in 1989. In 2018, I passed the exams to become an FCC-licensed amateur radio operator, callsign W5EBB. This callsign I requested in honor of my late stepfather, Leonard "Max" Hinkle, who had used this same callsign from 1950-2014.
In 100 words or less, tell us about your community involvement: I believe it is important to contribute to your local community, whether it is through donating your time, financially or both. I consider tithing an obligation we all have to the extent that we can afford to do so. Since moving to Springtown, I have made regular monetary donations to our local Neighbor to Neighbors food pantry. I recognize and appreciate Neighbor to Neighbors to be a very worthy cause that is run efficiently and makes a direct, beneficial impact to our community.
In 100 words or less, tell us about your family: My mother, aunt, uncle and oldest nephew currently live in Springtown, and my youngest nephew lives in Fort Worth. My mother Sharon Hinkle has lived in Springtown since the 1980s and was married to Max Hinkle until his passing in 2012. His father was Leonard Hinkle, Springtown ISD Superintendent from 1965-1971. The Hinkle Building at Springtown Elementary was named in his honor. My father Jim Martin is 88 years old and lives with his lovely wife Velma in Fort Worth. He loves golf, and I never pass up an opportunity to play a round with my Pop.
In 300 words or less, describe why you are running for a place on Springtown City Council, and what experience you are bringing to the position.
I believe democracy works best when voters are offered a choice of candidates on the ballot in each election. I offer a new voice for city council and will carefully research and consider every item ahead of time before it comes to vote in the council. The decisions the council makes in one meeting can have long term ramifications that can last years or decades for an individual, a neighborhood or the entire city. My engineering background and work experience provides a foundation for logical thinking and critical analysis to understand and unravel the pertinent and important aspects of matters that come before the council.
Zoning, planning and consideration of variances comprise a large part of city council responsibilities. While living in Dallas, I was part of a neighborhood effort to block the building of a six-story storage facility next to our neighborhood. To show from real-world viewpoints of what this proposed six-story building would look like next to our neighborhood, I created a 3D model of the proposed building in Google Earth. This was shown to our city planner and council member. With the neighbors in alliance, the Dallas City Council unanimously voted to deny a variance that would have allowed the storage building to be built next to our homes.
Having lived in Fort Worth, Austin and Dallas, I am well aware of the issues of large cities. As Springtown continues to grow, as a city council member, I would strive to monitor these concerns and preemptively keep them in check early to prevent them from becoming problems later.
In 300 words or less, what goals do you have that you feel will help serve residents in Springtown?
The city council must consider completely each new proposed development. The negotiations with developers need to be conducted with critical assessment and understanding of any special circumstances related to a given property.
Some concessions have been made in the past for developers, waiving in development plans some of the requirements we have codified in our city ordinances (such as subdivision screening, fencing and tree planting requirements). We also outsource a number of professional services in areas such as building inspections and the writing of grant proposals. The council needs periodically to review and assess the quality of these services.
Final plats for some subdivisions have been approved by P&Z and city council without adequate grading and drainage as built, leaving the city and/or homeowner to step in to correct deficiencies left over by the developer or homebuilder. I would make it a goal to strive to get this right the first time, and the city should require the developers and engineers to not just say the plans are adequate but to prove they are adequate before building.
As a city council member, I would provide consideration to both new residents and longtime residents. The people of Springtown are friendly, respectful and proud. We are happy to help our fellow neighbors, and we are comfortable to ask for help from our neighbors. The source of the small-town charm of Springtown is its citizens, and I hope this friendly and helpful nature of the people of this Springtown continues into the future. If elected, I will serve the city of Springtown and its citizens earnestly with honesty, trustworthiness and integrity.
Name: Walter Roberson
Occupation: Retired from Atmos Energy (45 Years), Oct. 1, 2021
In 100 words or less, tell us about your education: I am a 1973 honors graduate of Jackson State University, Jackson, Mississippi with a BS degree in speech communication. Graduated in 1974 from Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, Texas with a MS degree in speech communication.
In 100 words or less, tell us about your community involvement: I hold membership in several organizations. I am an active Life Member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. the Fort Worth Chapter; Boy Scouts Volunteer for Troop 216; the Fort Worth Chapter of the NAACP; the Jackson State University Alumni Association and Board of Directors Center of Hope Weatherford, Texas.
In 100 words or less, tell us about your family: I am married to my college sweetheart, Francine, and we have been married for 47 years. We have two adult children and one grandson. They are Dr. Stephen Douglas Roberson, wife Monica, Toni Elayne Roberson, and Gabriel Alexander Roberson, 7 years old. We have lived in Springtown for almost 30 years. My wife is a teacher in the Fort Worth Independent School District. We are active members of Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas.
In 300 words or less, describe why you are running for a place on Springtown City Council, and what experience you are bringing to the position.
I am seeking re-election to the City Council Place 3 because I do not feel that I have completed the task that is before me. The task is to assist in making our Springtown a better Springtown today than it was yesterday. I have been afforded the opportunity to make a positive difference in the lives of individuals in our city and yet there is still work to be done. As a member of the city council, I have seen taxes lowered, city services improved and business growth take place. I bring 45 years of corporate experience and diversity to the city council. My involvement in the betterment of Springtown has been taking place for years. I was appointed to the Planning and Zoning Board by late Mayor Wayne LaCava and served as chairman before becoming a member of the city council. I want to continue being an agent of change for the city of Springtown, Texas.
In 300 words or less, what goals do you have that you feel will help serve residents in Springtown?
The goals that I have for Springtown are: 1. An administration complex; 2. Expanded library space, a new building; 3. Legend Museum expansion and relocation; 4. Fully staffed police department with competitive salaries; 5. New businesses that will be an asset to the community; 6. Revitalized downtown; 7. City park improvement; 8. Senior/community center complex.
PLACE 5
Name: Jessica Michelle Castro
Occupation: Marketing, co-founder of a non-profit.
In 100 words or less, tell us about your education: I received my education at Springtown High School and have taken numerous online classes to further my education.
In 100 words or less, tell us about your community involvement: For nearly two years, I have served on our Planning and Zoning Commission, and I am both a board of directors member and an ambassador at our chamber of commerce. My husband and I founded an organization that focuses on giving back to the residents of Springtown through initiatives such as our holiday baskets of love where we hand out baskets filled with everything needed to make a holiday meal, and our yearly back to school giveaway where we give backpacks completely filled with all the school supplies needed to start the school year.
In 100 words or less, tell us about your family: I have been blessed with a wonderful husband named Joe for 19 years. Together we have raised four fantastic children. Our oldest is Mario. He is 21 and has a 3-year-old son named Lennon. Myra is our oldest daughter. She is currently living in Nebraska to attend Midland University after winning a state championship for powerlifting at Springtown High School. Our second daughter’s name is Joey Marie. She is 18 and is currently doing online learning. And lastly, there is Jesse; he is a sophomore at Springtown High School.
In 300 words or less, describe why you are running for a place on Springtown City Council, and what experience you are bringing to the position:
My decision to run for Place 5 on the city council was motivated by my ardent desire to give back to the community that has shaped me into the person I am today. I believe by combining my deep affection for Springtown with my determination to strategically guide its expansion we can create a thriving environment where tradition and innovation seamlessly blend together. I may lack having years of political experience. I do, however, possess the ability to listen and help solve problems that matter to people.
In 300 words or less, what goals do you have that you feel will help serve residents in Springtown?
If I am elected, my top priority will be to serve the residents of Springtown by keeping their voices and wishes at the forefront of all decision-making processes. I will work tirelessly to ensure that our community’s needs are met and that every resident has access to the resources they need to thrive.
Name: Scott Richardson
Occupation: Accountant for MR Braz & Associates, PLLC
In 100 words or less, tell us about your education: I attended Springtown schools for all my 13 years and graduated from Springtown High School in 1990. After graduation, I then attended Weatherford College before transferring to Tarleton State University. In 1995, I graduated from Tarleton State with a BBA in accounting, and I have worked in the accounting field ever since. For the last three years I have been employed as an accountant with MR Braz & Associates, PLLC, an Azle-based employer of about 250 people in our community that works hard to contribute to the local and national community, as well as the local economy.
In 100 words or less, tell us about your community involvement: I have been heavily involved in the Springtown community. Most recently, I have had the honor of serving the last two years on the Springtown City Council. Before that, I spent the previous two years serving on the Planning and Zoning Commission, part of that time was spent as chair of that commission. I am also very actively involved at First Baptist Church, where I have helped with Vacation Bible School and other events.
In 100 words or less, tell us about your family: I have a very active 9-year-old daughter Lauren who keeps me very busy with her activities. When we are not attending her cheer competitions, she loves to go to the many great community events with me and spends lots of time at our park riding her bike on the bike trails or getting to play in the playgrounds. We love taking advantage of all the many wonderful things our park has to offer, and we look forward to all the future improvements that are planned for the park.
In 300 words or less, describe why you are running for a place on Springtown City Council, and what experience you are bringing to the position.
I have been blessed to have grown up in Springtown. My family has lived in the Springtown area since 1952. I love this community and love bragging about the many remarkable things it has to offer to my friends and family who live elsewhere. As soon as I moved back to Springtown a few years ago, I immediately wanted to do something to allow me to contribute to the special place that we have here. As was previously mentioned, I have several years of experience in this position, as well as serving on the Planning and Zoning. Through these positions, I have gained much valuable experience that helps me best serve this community every day in this position. I enjoy being able to contribute to this community by helping it deal with the issues that arise in our community. I also love being able to help our citizens by working hard to bring new businesses and developments into town to better help serve our citizens. All these new businesses in town contribute more funding to Springtown to allow us to do more events for the citizens, as well as future improvements to infrastructure in our community, including the city park. Over the last two years, this has allowed us to reduce the city tax rate by approximately 23% and increase the amount of police officers to help better protect our community. We have also been able to buy new equipment and make other improvements by paying cash and not having to incur any further debt.
In 300 words or less, what goals do you have that you feel will help serve residents in Springtown?
Right now, our community is going through “growing pains.” While I would love for it to still be the small little “one light” town that it was back in the ’80s when I was growing up here, the simple fact is that many great people have now found our town and have chosen to join our community. We need to welcome these people to our community. We also must work hard with TXDOT to help plan for roadway development throughout our community to help better manage the traffic brought on by the development in our area. Our city is also working hard to recruit new businesses to our town to help serve all the citizens of Springtown, as well as the surrounding area. We are also blessed here in that the city council and staff of the city of Springtown have worked hard with the infrastructure to make sure that it can manage all the increased growth. For example, our water plant, which is only at about 70% full capacity right now, is already in the planning stage to be enlarged to better serve the citizens. We are actively looking “down the road” to anticipate any future issues and address them right now before there is a problem. We must keep up this work to avoid any future problems.
