It’s almost showtime, y’all!! Or: Here come the November elections

Ladies ‘n germs, it’s almost that time – less than 30 days before filing opens for the Copperas Cove city council November election. This year, places 1 and 2 and the mayor are up for election.

So, ya think you might wanna put your name in there? Let’s dish about this for a minute or two. 

Then, Curmudgeon will end with a few predictions. Here we go –

Who is eligible to be a candidate?

Here’s the qualifications, according to the Copperas Cove city charter:

Sec. 2.04. - Qualifications.

A candidate for office must:

(1) Be a United States citizen.

(2) Be 18 years of age or older upon the commencement of the term to be filled at the election.

(3) Be a qualified voter in the City of Copperas Cove.

(4) Be domiciled within the corporate limits of Copperas Cove for at least one (1) year next preceding the day of the election at which they are a candidate.

(5) Not have been convicted of a felony for which he or she has not been pardoned or otherwise released from the resulting disabilities.

(6) Not have been determined by a final judgment of a court exercising probate jurisdiction to be: (a) Totally mentally incapacitated; or (b) Partially mentally incapacitated without the right to vote, and

(7) Not be disqualified by reason of any section of this charter or by state or federal law.

How do you file to be a candidate?

There is a special application form with the city secretary’s office. The application time period this year runs from July 23 through August 20. You can see it here: http://www.copperascovetx.gov/files/city_secretary/election/app_deadline.pdf.

And now, Curmudgeon’s candidate tips!

Aside from filling out the form and filing it with the city secretary’s office, what does Curmudgeon think a candidate should do?

File your candidate forms with the city secretary ON TIME. That’s a biggee.

You have to name a treasurer. It can be you. In fact, you don’t have to spend a dime. Nor do you have to accept donations from anyone.

But follow through on the financial reporting forms, or it’ll cost ya!! And by that, literally cost ya!

Place 7 councilman Sorry-Charlie Youngs found out the hard way when he did “whatever” he did whenever he wanted, and didn’t file the correct forms. And when he did file, he filed late. It cost him $500 bucks payable to the Texas Secretary of State’s office. Here’s a refresher on that one:

http://copperascovecurmudgeon.blogspot.com/2018/04/sorry-not-sorry-charlie.html

What was the deal with Charlie? Read more here:

“According to the TEC documentation, Youngs was 147 days late filing his 30-day pre-election report, which should have been filed by October 10, 2017 but was filed on March 5, 2018, in which he disclosed $500 of political expenditures without accepting any political contributions.”

Link to full article here: https://www.coveleaderpress.com/news/former-councilman-calls-out-ethics-violation-alleges-city-charter-violations

Is it important to file correctly and accurately? Yes, dear readers, it is.

When you are a Copperas Cove city councilman, or councilwoman, you should adhere to the charter and regulations you are approving. You are not above the law or the charter. Also, people, namely other candidates particularly, are watching you. Any citizen can lodge a complaint with the correct evidence and there are serious consequences. Complaints can be regarding campaign signs and filing of appropriate reports.

I still wonder about Charlie, what the deal was with him. I mean, if he can’t read simple instructions…I have little faith in him other than one can tell he loves to hear himself talk about how things were when he "used to be on council before."

Well, boys and girls, we’re stuck with him for two more years unless someone starts a recall. 

Difficult, but not impossible. But as long as he shows up for meetings and is not incapacitated, there’s little anyone can do.

Curmudgeon’s predictions for election 2018:

First, Curmudgeon will not predict if any incumbents will run again. At least one of them is, Mr. James Pierce Jr. So, that’s not a prediction if it will 98% happen.

Also, Azeita “Fourth time’s a charm” Taylor has announced on Facebook that  she will run.

Curmudgeon does predict we will see some faces which have been absent from Copperas Cove politics for a few years. It would not be surprising in the least if we see Bradi “I’ve lived here longer than you, buddy” Dewald Diaz run again, and possibly some other former council members to include Mark Peterson and Cheryl Meredith. 

Curmudgeon predicts there will be at least one three-candidate election for council and a run-off that will occur in December.  

Curmudgeon predicts there will be at least one “unknown” dark-horse candidate. Someone who’s got a burr under their saddle about an issue (Business 190 median, FATHOM, etc.) but is new to municipal government elections. Someone earnest and well-meaning.

Curmudgeon’s Tips to candidate newbies: 

• You’d better sit down and show up to meetings or catch the replay on the city website. 
• Know the issues, more than complaining about them. 
• Know how things work. 
• Talk to people. Connect with them.
• Open a Facebook page for your candidacy and use it.  Engage them there.
• Hire an ice cream truck to drive around with your campaign sign on it. Get signs. Big ones. Lots of them. Follow those rules, too, for signs!
• Make it easy for people to find you and talk to you, one way or another. 
• Be in the community. Offer ideas and solutions rather than a *itch and moaning perspective (AKA FATHOM. We get it. The whole FATHOM ‘transition’ was a fiasco of epic proportions.). 
•  Be prepared to read. A lot. Especially the meeting agendas, which can be hundreds of pages depending on the night.

Peace, love, and bunnies, y'all! Stay hydrated. It’s hot out there.

Coming up on the Curmudgeon: Some dishin' about the Chamber of Commerce, the long-promised post about what tourism is/isn't, a post on "so you think you wanna run for council", and another post on CCISD (hey, I never said I *wouldn't* post about it again!).