Curmudgeon election forecast

TGIF, dear readers! Here’s the Copperas Cove election candidate lineup so far:

Place 1

Cheryl Meredith

Joann Courtland

Place 2

James Pierce Jr. (incumbent)

Fred Chavez

Mayor

Frank Seffrood (incumbent)

Joey Acfalle

Azeita Taylor

For now, Curmudgeon will look back on predictions made in this June post:

http://copperascovecurmudgeon.blogspot.com/2018/06/its-almost-showtime-yall-or-here-come.html

Curmudgeon’s previous predictions for election 2018:

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.

Ding, ding! Ms. Meredith is running again for her “old” seat, place 1. She has worked as an escrow officer for escrow officer for Land Exchange Abstract and Title and served on the city council from 2009-2015.

Fred Chavez is not a new face to the CC, but is reentering the arena after a few years’ of absence. He was on the Copperas Cove Economic Development Corporation board of directors and also on the Coryell County Economic Development Board. (Say – what’s with all these EDC board members, current and present running for office?) 

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

Ding, ding! The race for mayor is a three-way race. Curmudgeon is mulling predictions for who might be in that run-off. If, there is a runoff. Mayor Seffrood has been a fixture in Copperas Cove government for quite a few years now, first on council and then making his successful bid for mayor in 2015. Joey Acfalle hit the ground running last summer when he announced his candidacy for Coryell County District Clerk. It was an uphill battle for Mr. Acfalle in a field of five candidates for that position and he did not make it to that run-off after this past March’s primary. However, Acfalle is presently serving on the Copperas Cove Economic Development Corporation board of directors and has a large following in the Pacific Islander community. He is a military veteran who knows how things operate and is familiar with the presence required locally and regionally as the mayor of a city. Ms. Azeita “fourth time’s a charm” Taylor is indeed in her bid for office in Copperas Cove. She has run against Marty Smith, Kirby Lack, and David Morris in her previous runs for council. The photographer and former journalist has a degree in emergency management from Central Texas College and has spent her time not running for office in 2016 and 2017 by building a presence in the community (any would-be candidates, take note). Odds are strong that Taylor would make it to the run-off.

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.

Ding, ding! Joann Courtland is new to Copperas Cove politics, but indications are that she is an earnest and well-meaning individual who is stepping up to throw her hat in with the idea of helping her community. Ms. Courtland is a veteran, former helicopter pilot, works as a contractor on Fort Hood, and also runs a nonprofit Operation Stand Down Central Texas. She is running against Cheryl Meredith for place 1.

Will there be more candidates filing for office by the end of the day on Monday?

Maybe one more? 

Stay tuned, y'all! 

Flying cars and post turtles, oh my!

Evidently Copperas Cove city councilman Marc Payne believes that in 20 years or so, we’ll have flying cars. Any type of median along Business 190 or elsewhere would be a moot point.

Here’s a photo submitted by a reader.

Of COURSE Curmudgeon knows Mr. Payne was joking when he said this at the August 7 City council workshop. I think the audience knows this too. But, it’s worth noting and having a chuckle over. At least a post turtle can be good for humor.

So what’s new in the CC?

We’ll have to wait until October 2^nd to see if the Business 190 median project is a no or a go.

Curmudgeon has already weighed in on the project here:

http://copperascovecurmudgeon.blogspot.com/2018/07/unintended-consequences-or-at-least.html

http://copperascovecurmudgeon.blogspot.com/2018/05/business-190-broo-ha-ha-or-copperas.html

(and here’s a little post about downtown, just for fun:

http://copperascovecurmudgeon.blogspot.com/2018/05/planning-or-not-planning-for-copperas.html)

Of course, the whole idea of trees on the median has gone away, and people seem to get that part now.

It boggles the brain, though, that so much of the public is ill informed about what goes on in our fair city.

Why would this be the case?

Simple. We don’t look for things until they are already happening. Life is busy enough without keeping up with city busy-ness. Etc. Facebook friends and local outrage-ers will always be willing to provide the most dubious of information.

It amazes Curmudgeon how few people will take the time to go to the source, aka city council agendas, with most people asking friends and Facebook and who knows what or who else.

Anyway, this week is the first public hearing on the tax rate. Seems to be quiet otherwise. 

Curmudgeon will check in on the election forecast later this week, maybe Friday.

Duck if you see a flying car!

A bright and shining Copperas Cove city council moment

Olly, golly, y’all, what a long meeting on Thursday night. A little over 3 hours. Wooo, doggie. Or is that dawgie?

I did promise you one more post to round out the weekend so here it is!

(Did you miss my earlier post of today's 2-fer?
Here it is: http://copperascovecurmudgeon.blogspot.com/2018/08/post-turtles-part-deux.html 

Curmudgeon is going to weigh in on the whole tourism thing and hotel occupancy tax funds another time. I’ve hinted at it before, about how the city handles “tourism”.

But there is a great big sparkling, shining moment when the Copperas Cove city council received applause for its actions, starting with one councilman’s move.

Don’t fall out of your chairs or drop your phones. Curmudgeon, for once, isn’t poking fun at anyone. Although, usually when I poke fun, I am dead serious.

Can anyone recall the last time someone applauded the actions of the council? Anyone? Bueller?

Not applause for someone who's challenging the council, but applause for a decision that the council made itself.

That decision and applause on Thursday night had to do with the Copperas Cove Boys & Girls Club.

A necessary digression here, dear readers. In case you didn’t know, we have working poor in Copperas Cove, y’all. Moms and dads who work more than one job, retail jobs, odd hours, just to make ends meet. Daycare is not an option for some of them. So there’s the Boys & Girls Club.

Their director came to the council and asked for $10,000 out of the general fund, for help with the program’s afterschool transportation services. She outlined the cost, the number of kids, what they do, the benefit to the citizens, and how they are trying to help at-risk kids.

They keep kids off the streets. They keep them from being home alone unattended. They provide a place for them to be so parents can make a living. Not everyone has the funds to pay for after school care. Have any of the old men on council priced it lately and crunched any numbers? There is a large poverty element in our city that the council needs to heed – ones who DO NOT qualify for any type of veterans’ benefits and make too much for welfare. These are the grandchildren and even great-grandchildren of veterans who are “just like the rest of the civilians.”

Back to the shining moment -

After a long string of presentations, the council came back around and went down the list of requests.

Charlie Youngs designated that the Boys & Girls Club should receive $5,000, with three of the others conceding. At one point, Sorry-Charlie thought the library should have received the other $5,000 for books –in essence, he said purchasing books would be money better spent than helping 120-130 children.
Ummmm… Curmudgeon will let that lie right there….

Moving along, Hill Country Community Action Association was designated $5,000 for Meals on Wheels. The Hill Country Transit/HOP would get $100,000. The Mounted Warfare Foundation would get $25,000 for the museum (Charlie Youngs wasn’t keen on that, he and another said $15,000). The Noon Exchange Club would get $4,280 for their Feast of Sharing. (Um, but council y’all could have waived their fee to use the CIVIC CENTER for the PUBLIC PURPOSE that their event serves the community – after all, you let the COPPERAS COVE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE USE THE WHOLE PARK FOR FREEEEEEE! Sorry, still a sore spot with Curmudgeon. Haverlah did say you could provide an exemption – I mean, y’all set the fee and the ordinance.)

Then comes the tally  of those funds -  and there is $19,006 “left over” after all the recommended allocations. This is the ONE CHANCE every year, for “worthy” groups to make their case for funds.

Place 1 Councilman David I’m-a-writer-not-a-talker Morris chooses this time to FIND HIS VOICE at the BEST. POSSIBLE. MOMENT!

Mr. Morris suggests to the rest of the council that $5,000 of the leftover money be given to fund the Boys & Girls Club the full $10,000 that they requested.

“Can we discuss giving the Boys & Girls club $5,000 - Someone hit it on the head earlier – we get asked so many times what we do for the kids in the community, this keeps them off the streets and a safe place, with the after school programs.”         

As Whitney Houston would say, "Let's give the boy a hand!"

As the other councilmen conceded, those in the audience started applauding.

Olly golly, the man does have a voice and he used it at the BEST. POSSIBLE. MOMENT. Oops, I’m repeating myself. Well done, sir. Very, very well done. (He shoots-he scores!)

Why the confetti? Why not? This may seem small, but it's a big thing. Not a special interest group is benefitting.

Curmudgeon would love to throw back a few shots with you, or buy you a drink, Morris, but I suppose that would defeat the purpose of being incognito. Maybe, one day  --  anyhoo, cheers for doing the right thing! It is almost a shame you are not running again…

(And as for the Boys & Girls Club? With their new board, they would do well to start promoting themselves in the community and what they do! If they need champions and need funding, it would be a smart move on their part.)

Peace, love, and drinks for the Morris.