Mayor Race

You can read a (very) little bit about the five candidates for Killeen mayor in today's KDH.  I think they make up a weak field.  One of the candidates, Hal Butchart, managed to miss being interviewed for the article; I can't take seriously a candidate whom the newspaper can't find.  A second candidate, Eric Nells, is young and inexperienced; he's worried about an important issue--local jobs--but there's precious little the mayor can do about that.

In fact, there's precious little the mayor can do about anything.  The main qualifications for mayor of Killeen are a friendly smile and the ability to run a meeting.  The second qualification may not be that important, either.  Tim Hancock has held the position for six years without any conspicuous skills in that area.

So how do the remaining three mayoral candidates stack up in the friendly smile department?  Check out their portraits in today's paper.  I think they support my case that it's a weak field.

OK: that was facetious.  The ability to run a meeting is important.  Maybe if there had been an experienced moderator in the chair, paying close attention, sensitive to all the issues, the Connie Green discussions would have stayed on the rails.  When I talk to the five candidates (assuming I can find Mr. Butchart), I'm going to ask them how they are going to keep the council on track.

The other chartered duty of the mayor is to break Council voting ties.  I don't think it's an important responsibility--it is rarely required--but it will make me ask the candidates some of the same things I want to know from the Council candidates.  Things like their positions on

• the City Charter (does it need to be fixed? replaced? how?);
• fiscal responsibility (would you have voted to buy the First Baptist Church?);
• consistency in zoning and comprehensive planning (how are we going to get some?);
• and the need to pay attention to city business (do you have time to do your homework?).