Four vie for vacant council seat

By LPR Staff

Editor/POST-REGISTER

The application period closed on Friday for the May 9, 2015 election to fill the an At-Large seat on the Lockhart City Council.

The council was forced to call the election early last month, after the sudden death of Kenny Roland left an opening at the council table. The vacant seat has generated in

terest from a broad spectrum of would-be local leaders.

Paul Gomez, formerly an At-Large city council member, was the first to return his packet. Gomez chose not to seek reelection in 2013, instead taking a run in the Democratic Party primary election for Caldwell County Judge.

The seat vacated by Gomez at that time was later won by Roland in the 2013 general election.

Local businessman Brad Westmoreland was the second to throw his hat into the ring, returning his application for a place on the ballot only days after filing opened. A first-time political candidate, Westmoreland has been active in Lockhart through his family’s business, as well as being consistently involved with the Lockhart Chamber of Commerce and other organizations.

Despite carrying a lead in the District 1 Council election in November 2010, Dyral Thomas fell in a runoff to currently seated Councilmember Juan Mendoza, who is serving his second term.

In that election, too, Thomas, a longtime resident and well-respected former coach, was stepping up to replace a seat that Roland had vacated.

Finally, Lockhart native and accountant Quartermetra Hughes chose to throw her hat into the ring, potentially bringing a second female voice to the council table. Well-connected in the community, Hughes is a first time political candidate.

The election is slated on May 9, 2015, the State’s next uniform election date. Voters may continue to register until April 9, 2015, and still be eligible to vote in the election. Early voting will begin on April 27.

Follow future editions of the Post-Register for information on the four-way city council election as details continue to develop.