Voters pick Samuelson for Mayor
Early voting totals prove significant in close race with challenger Montalvo
By BARRY HALVORSON bhalvorson@journal-spectator.com

Staff photo by Barry Halvorson A study in Election Day calm, Wharton Mayoral candidates Domingo Montalvo Jr., left, and Dr. David Samuelson shared a few moments together Saturday morning at the church mural dedication. At the end of the day with all votes counted, Samuelson edged out Montalvo to win the office of mayor.

A strong showing during early voting was enough to carry David Samuelson to victory over Domingo Montalvo Jr. for Wharton Mayor in Saturday's municipal election results.

The unofficial vote total showed the two candidates in a dead heat in Saturday's voting, with Samuelson collecting 122 votes to 121 for Montalvo on Election Day. But Samuelson received 141 early ballots to 81 for Montalvo to collect the victory 263 to 202, a 56.5 to 43.5 percent difference.

While defeated in his bid for the mayor's position, Montalvo will remain a member of the council as the incumbent Councilman At-Large Place 5 representative.

"He's still a member of the council and we'll continue to work together toward the improvement of the city," Samuelson said of Montalvo. "I talked to him before the election and said, 'We've got to do this real nice.' If he had won on Saturday, I'm sure he would be saying a lot of the things I am. There's not a lot of difference between the two of us in what we want to accomplish. It's mostly just in how we approach things."

In discussing future goals for the city, the new mayor listed several items starting with the funding to do the work.

"The big challenge is not in what to do, but in finding the funds to do it," he said. "For example, we've got aging infrastructure, like the sewer lines in the Ahldag Addition, but recently got a grant to help with that. Funding is an ongoing problem. After we pay for public works, public safety and personnel, 85 percent of the budget is already spent."

Other continuing issues include correcting the city's flood problems, addressing the issue of train traffic splitting the city and maintaining EMS coverage.

"I would like to see the county consider an emergency district for the county similar to the one passed by East Bernard," he said. "I know the county contributes to the Wharton and El Campo EMS services, but it needs more support."

As for personal agenda items, Samuelson said he would like to clean up the air in Wharton.

"I'd like to see us adopt a smoking ban," he said. "I'd move it from the middle to the front burner. We've got three restaurants in the city that have already done that and think we need to move forward because it is a health issue. We've done good with Americans with Disabilities compliance and are almost complete, but still need to address sidewalks in the city outside the immediate downtown.

"And I'd like to see nicer parks. That's down on the list, but important. I'd also like the city to address the issue of downtown restrooms. We're getting the tourist traffic with the Harris County Precinct buses and need to do something to continue to encourage tourism."

Montalvo congratulated Samuelson on his victory in a phone interview. He said his only disappointment was in the low voter turnout, adding he will continue to seek public input in making council decisions.

"One of the things I'd still like to do is address zoning," Montalvo said. "But I don't believe zoning should come from the council. We need to go neighborhood by neighborhood and ask the people what they want. We also have a problem with the drug business and need to get our hand squarely around it. While some people might think it's only in certain neighborhoods, it is a problem the entire city needs to be aware of and address."

He said he agreed with Samuelson on the possibility of an emergency district for EMS for the entire county and added he would like to see dispatch services combined into one center as a way to consolidate costs and save money.

"Our biggest cost is public safety and we need to manage our money better before looking at raising taxes," he said. "We've been successful in getting grants for infrastructure and housing and now need to do the same with public safety. We need to bring back more federal and state money to the city. We can't afford to do everything we need on our own."

The candidates for the three council seats were all unopposed. Lewis Fortenberrry Jr. received 55 total votes for the District No. 2 seat formerly held by Samuelson. Incumbent Don Mueller grabbed 119 votes while Jeff Gubbels received 334 votes for the Councilman At Large Place 6 formerly held by Ray Linseisen, who chose not to run for re-election.

A total of 225 early ballots were cast with another 247 marked on Saturday for a total election return of 472.

In the East Bernard area, voters were overwhelmingly in favor of the creation of the Emergency Services District No. 2 to provide tax support for the East Bernard EMS Department. Voters approved the district by a vote of 494 for to 144 against, a difference of 77.4 to 22.6 percent.

In the city election, voters were in favor of the special election to re-adopt the local sales and use tax to provide revenue for the maintenance and repair of city streets by a 367 to 166 vote margin. In the contested East Bernard mayoral race, incumbent Buck Boettcher collected better than three out of every four votes, 78.3 to 21.7 percent, to defeat his opponent Wayne Robinson by a 427 to 118 margin. Running unopposed, Tobias Martin Hlavinka received 477 votes for the Place 2 Alderman post while Thomas Vacek received 487 votes for the Alderman Place 4 seat on the city council. In EBISD voting, Roland Orsak defeated Terry Hlavinka 430 to 251, to win Trustee Position No. 1. Unopposed candidate James Vincek received 626 votes.