BOERNE – Herff Farm was abuzz last Wednesday as candidates in the May 6 election for Boerne and Fair Oaks Ranch offices pleaded their cases to voters, explaining why they should take office.
Roughly 70 attendees watched as candidates Nina Woolard and Frank Ritchie outlined their stances on WCIDs and their visions for the future of Boerne.
Frank Ritchie is an automotive repair shop owner – Ritchie Automotive – and volunteers as a pastor at Spring Creek United Methodist Church.
“I’m running for Boerne Mayor because I love the city of Boerne,” Ritchie said during the forum. “When I think about Boerne – for me – it's not necessarily about the city of Boerne. It’s the people. What I love about Boerne is the community. It’s a way of life. We live in the Hill Country because we don’t want to live in San Antonio.”
Woolard has served as the District 2 representative for the Boerne City Council since 2011 after moving to town 26 years ago.
“I have decided that I want to make sure that this community, this city, stays the way that it is now and grows respectfully and provides,” Woolard said in her introduction. “I have three grandchildren that I hope will stay here – and I want to make sure that this vibrant and provides them that opportunity.”
After introductions, the two went on to speak on controversial topics, such as the rapid growth hitting much of the Hill Country, municipal utility districts that are cropping up around the state and across town and city and county relations.
To hear the rest of the conversation, moderated by Boerne Radio 103.9 FM Co-owner Baron Wiley, visit www.BoerneStar.com or www.BoerneRadio.com.
After the two mayoral candidates spoke to the audience, two candidates running for Boerne’s District 2 City Council seat took to the stage: Joe Bateman and Sharon Wright.
The two candidates were asked to look to the city’s future and outline how they might avoid growing pains felt by residents of other Hill Country towns.
Both Wright and Bateman are newer transplants to Boerne who indicated they appreciate the Hill Country hamlet’s small-town charm and way of life.
As a seventh-generation Texas, Bateman is familiar with the impacts of rapid growth and its impacts, having moved from the Austin and Dripping Springs areas.
“I will work to ensure current residents are respected and prioritized in future growth and infrastructure planning, will bring conservative governance and fiscal responsibility to City Council, and I will fervently support a safe, secure an lawful Boerne,” Bateman wrote in his candidate announcement published in The Star.
When stationed in San Antonio in 2005, Wright quickly set sights on Boerne. When her private health care employer opened a Hill Country location, she moved to town.
“As a graduate of University of Texas Health Science Center, I had some wonderful mentors, and they set a seed in my group,” Wright said during an on-camera interview. “They said, ‘We need more nurses to serve. We need more nurses on boards. We need more nurses in politics.’”
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