The names of those running for political office are below. You can also click a name to read that person’s platform as well as answers to some questions posed by SandyOaksNews.com
Running for the position of Mayor
Jim Clement
Running for the 5 Alderman positions
Micki Ball
Dale Burmaster
Earnest Gay
Cathleen Lamoureaux-Recio
Pedro Orduno
Joel Ortega
Doug Tomasini
David Tremblay
I think it is fascinating that none of the Fab Five have posted ANYTHING! It is just barely possible that their arrogance, obvious in Pedro’s interview with KSAT 12, will be their undoing. You can also see it in Jim Clement’s “I don’t have to campaign…I’m running unopposed.” I’m seeing some signs for the Fab Five, but I’ve got a feeling that they think they have a lock on this election. I intend to vote for David, Cathleen and Micki, and nobody else. Keep in mind, just because you CAN vote 5 times doesn’t mean you HAVE to. A vote for any of the Fab Five will, in my opinion, be disastrous for this community.
I agree forget about the fact I am running as a candidate who is devoted to my neighbors, but as a resident I would be very worried that if they were to elected our little city would continue to be ignored and neglected as the HOA has already failed us thus far. Micki Ball. David Tremay and myself need to win so that we can breathe life back to this fallen community. We all need to work together to be strong community and neighbors. We do not need a city counsel that has already begun to ingnor it’s people and they are not even elected, and those are the ones on the ballot not attending meetings, not campaigning to the neighbors, not responding to emails or phone calls and those who have not posted platform as per requested by this pages designer. Myself, Micki Ball and David Tremblay are already hard at work and we are doing it because we simply care about the future of our city and it’s residents.
Where were you when they were working on waterwood becoming a city and better place for people to live? Why if your so concerned about our community wern’t you and longhorn and and the rest of the outsiders more involved? I almost forgot, you couldn’t because you have only lived here a few months. It would be nice if people could work together and not be making ill informed comments about each other. Stating a person’s platform and experience is good, insulting each other as candidates is to me typical of some of the candidates we now have serving in gov’t positions who do nothing
I agree. It certainly would be nice if people could work together and not insult others…
We, my wife and I, tried once to “get involved” with the WPPOA and were told that our services were not needed. Guess that’s because we have only lived here 10 years. And my family were pretty much “original settlers” being as how the lot was bought when the only road was Waterwood Pass and it wasn’t paved. So two things: 1) don’t tell me I’ve only lived here for a few months. Ten years is more than a few months. And: 2) let me know how you feel after you get your property tax appraisal if the Fab Five win, if you’re not shell-shocked. Note one other thing; in all of the meetings these folks have had, they have NEVER mentioned what the closest community to us (Elmendorf) has as a property tax rate. Possibly because they don’t want you to know. FYI, it’s $0.47762 per hundred. Hope you can afford that, because fiscal responsibility is NOT part of their platform. Come to think of it, what IS their platform? I don’t know, and I’ll bet that you don’t either.
Longhorn and Swan, I agree with both of you. We the people fought for our independence and now we have it, we’re a city. But the fight isn’t over yet. Beware of the “Fab Five”. I believe they’re acting like typical politicians, that think they have it in the bag. I witnessed this happening a few years ago when we tried to elect a Home Owners Assoc that would actually care about the people of Waterwood. Only a handful of folks showed up simply because we had poor communications and folks had become apathetic to any change. On election night, the clubhouse was packed with people we’d never seen before and the leader had write in candidates. Guess who got elected? You got it, the write ins. Nothing changed. I don’t want to see that happen again. Every good structure requires a solid foundation. From what I see Cathleen, Micki, and David are solid in their commitment. I believe they will make a solid foundation for our new city. The “Fab Five”?…Well, I’ll let you fill in the blanks. My wife and I are willing to jump in and volunteer our time and services. We’re also talking about a better means of getting the word out to local residents by means of an actual newspaper delivered door to door. This Forum is good, but not everyone has a computer, or a Smartphone with internet connections. I’m also looking into the possibility of creating an all volunteer small local fire department with a medical first responder team, that would be based right here in Sandy Oaks. Here’s some food for thought: Yes, you CAN fight City Hall …The road to ruin is paved with good intentions …All it takes for bad people to succeed is for good people to sit and do nothing.
Hi Lakota, thanks for joining in on the conversation. Your history with the POA sounds interesting.
Sandy Oaks News may have a hard print newspaper. If you’re interested in helping out, please let me know.
Btw, this community did have a volunteer fire department 25+ years ago. From what I’ve heard, the POA destroyed the program.
Yes, I agree that this forum is a really good start, but we need more ways to keep the entire community informed. unfortunately, the best way, a community newspaper, costs money, and as yet our new city has none. We have no commerce to speak of, so all city business must be paid for with property taxes……and I’m very concerned about that! We are not a wealthy community, most people are just getting by. So much could have been done for it’s betterment with a strong, active homeowner’s association. That we don’t have, and haven’t had for a long time. The best solution to the problem, in my opinion, would have been to build that strong homeowner’s association and remain a county community with county taxes.
I would like to address triker specifically. You asked “Where were you when they were working on waterwood becoming a city and better place for people to live?” I have been here in the community since 2011. I actually attended a POA meeting prior to purchasing my home. And I signed in with my name and contact information at that meeting. I also attended a POA meeting after purchasing my home, again providing my information on their sign in sheet. Honestly, the meetings were nothing more than complaining about stray dogs and speeding cars. Nothing positive was offered towards rectifying these concerns. Nothing was mentioned about possible annexation by San Antonio nor incorporating the neighborhood.
As far back as April 2012, I found mention of the “Committee for Incorporation” (http://cityofsandyoaks.info/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/No_mans_land_no_photos.pdf)made up of “Orduño, Clement, and four other homeowners”. That time frame is under one year from when I attended the last POA meeting.
I have never been contacted by anyone by any means about the vote for incorporation or any activities leading up to the vote. It is not as if they did not know who I was; I had voluntarily provided my name and contact information. Nothing by mail, nothing by phone, nothing by door knock, nothing by signage. Nothing until two weeks before the May 10th vote and I saw the signs in yards as I traveled to and from work. Nothing more than a sign with no other information. So I had to set out to do what research I could in a very short amount of time to learn what I could.
So I will ask you, triker. Where were you? What did you do to support informing the community and getting the word out to the residents of Waterwood AND surrounding areas? If incorporation is the best thing for the community, then why have those who have been pushing so hard with no community support been unwilling to speak to the validity of incorporation?
Yes, I have only lived here for a few months…..37 to be exact….. this is not a contest to be determined by who has occupied space the longest, it is a fight for our future.
In response, longhorn my original text was posted after Catherine’s, not indicating you lived here a few months read the posting again. Micki, when we first moved to waterwood in 2004, waterwood in those days wouldn’t let a mobile home be put on property used unless inspected or new, we joined hoa 2004. around 2006 going into 2007 waterwood people sold property without making sure buyers were aware of deed restrictions letting anything be put on property, this is when I found out hoa had no power to enforce or money to take legal action (thanks to waterwood) to have people abide by property requirements. I personally contacted waterwood office on San Pedro, who referred me back to waterwood office at 37/1604, indicted they could care less. I then also sent correspondence to gg gale and didn’t get any response. When several different pertitions held for incorporating, I didn’t conduct, but was there and told other residents about it. When it became apparent that people would be voting on incorporating or not, we told other people, as well as posted a sign about upcoming vote for such. I don’t know how anyone could not know about incorporating, when it was on all 3 tv news stations at different times, on radio, I the newspaper, as well as signs throughout the community. Post cards were also sent out, we received one for meeting at sandy oaks vol. firehouse, then another for voting may 9th. It is very possible who ever sent out the post cards only sent them to people who were registered voters listed on the petitions. As was pointed out by logic, I concede I was wrong in stating about time as residence. My biggest complaint is not just with the outsiders, but the fab five as well, throwing bad comments at each other, and not stating more about community issues. I hope who ever is elected, that they all are able to work together, and not become a governing body like we have in Washington not able to agree on issues for the community.
Triker…….You have names wrong. Your first comment was made well before I replied. I believe you are reffering to Cathleen, not Catherine. That being said, I have always thought that incorporation was a really bad idea. There is nothing that our community needs that cannot be accomplished by a strong, concerned homeowner’s association, without having our property taxez increased. As we don’t have that, I find it silly in the extreme to elect the same folks who couldn’t run the homeowner’s association to either Mayor or city council.
I erred on voting date, it was may 10 not may 9th. I also won’t have a problem with city property tax, if provided services and deals with issues to make a better community
Good timing, I just finished a new post about the financial assessment done by SOPAC/Art Martinez de Vara. You can read it here:
https://sandyoaksnews.com/dissecting-sopacs-proposed-revenue/
If you are comfortable with tax, what’s the maximum per $100 you would be willing to pay/impose on your neighbor?
I’m not really comfortable with ANY new property taxes. However, baring turning back the clock, we are stuck with some sort of increase as there are certain mandatory services any small city must provide. Until we know just what our city budget must be, it’s going to be hard to know just what will be needed, but I guess I’d be comfortable in the 20 to 25 cent per hundred range.
Mcrendahl, This is what you stated:
“Yes, I agree that this forum is a really good start, but we need more ways to keep the entire community informed. unfortunately, the best way, a community newspaper, costs money, and as yet our new city has none. We have no commerce to speak of, so all city business must be paid for with property taxes…”
WRONG!!! A local newspaper is not created by city officials or paid for by city taxes.
This newspaper will be created by me alone and all startup capital will come from my pocket. This will be a new business that will provide the new city of Sandy Oaks with taxes paid by me to the city.
You also stated:
“The best solution to the problem, in my opinion, would have been to build that strong homeowner’s association and remain a county community with county taxes.”
You can’t be serious…The people of this community have been fighting for years to get out from under the iron fist of the HOA. Are you aware that if we were a county community, all taxes we pay would be lumped with other community taxes, and the county could spend it wherever “THEY” deemed necessary. Meaning our community would be waiting years for services, just like we’re doing now.
I’m also working on getting an all volunteer First Responder fire/medical vehicle(s) stationed here in Sandy Oaks. This way there will be a faster response time for fires, or medical emergencies instead of the half hour or longer it takes them now. If I can get this plan in motion, it won’t cost the City of Sandy Oaks a dime in taxes.
Am I going to explain how I’m going to accomplish all of this…NO…And not just plain NO, but HELL NO. Why, so you and the Fab Five can pull the rug from under me with your politics as usual agenda? Oh yeah, we all know about how they’re running their campaign.
As for me, I’ll be voting for Cathleen, Micki, and David. Why? Because they’re not politicians. They’re community leaders, and they’ll be bringing three brand new concepts to the table…Honesty, Integrity, and Transparency.
“You can’t be serious…The people of this community have been fighting for years to get out from under the iron fist of the HOA”
What iron fist? The POA* has very little power. If people have been fighting anything, it has been about the maintenance fee, which the POA has no control over at this current time.
A second counter point is that very few people have wanted to be involved with the POA because of the above reason.
Mcrhendal’s point is that many of the main things CISO/SOPAC wants could have been achieved with a strong and active POA that has access to the maintenance fee.
Regardless of who wins the election this August, the community of Waterwood should still take back the POA for the betterment of the community for the exact same 3 traits you ended your comment with.
As for taxes going to the county so that the county can decide how to spend it, residents of Sandy Oaks will STILL be paying those same county taxes. The amount that the City of Sandy Oaks will gain is EXTRA on top of that.
If you want to get “an all volunteer First Responder fire/medical” stationed here then you will have to deal with the City Council in some way or another which would mean that yes, it would take city tax. And you wouldn’t be able to do any of this on any property zoned residential. Will you be buying commercial property?
Lakota: Leaving aside your opinion of my opinion, I actually said that our problems could be solved by a strong, inclusive HOA, not the one we currently have. Unfortunately, we are stuck with the leader of the problem HOA as our new mayor, as he’s running unopposed. I can only hope that the election keeps the council from being packed with Jim’s cronys. I, too have voted for David, Micki, and Cathy. I also take offense at your claim that I am associated with jim’s Fab Five. Check your facts, sir, before you make accusations. Catherine Rendahl
After consideration and listening, and speaking with a (quote) fab five as they are called, I will be voting for Kathleen, Mickii and David. Also, I don’t know if is going to be legal with city code, but there is a car and truck repair business operating on skila, just off of waterwood pass, with building and fencing. Good luck to all candidates.
Engagement is exactly what this community needs, regardless of city-hood, old POA, political positions, etc. And engagement should involve both speaking AND listening. So 1000 internet bonus points to you, sir.
I am interested in knowing what you learned from other SOPAC candidate and what swayed you the direction you’re going.
As for conducting business on a residential property, most deeds in Waterwood clearly state that that you can’t, or at least can’t advertise as such. But there are multiple deeds (I’ve heard up to 25 different ones).
It is certainly a huge legal mess and the future city leaders had better be able to lead us through it efficiently.
Thank you triker for your support! I still have campaign signs available if you are agreeable to placing one on your property.
I voted today, hope a lot of others do. Good luck to all candidates. Sorry logic, don’t want to get into he said game, so can’t enlighten you on my conversation with the fab
Anything turning into the “he said game” is counter productive. I just found your perspective interesting.
Ok neighbors, our voter turn out numbers are very low. I want our little city to have a huge voice and voter turn out. We are writing our own history for future generation we are the founders of what I believe to be an amazing city. Please talk talk talk to everyone and get them to vote. I am also seeking volunteers to help myself, Micki Ball and David Tremblay push strong for votes and reach anyone we may have missed. Thank you and you are all amazing and I can’t wait to work with everyone to make this a great city
Cathleen