At the March 10, 2016 City Council meeting the Council went into a closed session and forced audience members out of the cafeteria room where the meeting was being held. While outside the building, people chatted about various topics to pass the time. Included among them was Pedro Orduno, the Chairman of the Committee to […]
On December 15, 2015, the Sandy Oaks City Council banned the sale and storage of fireworks. Before approving the ordinance regarding fireworks, the Council heard a presentation from Julio Martinez, a part owner of the Mr W Fireworks company that operates a fireworks stand at the corner of Waterwood Pass and Priest Road inside the […]
History repeated itself in the 2015 general election when 4 City Council positions were filled without there ever being an election and without there ever being a campaign for office. Candidates didn’t even need to produce political platforms or state what they were running for. Alderman Places 1, 3, and 5 were up for reelection, […]
For the City Council meeting on June 11, 2015, the Council had on the agenda to discuss documents needed by the Bexar County Tax Assessor Collector’s office and the Bexar County Appraisal District. Documents needed by the Tax Assessor Collector included who the City of Sandy Oaks had as a Tax Attorney. The City, however, […]
When it comes to politics and government in Sandy Oaks, look at who benefits the most to learn who the king is. On the chess board, the king lines up behind the pawns. A smart player makes sure the first few moves of the game ensures that the king remains behind the scenes as much […]
At its April 9, 2015 meeting, the City Council discussed the Mayor’s nomination for City Attorney. At the start of the conversation, Mayor Jim Clement pointed out, for the first time in the meeting, that because Alderman Joel Ortega was absent there might be a tie on a vote and that he would be the […]
Mayor Jim Clement has been ignoring the issue of fireworks now for 4 months. In November of 2014, Aldermen David Tremblay and Micki Ball had an agenda item about adopting a required permit for the sell of fireworks. City Attorney Art Martinez de Vara told them the permit wouldn’t be enforceable because the city didn’t […]
This week a new newspaper was presented to Sandy Oaks residents. This one calls itself the “Sandy Oaks Gazette.” In reality, the Gazette is just a new name for the Sandy Oaks Chronicle, which first came out in August. In its first issue, the newspaper had a 2 page spread calling itself a “voter’s guide” […]
At the city council meeting yesterday all council members had a manila envelope which Jim Clement had delivered to them. Inside was a packet organized for them by Linebager Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP, a law firm that specializes in delinquent tax collection services, lien collection, and evictions. The packet included a small booklet titled “City […]
Last night the Sandy Oaks City Council voted in favor of of a resolution thanking the Committee to Incorporate Sandy Oaks (CISO), the group that pushed for the creation of the new city. On the issue of creating the city, Mayor Jim Clement stated “We worked hard to get this done. Its called perseverance!” But […]
At the very first City Council meeting of the City of Sandy Oaks, Art Martinez de Vara sat at the table of the City Council members with his own official paper nameplate that showed his position as City Attorney. The Council had never hired an attorney and the position of City Attorney had never been […]
Starting Monday, July 28th, a newspaper called “The Sandy Oaks Chronicle” was handed out to residents of Waterwood and the City of Sandy Oaks. On page 4 of the newspaper there is a section titled “OFFICE: BOARD OF ALDERMEN” and the second to last sentence reads: All candidates were invited to participate in this voter’s […]
The Committee to Incorporate Sandy Oaks (CISO) worked for 3+ years to get the community of Waterwood and the surrounding area to be released from San Antonio’s ETJ and to incorporate into its own city. But the process of incorporation hardly involved the community and even now people are realizing that the “City of Sandy […]
The very first City Council of Sandy Oaks, Texas was elected August 9, 2014. 2014 Candidates Political games started the same month that Sandy Oaks incorporated. The Committee to Incorporate Sandy Oaks had said at a public meeting before incorporation that they would announce the deadline for application for people to run for city office. […]
On July 22, 2014, candidates running for City Council met for a 3rd and final time before the election. The event was hosted by Catherine Rendahl and her husband Don who rented the Waterwood clubhouse and set up tables and chairs for people. “Air Conditioning!” said Rendahl. “It should keep people calmer than last time.” […]
People are now starting to call them the “Outsiders” because Micki Ball, Cathleen Recio, and David Tremblay are the only candidates outside of the Sandy Oaks Political Action Committee (SOPAC). On July 14, 2014, the three organized a 2nd meeting for the community for people to meet those running for city offices. The divide between […]
On July 8, 2014, a “Meet the Candidates” meeting was held in the Waterwood clubhouse. The event was organized by Jim Clement, the only candidate running for mayor. 23 people were present, including all the candidates running for alderman positions except for David Tremblay. Inside the clubhouse, chairs were arranged in a wide oval allowing […]
In the meeting held at the Waterwood Clubhouse on July 8th, many items were discussed. One of the most important was that of revenue. Now that Waterwood and surrounding areas have incorporated into the City of Sandy Oaks, there needs to be revenue to pay for what the city needs. The entire point of having […]