CITY& COUNTY
News from Harris County, Montgomery County, Oak Ridge North, Shenandoah & The Woodlands
Primary races determineNovember ballots MONTGOMERY COUNTY Primary elections on March 1 yielded a slate of candidates for the Nov. 8 general election in several county and state elections, including one incumbent unseated by a challenger. Canvassing for local elections took place March 10. for Montgomery County Precinct 2 commissioner, incumbent Charlie Riley defeated challenger Jennifer Eckhart with 56.47% of the votes, totaling 12,311 votes. There were no Democratic candidates in either commissioner race. BY COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER STAFF
Park costs approved
BY ALLY BOLENDER
OAK RIDGE NORTH A grant-funded project cost for Teddy Bear Park renovations was approved by Oak Ridge North City Council during a regular meeting Feb. 28. The total cost of renovations to the park will cost $264,127, and the city will fulfill the project payment with American Rescue Plan Act funds. The payment for the park is not due until 30 days after park completion. The city received $391,626 in the first installment of federal funds in September, and the city will receive the remaining funds in May. As previously reported by Community Impact Newspaper , the city is expected to receive about $783,000 total in ARPA funds. Teddy Bear Park, located at 27207 Robinson Road, will receive new play structures, swings and a percussion play area. In addition, the park will have a rubber ground for wheelchair accessibility. The city is also in the process of reviewing designs for a new and larger LED city sign, which is located at the corner of Patsy Lane and Robinson Road. The sign may be moved backward from its current spot as well, accord- ing to the city.
LOCAL RESULTS Two incumbents won the party nomination for the general election in Montgomery County. Montgomery County Republican primary results Judge Mark Keough* 66.11% Sara Countryman 16.2% Billy Graff 17.69% Precinct 2 Commissioner Charlie Riley* 56.47% Jennifer Eckhart 43.53% Precinct 4 Commissioner Matthew Gray 52.92% James Metts* 47.08% *incumbent SOURCE: MONTGOMERY COUNTY ELECTIONS/COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
Mark Keough won the Republican primary for Montgomery County judge with 66.11% of the vote on March 1, or 43,390 votes. Challengers Sara Countryman and Billy Graff received 10,631 and 11,613 votes, respectively. There was no Democratic challenger in the race. Keough acknowledged that he will presumably retain his position, but he said he will still cam- paign this fall. “The people have spoken. ... We’ve all been through a lot together and have come out on the right side of things,” Keough said in a phone call on election night. In addition to the county judge position, Precinct 4 Commissioner James Metts was opposed by challenger Matt Gray for the Republican nomina- tion for that seat. Gray defeated Metts, receiving 52.92%, or 5,960 votes of the votes counted, and Metts received 47.08%, or 5,303 votes. In the race
OakRidgeNorth reports no profiling
ESDNo. 11 commissioners to run district election
BY WESLEY GARDNER
voter registrar information, which would require district officials to either call the county or visit the county elections office to confirm ballots. ESD 11 General Counsel Regina Adams pointed out that approximately 80% of the district’s population voted by mail in the district’s last election, noting she believed that percentage could potentially be higher for the May 7 election. At a Nov. 18 board meeting, ESD 11 officials said it would cost approximately $150,000 more for the district to run a joint election as opposed to running the election itself. Commissioners voted 3-0 to approve the district running its own election. Commissioners Kevin Brost and Fred Grundmeyer will be up for re-election in May.
BY ALLY BOLENDER
HARRIS COUNTY Despite repeated warnings from two legal advisers concerning potentially rising costs, Harris County Emergency Services District No. 11 commissioners at a Feb. 10 meeting voted to move ahead with conducting their own election for the upcoming May 7 election. On March 3 com- missioners approved appointment of a full slate of election workers. The district had the option to join Harris County to conduct a joint election, but officials said they believed it would be more cost-effective for the district to run its own election. A new law may complicate the process of confirm- ing ballots, however. According to the new law, voters are now required to provide additional identifying information when filling out an application to vote by mail that must match what they submit when submitting their actual ballot to be counted. Monica Garza, an attorney with Radcliffe, Bobbitt, Adams and Polley PLLC who provides legal counsel to the district, noted when irregularities are found, election officials must check the information that was provided against official information previously submitted to the voter registrar. Garza said if the district chose to run its own elec- tion, it would not have direct access to the county’s
OAK RIDGE NORTH In its 2021 racial profiling report presented at a Feb. 14 regular City Council meeting, Oak Ridge North Police Department reported there were no racial profiling complaints in traffic enforcement. The report showed officers made 4,649 traffic stops in 2021, up from the 3,645 stops conducted in 2020 and 4,275 stops made in 2019. In the report’s demographic breakdown, 18.9% of stops were conducted on Black drivers; 52% of stops were conducted on white drivers; and 25.4% of stops were conducted on Hispanic drivers. Less than 5% of stops were conducted on Alaskan, Native American and Indian, or Asian or Pacific Islander individuals. The police department received no racial profiling complaints in 2020 as well. In 96.6% of traffic stops, a search was not conducted. There were four traffic stops that resulted in physical force, which were all conducted on white individuals, according to the report. Jishnu Nair contributed to this report.
Texans voting by mail must provide their: • Texas driver’s license number; • Texas ID number; NEW REQUIREMENTS Senate Bill 1, signed into law in 2021, has new requirements for voting by mail.
• or last four digits of their Social Security number.
SOURCE: HARRIS COUNTY EMERGENCY SERVICES DISTRICT NO. 11/ COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
30
COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER • COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
Powered by FlippingBook