Election Final: Both Carters Win Runoff Election

I may only be an Airline Transport Pilot, but the comment coming from the Grindstaff camp is insulting to nurses and shows a contempt for the regular working folks in San Angelo who bear the greatest tax burden.

Lane is an everyday citizen who wants to be a voice for the other everyday citizens who are fed up with our escalating taxes and lack of meaningful, good paying jobs that the "string pullers" in this city won't allow.

It's been a great day for San Angelo and for the officers of the SAPD. Carter and Carter, a great duo.

Both candidates deserve congratulations for winning tonight. And I wish them every success possible. Sadly, less than 20 percent of eligible voters cast a ballot. So a very small minority (and England had 72 percent turnout in their election) has determined the fate of our city for the next few years.

Frank Carter was not my choice. I do not live in SMD5. The voters in both races have obviously decided the need for change outweighs qualifications and experience. Tim Vasquez, both educationally and job experience, was more qualified than Frank Carter. Liz Grindstaff is the same in comparison to Lane Carter.

Change has been obtained. What remains to be seen is whether the change is good or bad. I am more concerned with the direction of the police force since the election results in four good officers retiring which reduces the overall strength of the force and denies the force their years of experience. It remains to be seen who Frank Carter will appoint as his assistants but the election will result in eight promotions within the department -- the chief and three assistants and then the four officers that get promoted to fill those vacancies. Really does make having an appointed chief that much more attractive.

If this local election is a preview of our upcoming national election then we are in for a whirlwind. People must stop being apathetic to the political landscape. Become involved and absolutely VOTE in every election. Everyone is impacted by the result.

I believe this was a protest election. The fact is, no incumbent city official has won re-election since the citizens of San Angelo have begun to live with the fiasco that is our newly mandated trash / recycling policy and the edicts that all your pets must now be spayed / neutered and chipped. Remember, Republic Services kept our newly ordained trash receptacles in hiding at the mall until after the Mayoral election. People are simply fed up.

Further, this is going to be a nation-wide trend I predict. I for one am sick to death of being ordered around and picked on by every bureaucrat in the country from the over-reaching feds down to our own City Council and Chief of Police. Enough is enough. The oppressed voters have spoken. More power to them! It’s time we reclaimed our God-given liberty back from these entrenched, incumbent, over-lords.

I have no doubt you are correct that this election was a protest. I am just not sure what the protest is about. Nothing concrete (unless you believe the trumped up CLEAT survey) was ever establish in the police chief contest. As for the SMD races it looks like there might be buyer's remorse in one of them and both candidates in that election were newbies. The current mayor has said he is not running. I have not examined the record for the defeated incumbent in SMD5 but not sure she was responsible for some of the ills you mention.

It should be noted that protest or not, change or not, the current political system is the only one we have. It provides for any number of checks and balances which prevent overreach by one branch over the others and positive action without compromise will never happen. To be effective our national system absolutely requires a combination of old and new faces always remembering that experience is a good thing. A single person thundering to the skies that he or she can accomplish anything by themselves is something that they cannot do and will not happen until pigs fly. Our system is not perfect but it is the only game in town.

Uh huh. Well . . . I suppose, judging from the election results, our “system” is working fine; exactly as the founders intended.

I have to say that I have some very deep sympathy for our newly elected police chief and city council members. It's obvious that the voters feel that our elected officials can throw on their Superman capes and rid our town of drugs, give us additional police officers to protect our city, and keep our taxes at an all time low. This, of course, is not attainable. In four years, the supporters of the newly elected today will be complaining about who they elected tonight. It's a sad fact for an elected official. If you don't rub voters the right way, they will sway, and I have no doubt, that Jeff Davis will be running again in 2020 (doesn't matter what our newly elected police chief does). I do hope (now that the ugliness is over) that everyone recognizes that Tim Vasquez has dedicated himself for 12 years as the San Angelo police chief and accomplished many goals for our city. You cannot serve 12 years without having a great deal of merit. I know Chief Vasquez will have many opportunities ahead of him and San Angelo will miss his expertise and passion.

Well, two long contested races have finally come to an end! My congratulations go out to both Mr. Frank Carter, Mr. Lane Carter and I wish both of them great success! Tim Vasquez will be leaving the force, as well as others I'm sure, and he to is to be commended for his efforts the past 12 years as Police Chief. Now the burden of moving our Police Department forward lies on the shoulders of Mr. Frank Carter. He has made commitments to protect our city, to lower the high crime rate and illegal drug activity. He has also committed to adding more Police Officers to our current Department to help meet his goals. He has 4 years to do this and I do pray that he will succeed as San Angelo, TX needs to be "cleaned up." Ms. Elizabeth Grindstaff should also be commended for her efforts and although she will be leaving our City Council, I'm sure that she will continue to be actively involved in matters pertaining to our City Government. Lane Carter comes to SMD5 as a new City Council Member. He too has goals that he wishes to pursue while on the City Council. While young and inexperienced in Government matters, I have no doubt that this young man will learn quickly and surprise all of us! The constituents of San Angelo, TX has spoken once again and their voices have been heard. The time has now come for citizens to reunite and work with our newly elected Police Chief, Mr. Frank Carter and City Council Member, Mr. Lane Carter. It is in our best interest as a community to put the past behind us and move forward! Change is upon us now... like it or not. "IT IS WHAT IT IS"

Funny you should mention taxes. For those that have not paid any attention to the recent tax assessments they should notice the change in how the assessments are now being done. Taxes are now assessed on the square footage of your lot and not simply by the cost of a lot. Not sure of the logic here since the overall appraisal for your property (house and land) still has to be within market value. I have done a comparison of property in my neighborhood and find wide variances in appraisal of identical houses. Oddly, one of the criteria for assessment is supposed to be market value. There are several houses in my neighborhood. All but one are being offered at a price significantly lower ($9500 to $24000) than appraised value. Does that make sense? The only one being offered for more than appraised value (and the appraised value is reasonable) has been on the market for months.

I agree that the political winds constantly shift and too many voters have the "what have you done for me lately" attitude. I am not as sure that Jeff Davis will run. His campaigns were almost entirely built on how terrible Tim Vasquez was as chief and was saying anything and doing anything to discredit him . I don't know that he has the same issues with the new one.

The only information i can find on both Carters are thier facebook and campaign websites and neither tell me a thing about who these people are, what their positions are on anything, what their platforms are, what their plans are for their elected positions, nothing, its all just ego stroking garbage. this is what it takes to win an election in san angelo? litterally nothing? who the hell are theses people? what the hell are they actually going to do for the city? thats why i can't vote in local elections, i have no idea who these people are because they provide no information about who they are as cadidates anywhere, just names, masturbatory biographies, and endorsements from their best buddies all of which are worthless. not that state and federal elections are any better, its vote for name, party, or as im more concerned, color of the cadidates sign, anything but what matters for an elected position. who the hell are you? what are your positions on anything? why do you deserve this office? being a new face and new name is not enough to qualify you for anything.

I regret that you find yourself in the position of not being able to vote in local elections. Given your comments you might be absent in the voting booth come November. You are correct that voters need to have as much information as possible in order to make an informed vote. I will not speak to the SMD5 although I did attend a debate where both candidates provided valuable information to the voters. Frank Carter participated in debates before the first election. I contacted him, and the other three candidates, by email before the first election. He and Tim Vasquez were the only ones to respond. Their responses provided me with information to make an informed vote. Information is available in many forms; some of which requires the voter to do their own research. Voters need to be as involved as much as the candidates

I might add that if a person does not vote then they have no right to complain about the outcome of any election. Eighty percent of San Angelo voters forfeited their right to complain about who was or was not elected in this election. Become involved and VOTE.

Maximum Overtroll, I would like to know just exactly why it is that you were not able to vote? Be honest! If it is because you did not feel you were "sufficiently informed" then that's your fault! Both of these candidates canvassed my neighborhood and I had the opportunity to speak with both of them. I asked pertinent questions about their agenda's and how they planned to proceed forward. Both candidates were also available to answer and clarify any concerns via their web sites and debates. Sounds to me like you did not do your part to inform "yourself " about these candidates. Now, if on the other hand you are not registered to vote, then again, why? It sounds more to me that you are not happy with the final outcome of the elections. If that's the case then you need to get over it! Like Mr. Chinn stated in his rant, "I might add that if a person does not vote then they have no right to complain about the outcome of any election." I will also add that you too have a responsibility to be involved as the candidates! "WHY ARE YOU COMPLAINING NOW?"

Macaroni Jones, you hit the nail right on the head! Thank you for that comment! I had the pleasure of visiting with Lane Carter throughout the election process and our visits were great! I am twice + his age, but this young gentleman impressed me with his "vision" for the future of our community. All too often, we tend to discredit our youth for no other reason than "age and lack of experience." It's because of this, that we are cutting ourselves short of what they have to offer and miss out on opportunities to make improvements for the better. "WE" as a community need to start focusing on "thinking out of the box" because clearly, the "status quo" has not worked. Lane Carter in my opinion will turn out to be a great asset to San Angelo, TX and he now deserves our support! "LIFE IN THE FAST LANE"

El "sly", JJ, Eric Hanson and Milo Otis, I hope you all voted. I'm glad to see that I am NOT nurse ratchet, or just a bitter old woman. Bottom line, Mr. Hanson, the citizens of San Angelo have spoken. My daughter loved San Angelo and called it home. I have never been a fan of this town. Another small piece of justice was served yesterday, to which I can only say, THANK YOU to the citizens who s their research, and practiced their right to vote.

Karen Freeman, you are making it sound as though this election was a "TRIAL" for what happened to your daughter and that the outcome was somehow "vindication." Is this really what this election was all about to you and do you really expect all of us to believe this? My lord lady, if the outcome of this election meant nothing more to you than a way to "vindicate" the loss of your daughter and that "justice" was served, then you do need help! Your comments are disturbing and flat selfish to the constituents who voted for these candidates for reasons unrelated to your personal situation. There are other issues at hand that are relevant to the future of our city. You're damn right I voted in this election for reasons based on "principals" and not "personal "vendettas." Am I bitter with the outcome? NO! I wish the newly elected candidates great success as the future outcome of our city lies in their hands! "JUSTICE & VINDICATION, WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?"

I apologize for not making my statement much simpler. 1. I feel vindicated from the comments made regarding my facts and opinions. El "sly", JJ, Milo Otis andEric Hanson for ignorant responses, such as nurse ratchet, bottom line and biter I'm woman. I'm extremely passionate about my cause, which is and always had been, TO prevent one parent from having to exist in the same nightmare where I reside. I was replying to responses from my previous comments. I didn't make that clear. 2. This has never been a personal vindetta. You sir, are the one who needs help. My daughter called this town home. Unlike me, she loved San Angelo and all it's citizens. My objective was to point out the significant rise in crime, especially violent crimes, in this town. Tim had lost control of law enforcement here, proven not only by the "unreliable" Cleats survey, but by the officers that work under him and citizens that no longer feel safe living in San Angelo. This is another small piece of justice for my baby girl, TABITHA EVON FREEMAN. She now can rest a little more peacefully knowing that her "home"town" is making a positive change to take control of our town and bring it back to the family friendly town that it once was. I didn't realize that by telling my story people wouldn't see the real picture. I hope that I have clarified my purpose.

I personally don't give a dam who one the race for police chief , i am glad that it's over . No telling how much money and time was spent on this election . Every time the election for police chief rolls around , there is much distraction and chaos in the ranks , i'm sure that the police will disagree , but it is there . Maybe by the time this term ends we will have an appointed police chief ! I know the morlocks will be pissed off by this comment but i haven't pissed them off in a while . It's time for San Angelo to catch up to the rest of the world . P. S. Milo and Otis always votes !

Ms. Freeman, the elections are now over and honestly, I'm happy that you are now happy! It's time to put all this bickering behind us and let's work on moving forward. Both Frank Carter and Lane Carter will be facing major challenges and as a community, we need to support them. Change is not always easy, but citizens of San Angelo clearly wanted change and they got it! "MOVING FORWARD"

I just checked "PETA" laws and there is nothing allowing "Pugs and Orange Tabbies" to vote. Clearly voter fraud here! Checking the tax rolls now! "PUGS AND ORANGE TABBIES"

Yea, I guess we will just have to turn our backs on this one. Pugs and Orange Tabbies, consider yourselves fortunate. We must move on! "AGREED"