An Informal Chat with SMD 4 Candidate Lucy Gonzales

San Angelo City Council Single Member District 4 candidate Lucy Gonzales’ loves McAllister’s Deli. Last Friday afternoon LIVE! was able to meet up with her there where we had a dish of city council, spiced with her career as a parole officer, and a side of philosophy.

Gonzales was born in Sonora, raised in Eldorado, graduated from Sul Ross University, and after a long 26-year career as a parole officer and supervisor she’s now retired, well partially anyway.

“I have a little part time job installing life alert systems,” she said. “I love the people I get to help out, they feel safe again, and it’s nice to see their smiles.”

Gonzales lives in PaulAnn with her husband. She has a daughter and stepdaughter who are adults, and have been out on their own for a while now.

Gonzales is not an experienced politician; she doesn’t claim to know all of the issues that city council faces, but is determined to learn about not only problems that affect the city as a whole, but the constituents themselves in SMD 4. At every city council meeting you will find her tucked away in the back taking notes on a long yellow legal pad.

“I have learned quite a bit by just going and taking notes, and listening,” she said. “Before this I didn’t realize how it all comes about. Everyone gets together, you learn, you study, everyone gets informed, you decide for yourself, make a vote, it passes or fails,” she said. “I’m not sure exactly what goes on during a closed session, because I haven’t been to one yet, but I’m ready to get in there and ask questions.”

She has been doing her homework by visiting with old SMD 4 councilmembers over the past couple of months, learning the word of mouth history of council decisions past. Gonzales has also been visiting door to door in SMD 4 over the past few weeks in order to learn the concerns of constituents.  She has noticed somethings about peoples’ attitudes and perceptions of local government, and the growing apathy that exists in an age of instant gratification and knowledge.

“Everything is not always what it seems sometimes. I think people get confused when they see something going down that they don’t like,” she said. “Because they don’t have the complete picture of what’s happened, they haven’t been given or heard all of the facts. When you are only given half of the information, people tend to get frustrated, and jump to conclusions. “

Gonzales believes that communication between city employees, city council, and citizens is the key to adding more transparency in the cities dealings.

“I like the town hall meetings that Grindstaff and Farmer give, because even if no one shows up you have given the opportunity for the community to show up and say this is what I don’t like, and this is what we do like, and this is something that needs more attention.”

If elected Gonzales says she will hold town hall meetings in SMD 4 as well.

“I think that’s one of the exciting things if I get elected. Is that I will get the insight, I will get the information, because that’s what I’ve always done as a parole officer,” Gonzales said when asked what about the council seat appeals to her most. “I would have to gather all of the information just like before a parole hearing. I never made any decisions without all of the facts,” she said straight faced. “I never decided anything final until the last witness was heard.”  

Gonzales’ desire to help people has been a driving force throughout her life. “I knew I wanted to be a probation officer,” she said. “And when I was offered parole officer instead, and I was intimidated at first. I was pretty sheltered growing up so my idea of prisoners was pretty much that they were all murders or some kind of monster,” she said chuckling. “But once I started the job and worked my way in to the know how I knew I had found my place,” she said.

“Everyone missteps in life, some more than others, but it just may take one person to tell them it’s going to be okay, and point them in the right direction, showing them it’s possible to get your life back if you really want it,’ she said. “As crazy as it sounds I was able to do that as a parole officer.”

Gonzales’ explains her motto for life “It’s all in the mix.”

“To me God has everything going  on , and when its time, it all comes together and it fits where it needs to be at, but during this time in our lives things are happening right now that I’m not even aware of that are going to bring favor or some type of effect in my life, right now may not be the time, but somewhere around, it’s all in the mix.”