Mayor Morrison: 14 Years of Service & Dedication

SAN ANGELO, TX – When it comes to serving the City of San Angelo, Mayor Dwain Morrison said, "It's the greatest job in the world!"

Mayor Morrison is nearing the end of his 14-year run serving the city of San Angelo, and he took the time to meet with LIVE! to reflect on his experience and the hopes he has for the future of the city. He said his love for San Angelo and the dedication he has to the citizens drives his motivation when it comes to his role in public service.

“I got some pretty deep roots,” Morrison said, “I honestly think that probably we live in the sweetest spot in all of God’s vast creation.”

The Mayor’s roots definitely run deep in this city. His family has been in San Angelo for nearly 100 years. Both his maternal and paternal family established themselves in the town during the 1920s, and Morrison has lived his entire life in or around San Angelo. He graduated from Lake View High School in 1968, and Mayor Morrison met and married his wife, Vickie, in San Angelo. They raised three sons together. Mrs. Morrison worked at Lake View High School for 29 years.

Growing up in the north side of town gave Mayor Morrison a unique perspective to the needs of what he considers the working class and blue-collar workers of San Angelo. So representing the needs and interests of his fellow constituents was one of the reasons he decided to run for city council for the first time in the mid-1980s.

Morrison remembered being upset about a city ordinance that restricted the placement and size of signs. As a small business owner, the ordinance affected his business and his ability to directly communicate with his customers.

Fighting the ordinance resulted in his first citation, which he contested and lost. As a result, he had to pay $55. He recalls complaining various times to his father who one day said to him, “Either stop complaining, or run for city office and fix it.”

So Morrison decided to do just that. He ran for city council, but lost that election. In 2003, however, that story changed. That year, Morrison won the election by the people and served on the council 10 years for a total of five consecutive terms. In 2013 he decided it was time to take the next step and ran for mayor.

Morrison reminisced over the challenges that running for mayor meant. His wife and family were the driving force behind the campaign.

“[It was the] loosest campaign to ever win an election,” Morrison joked.

From placing over 800 signs all across the town, with the only the aide of his wife, to reaching out to citizens from all over the city were new experiences for him. He considers having to step out of his comfort zone one of the biggest lessons he has learned as mayor. In order to represent the interest of everyone in the community, he had to reach out to them.

He said approaching people and telling them who he was and the plans he had for the city was a hard but rewarding experience. In the end, reaching out and meeting people of all different backgrounds and political interests not only helped him get elected twice, but also created lifelong friendships that may not have occurred if he hadn’t run for mayor.

Morrison also recalled a specific meeting he had with one constituent. As he approached the business, he noticed his opponent’s poster in the shop window. He says he went in, introduced himself and told the shop owner he wanted his sign on the window too. The constituent told Morrison he didn’t know him well enough to support him, so they spent nearly half an hour talking about Morrison and his plans for mayor.

When he left the store that day, Morrison had met a new constituent and had spread his message. Not to mention, he had his poster on the shop window instead of his opponent’s.

While politics can take a toll on relationship, Morrison saw his opponents from his first election as friends. As former city council members themselves, they had all served together, and the race was amicable.

“It was a friendly race," Mayor Morrison said. "We all started out as friends, and we ended as friends.”

He said is very thankful for all of those people who donated and contributed to his campaign, especially since he never solicited funds. The help and support he received were from citizens who believed in the direction he wanted to take San Angelo. In total, Mayor Morrison estimated his first campaign spent nearly $17,000, and the second closer to $12,000.

Making himself available to the public really helped him, as well as having ads on local TV and radio stations. He laughed as he remembered getting calls from constituents surprised to know the mayor answers his own phone. He also referenced Whataburger as one of his favorite meeting places, being slightly more popular than the office in City Hall.

One of the things that Morrison loves most about San Angelo is the spirit of independence the city’s history has demonstrated since its conception in 1867. The spirit of surviving, without the support of major cities, is one of the city’s most valuable aspects. Its diversity is also key in creating a city that embraces individuals from all places and helps one another.

The city’s ability to come together in times of need is another thing Morrison admires of his constituents. He recalled the amazing turnout the city had after asking for any help that would benefit the displaced mothers and children of the FLDS case. City officials never expected to have a turnout of that size, and had to call in extra volunteers to ensure the goods were received and distributed properly.

“We always pull together," he said. "We may have our little differences, but when push comes to shove, we all get together.”

Morrison is proud of the growth and change he has seen San Angelo experience during the last 14 years. He praised SAPD, or the “best police department in the world,” as he considers it, for their tireless work and dedication to the community.  

He’s also proud to see the San Angelo Fire Department adjust their ISO rating from four to one, which speaks to the great safety measures the SAFD employs to ensure everyone's safety. A change in this scale isn’t easily achieved and requires a lot of dedication and well-trained firemen.

The constant renovations and creation of places, such as the Red Arroyo Riverwalk and Kirby Park, in the last few years are all examples of community efforts that show that citizens coming together can make a difference.  

But of all the community efforts that the mayor is proud of, there is one that holds a special place in his heart. After Lincoln Middle School was built on 50^th Street, the streets had not been modified to accommodate the traffic flow. This caused congestion and endangered the lives of students who had to wade between cars on their way home.

As the councilman for that district, Morrison proposed a new project that would allow an expansion of the narrow streets. The council, along with the state, the school, the electric company and the gas company all worked together to reroute the power lines and gas lines that had to be moved in order to allow the street expansion. Morrison considers this his biggest accomplishment during his time working with city council.

As he approaches his final months as mayor, Morrison considers himself very lucky to have had the opportunity to serve his community. The son of a blue collar family representing the city was something he never imagined, but made possible with all of his hard work.

Being mayor requires love for the city and the willingness to work hard every day with little monetary compensation, Mayor Morrison said. The current salary for mayor is $350 a month. The important thing is to reach out and engage with everyone in the community.

Mayor Morrison recalled that, during his first term, he made 1,500 public appearances as mayor; during his second term, he has gone beyond that amount. This includes attending a wide variety of events such as meetings, 100^th birthday proclamations and any events important to the people of this city.

As he gets ready to transition back to a normal working San Angeloan, he admits he will miss being mayor and having the opportunity to serve the people of city, for he has done so for the last 14 years. Whether you remember Mayor Morrison because of his role in city council or his time as mayor, there is one thing no one will forget, and that’s his eternally famous rattlesnake hat.

“It’s been a lot of fun. I’ve worked hard at it, and I’ve tried my very best to be the mayor I ought to be,” Mayor Morrison concluded.