FBN: Coverage of MC Council Candidates Forum (Click the title link for more)-

Mo. City Council Candidates Debate Issues At Forum, Reveal Business News
by Bob Dunn, Apr 20, 2007, 08 10 am

Most challengers for Missouri City Council slots called for change and cited complacency during a Thursday night candidates’ forum, while incumbents cited past accomplishments as evidence the city is in good hands.

News, or rumored news, also surfaced during the event:

→ District B incumbent Don Smith and District C challenger Barbara Gibson said a controversial so-called sidewalk ordinance – which makes citizens responsible for repairs to sidewalks, curbs and streets adjacent to their property – has been resolved, with the city agreeing to assume responsibility for repairs.

→ District B challenger Lou Hunter said he has confirmed that the Blockbuster Video store on Texas Parkway intends to leave that location.

→ Smith said he is “working right now” with Fiesta Mart Inc. “and you will see in a very few days that they are interested” in locating to the Texas Parkway corridor.

→ District A incumbent Eunice Reiter hinted that the city is counting on a bill in the Texas Legislature that could somehow have a bearing on its consideration for purchasing Quail Valley Country Club.

Hunter, Gibson, Reiter and Smith are among seven candidates for three council positions who squared off at the season’s first public candidates’ forum at Missouri City Hall, put on and moderated by the Texas Parkway Alliance.

Businessman Rodney Griffin is challenging Position A incumbent Reiter; sociology professor Cynthia Lenton-Gary and mortgage banker Hunter are challenging Position B incumbent Smith; and health care administrator Kevin Tunstall and homeowner association president Gibson are vying for Position C, being vacated by Councilman Bob Burton.

“I believe that when people go unchallenged they grow complacent, and complacency begets neglect,” Tunstall said at one point during the forum. “I ran to challenge the status quo.” . . .


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