Local political candidates address children

Local candidates for office were given an opportunity to speak when Donley Active Voices hosted a Kids’ Press Conference on Monday, April 3, at the Burton Memorial Library.

Several local kids were present and heard from Clarendon school trustee Weldon Sears, Mayor Sandy Skelton, Alderman Nathan Floyd, and city alderman candidates Jacob Fangman and Britton Hall. School trustee candidates Reneé Mott and Zack Robinson were not present for the forum.

Early voting begins Monday, April 24, and runs through May2. Election Day will be May 6.

A summary of the candidates’ statements from the forum is listed below as reported by the young people attending the Kids’ Press Conference.

Weldon Sears by Henry and Haughton Bivens.

Weldon Sears has been a member of the school board for 22 years.  He explained what incumbent meant to us.  He explained the school board hires the superintendent, who is responsible for the day to day workings of the school.  The school board fits education to local needs and is responsible to students, parents, teachers, administration, and tax payers.  Mr. Sears wants to put student’s needs first and feels communication between everyone is important.  He feels he can help students and the community by being on the school board.

Sandy Skelton by Lillie Dale.

Sandy Skelton is running unopposed for reelection as mayor. The mayor conducts all city meetings and hires a city administrator. The city administrator does the hiring for the rest of the city jobs which cover water, roads, and everyday administration of the city. Mayor Skelton wants to address the infrastructure needs in clarendon. He spoke about a project to fix the roads, but he also told us how expensive those kinds of projects are. He wants to fix the waterlines and how the government is giving the town money to fix them up. He spoke about how the pipes were old and rusted and produced red water in some parts of the town. He was asked by one of the kids about the new water park. He replied by saying it was more of a pool than a water park and they still haven’t raised enough money for the project, but he was sure that they would complete it before the deadline.

Nathan Floyd by Rosie Dale.

Nathan Floyd is currently a city alderman. He thinks for the job of alderman that you have to work on city projects, city businesses, and as well as making Clarendon grow in the right direction. His goals if elected are to start a new project in town about our roads and our waterlines. Nathan was originally asked to fill an open position as city alderman.  He wants to appeal to the youth in this town.

Jacob Fangman by Nathan Matthews.

Jacob Fangman is a Clarendon City Alderman candidate. He believes that the role of an Alderman is to represent the tax payers and constructively implement their wishes with available funds. He plans to listen carefully to citizens and the more experienced board members in order to help Clarendon to be a sustainable community. Jacob ran for the position of City Alderman in order to make a difference. He is ready to take on this responsibility.

Britton Hall by Ben and Ella Estlack.

Britton Hall grew up in Fort Worth and came to Clarendon in 2008. Mr. Hall is running for city council. What he sees in an alderman is the voice of the people. His main goals are to represent the citizens of Clarendon, listen to the citizens of clarendon with an open mind, and to bridge the gap between young and old people. He would also like to see more young people get involved. He decided to run for alderman so he could give back to the city Clarendon for welcoming him with open arms when he moved to town.