Early voting begins on April 29 for the May 11 municipal and school board elections across southern Denton County. The Cross Timbers Gazette asked each candidate in a contested race to answer a short questionnaire to help you make an informed decision at the polls. Here are their responses:
The only contested race in Argyle this May is in Place 2, where first-term town council member David Wintermute is being challenged by Kay Teer.
Jeff Cantrell is the sole candidate that filed for the Place 4 seat, currently held by Bonny Haynes. Haynes is stepping down this May after serving 10 years on council.
Cantrell, 52, is a 13-year Argyle resident and orthopedic surgeon.
“I hope to reflect on the past town issues, explore options for future Argyle challenges, and learn from residents to help make decisions in a professional atmosphere,” said Cantrell. “I have reached out to sitting council members and the mayor, as well as beginning the process of getting acquainted with town administration in order to accomplish that goal.”
Place 3 council member Peggy Krueger will be Argyle’s new mayor this May after Mayor Matt Smith and Place 1 council member Joey Hasty withdrew their applications to run on March 4.
Argyle Town Council – Place 2:
Kay Teer
Age: 59
Current Occupation: Owner, Meadows Building
Education: North Texas State University, Computer Science and Accounting
To what civic and religious organizations do you belong? No answer given
Why should you be elected? I want to bring integrity, honor, professionalism, and civility to Town Council. As a long-time citizen, I am proud of my town and want it to be the best it can be for its citizens, for my children, and for the future. As a Libertarian, I want limited, common sense rules and regulations.
What are the main challenges facing your town and how would you resolve them? We need new business in town to help reduce the burden for the residents in supporting town services yet it needs to be managed to preserve the small-town feeling of the town, which is why we all live here in the first place. With the current economy, all levels of government need to manage the citizen’s money effectively and strategically, with as little waste as possible. It takes all Town Council members doing their homework and working together to come up with the best solutions. I’ve been a Project Manager for the past 20 years, with a record of working with all types of people and keeping projects on budget and on time.
David Wintermute (I)
Age: 44
Current Occupation: National Accounts Manager
Education: No answer given
To what civic and religious organizations do you belong? First Baptist Church in Argyle. I have served proudly as a United States Marine and am a decorated Gulf War Veteran.
Why should you be re-elected? Dear Argyle Friends and neighbors: I want to start off by thanking you for electing me to be your voice on the Argyle Town council. It has been my honor to serve you during the last two years and I look forward to continuing to serve our great community with your vote in May. I have the knowledge, and commitment that our town needs to keep the momentum moving forward while making sure we preserve the rural lifestyle we all love and appreciate. I have a proven track record of voting against raising taxes especially when it’s not raising our services that we offer our citizens. I will continue to be adamant about going through the budget, line by line so our taxes are not raised. I am a strong believer in not issuing any more debt to our Town as well as making sure to put our needs before our wants. All of this I have demonstrated during my first term.
What are the main challenges facing your town and how would you resolve them? I see two main issues that we are facing: Growth and Growth. We can all see the explosive growth that surrounds Argyle and it is my duty to make sure that we control the inevitable growth in an intelligent way that provides essential services for our citizens while making sure we don’t have 10 stop lights in our small town. I am a firm believer in adhering to our Land Use Plan that our town has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on. We only have so much land in Argyle, so quality is priority one to me. During the last two years, there has been a lot of talk about infrastructure and I want to be the first to let you know, it’s already here and available for our commercial corridors with the exception of the I-35 and Crawford road tract. I believe that we have several opportunities of getting the sewer infrastructure to that specific tract of land without putting the burden on our Argyle taxpayers. In the mean time, I am focused on attracting more eating venues for our Town. We have several attractive locations here in our Town and it’s my goal to cut some of the red tape out and making Argyle more attractive and inviting for these restaurants and shops. Thank you again for the opportunity to serve you and please let me know if I can help in any way. My email is [email protected]
