Pantego Town Council

Members serve two-year terms and are unpaid.

Place 1

Duane Smith is unopposed and will keep his the seat until 2010.

Place 2

Name: Michael Robertson

Age: 62

Occupation: Retired electronics engineer

Online: m.c.robertson@tx.rr.com

Background: Robertson, a military veteran who grew up in San Antonio, has lived in Pantego since 1981.

About the candidate: Water, both infrastructure and quality, is his top issue. "When I go to Town Council meetings and ask what is the plan, I'm told there is a plan, but when I ask what the plan is, I don't get an answer," Robertson said. "Some of us proposed a citizen committee to help the town develop a strategic plan and they tabled anything until after the election. The Town Council is not citizen-friendly or willing to listen or be responsive." He also believes the town needs more sidewalks. "I'm not looking for a career in politics," he said. "There are things that need to be done and I want to get them done."

Name: Nancy Tice (incumbent)

Age: 64

Occupation: Retired loan officer

Online: ticetwo@tx.rr.com

Background: Tice moved to Pantego from Arlington in 1973. She served on the Town Council from 1979 to 1982, including a stint as mayor pro tem, and returned to Place 2 in 2004 and had no opponent in 2006.

About the candidate: "I have proven leadership," Tice said. "I have eight years' municipal experience. I will be a strong voice for the citizens." She cites creation of economic development corporation and improvements to water system as major accomplishments. She said the most important issue is further improvements to the water system and water quality. She would use revenues from gas leases to help pay for them. She would work to improve Bicentennial Park, to keep the budget balanced and to keep taxes low.

Place 3

The winner will replace Bill Brown, who is not running for re-election.

Name: Melody Paradise

Age: 48

Occupation: Paralegal/business administrator for an environmental law firm in Dallas. She has worked as a paralegal since 1975.

Online: parme@yahoo.com

Background: Paradise, who was born and reared in Arlington, attended the University of North Texas. She has lived in Pantego since 2000.

About the candidate: She said her legal, technical and environmental background can benefit the city particularly as it undertakes gas drilling. "I want to make sure industries comply with environmental regulations," Paradise said. "They are complying, but things do go wrong." She favors a long-range approach to improving the water system, better communication with citizens and fiscal discipline. She said all too often the council has given a rubber stamp to the town manager and has had a lack of community involvement. She said that culture needs to change.

Name: Don Surratt

Age: 45

Occupation: Aerospace engineer.

Online: none

Background: Surratt, the son of former Mayor Bob Surratt, has lived in Pantego most of his life. He studied industrial technology at the University of North Texas. Surratt entered the race for the Place 3 seat in 2004 but withdrew citing business obligations. He said he now has time to serve on the council. He is a member of the Pantego Economic Development Corp. and served on the Zoning Board of Adjustments in 2005-06.

About the candidate: The big issues are maintenance and replacement of water and sewer infrastructure; water quality; road repair; and increasing the business base to foster an increase in our overall tax base. "We need some strategic planning to figure out how to address the water, sewer and road repairs in order to come up with a plan for the funding," Surratt said. "Because I'm an engineer I understand technology. I'm able to think outside of the box and open a dialogue with the other council members."