‘Get our priorities straight’: Rhome’s new mayor wants to put city’s turmoil in the past
The newly elected mayor of Rhome wants his small city in southern Wise County to be prepared for the growth that’s inevitably coming.
Kenny Crenshaw, 61, defeated the incumbent mayor, Patricia Mitchell, with around 66% of the votes in unofficial returns from the May 4 election.
Mitchell served as mayor for two years and was censured by the city council following an investigation of a city employee’s complaint describing bullying and unprofessional behavior. Her term was marked by employees quitting and council meetings often fraught with bickering and walkouts.
Crenshaw, who will be sworn in May 15, said he wants the city to put the turmoil behind it.
“We’re just trying to move forward and to get our priorities straight,” he said.
Crenshaw said he sees Rhome as a place with neighborhoods, parks and opportunities for shopping where people want to raise their families. “You’ve got to give the city a vision,” he said.
The city of about 1,800 residents sits at the intersection of U.S. 287 and Texas 114. Just outside the city limits, a 10,000-home Reunion development is under construction at Rolling V Ranch.
Now, Rhome must move forward after voters on May 4 approved a $17.5 million bond package to replace the aging West Wastewater Treatment Plant, drill new wells and replace aging clay sewer lines.
City officials said passing the bond is vital for Rhome’s future with the thousands of homes that are coming.
“I think people voted with their pocketbooks. They voted in favor of the bond,” Crenshaw said.
“I am optimistic for Rhome. I came from a small town that made Rhome look like a metropolis. They see change and are worried, but when they see good things coming in, I think that will go away,” he said.