A trustee for GCISD; running red lights; water board answers; Southlake neighborhoods; stuck on Glade Road

Traffic moves past red light cameras in North Richland Hills. Ron T. Ennis Star-Telegram

A trustee for GCISD

As a small business owner, I understand how the schools affect our neighborhoods. A great district creates and influences a great community.

The Grapevine-Colleyville ISD Trustee race in District 2 comes down to experience and enthusiasm. Incumbent Becky St. John’s service to both her school district and the local community as a whole put her head and shoulders above her challenger.

Becky is dedicated and diligent in her service and has unparalleled passion for the betterment of all the children in our school system.

As a volunteer and supporter of GCISD, I believe there is no one more qualified for the GCISD school board than Becky St. John.

Please take advantage of your privilege to vote. I will be placing my check mark beside Becky St. John.

— Don Cheek, Grapevine

Running red lights

Terri Andrews’ April 26 letter concerning red-light cameras implied that her citations were not fair and she was “shocked.” Interestingly, while explaining her first ticket she admitted that the “wheels were moving very, very slowly” and again complained about her second citation even though her “car wheels were turning very, very slowly.” Unlike Andrews but like most people, I learned after my first ticket to stop running red lights.

I would suggest that a vast majority of people are in favor of a system that saves lives, reduces injuries and generates city income with no cost to drivers who stop at red lights. I would also suggest that the vast majority of people in opposition have received multiple tickets and are just strangely incapable of bringing their vehicle to a complete stop.

— Patrick Jenkins, Arlington

Water board answers

I recently attended a candidate question-and-answer session. To almost every question asked of them, Tarrant Regional Water District board candidates Jim Lane and Marti Leonard did not answer the question. Rather, they stated that their opponents “were misinformed, were not correct, or didn’t understand” an issue. All the other candidates had specific answers to the questions asked, but Lane and Leonard rarely answered a direct question. It’s time for younger eyes on this board. Lane and Leonard will not get my vote.

— Mellanie Clay, Fort Worth

Southlake neighborhoods

An April 15 letter suggested that Southlake’s next mayor should be a person whose main qualification is “making a presentation to a big company looking to relocate to Southlake.” That is exactly what we do not want our next mayor doing.

As anyone who has driven on Route 1709 recently can attest, our city government and resources should not be oriented to searching out ways to increase traffic congestion for ourselves and our children.

We don’t want more parking lots, apartment buildings camouflaged as condominiums or “exceptions” for commercial development. Our next mayor should be one who is looking to preserve our neighborhoods and maintain the character and values that have made Southlake a good place to live. That candidate is Carolyn Morris.

— Donald Engleman, Southlake

Stuck on Glade Road

Glade Road handles nearly 17,000 vehicles per day and has not been upgraded to accommodate this volume.

Our City Council and Public Works Department, along with a consulting engineering firm, offered residents an exhaustive process to provide input on the design of this thoroughfare.

A citizens group presented a petition to alter the professional engineering recommendation and citywide citizen input. The council put the petition before voters on the May 9 ballot. The city has ceased all progress on the design for road improvements. If this resolution passes, the city will be in a freeze period for five years from pursuing any action to improve Glade Road.

The road is unsafe (second-highest accident count in the city), and good engineering practice dictates needed upgrades!

— David Brockman, Colleyville

This story was originally published May 5, 2015 at 5:58 PM with the headline "A trustee for GCISD; running red lights; water board answers; Southlake neighborhoods; stuck on Glade Road."