Let the campaign begin: Two council seats, Home Rule Charter up for vote in May

The mayoral candidate gets to take it easy while two incumbents and a contender set their sights on two council seats in this year's Sunnyvale election.

Mayor Jim Phaup is the only candidate in the mayoral race for the general election in May. Running for the two council seats up this year are incumbents Karen Hill and Paula Yates, who will be challenged by John Bailey. Also up is a special election to pass the Home Rule Charter that was placed on the ballot last month.

Phaup will remain on the ballot as regulations keep the town from declaring him the winner, since the other general election cannot be called off. The two seats currently occupied by Yates and Hill will go to the two of the three candidates who receive the most votes.

This is not Bailey's first time to run for town council, as he narrowly missed getting the seat by a few votes last year. He said it was a learning experience for him and he feels better prepared for this year's contest.

"I learned a lot last year," Bailey said. "I am starting a lot earlier this year and I feel like this is a year I can win."

Bailey said he believes his time on the 4B Board and as a teacher of 11 years, six of those years in Mesquite, represents his commitment to serving the people of the area.

"I am from the area and have a real passion to serve people in the area," Bailey said. "I want to be connected in the community."

Hill and Yates are both looking to serve another term. During their last term the council faced some major issues like the Home Rule Charter, SH 190 and the Sunnyvale Centre project.

Hill said that it is her experience with those issues that she hopes to use on the next council.

"I feel like I have something to offer the community," Hill said. "We have a lot of large issues before us to consider. I have the experience and background with the community. And I am looking forward to the opportunity to continue to serve Sunnyvale and making it a unique place in Dallas County."

Also as a part of this year's Election Day, a special election was approved by the Town Council to put the Home Rule Charter before the residents on the upcoming May ballot. The proposed charter, including the appendix and fact sheet, can be viewed at townofsunnyvale.org. The Home Rule Charter Commission will host a town hall meeting at 7 p.m. on April 25 to answer questions and address any concerns with the proposed document.

In Texas, cities are classified into general-law cities and home-rule cities. A general-law city is a municipality that is limited to governmental structures and powers specifically granted by state law. A city with more than 5,000 people can choose to become a home rule city.

Sunnyvale, through the recent census, passed the 5,000 mark and is entertaining the idea of a home rule charter. According to Texas Handbook Online at tshaonline.org, the charter may not contain any provision that is inconsistent with the state constitution or statutes.

A home rule charter may provide for establishment of any of the three types of city government; may specify the number of members of the governing body; may allow annexation by the governing body of land adjacent to the city with or without the approval of the residents to be annexed; may set a maximum property tax rate of $2.50, compared to a maximum of $1.50 per $100 valuation for a general-law city; and may authorize other functions and responsibilities, provided they are not specifically prohibited by the state constitution or laws.

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