3 Jersey Village incumbents opposed

Voters on May 7 also to decide whether city should ban use of red-light cameras

Jersey Village voters on May 7 will consider candidates for three City Council seats as well as proposals to determine if red-light cameras have a future in the city.

Place 1 Councilman Andrew Mitcham is challenged by former council member Jill Klein. Place 4 incumbent Sheri Sheppard is running against retired Air Force Reserve Lt. Col. Mike Mauriello.

The Place 5 race features incumbent Tom Eustace, business owner Gary Wubbenhorst and Bryan D. Engledow, a project manager in the family entertainment and restaurant industry. Position 1:

Mitcham, 32, was appointed by the council last year to fill the vacancy created when Justin Ray was elected mayor and is making his first run at political office.

“Jersey Village is my hometown,” said Mitcham, a lifelong city resident who works in IT for an oil-and-gas company. “I love the fact city residents can contact their representatives directly.”

Mitcham served on the comprehensive planning committee before his appointment. The council approved the plan

in February, and Mitcham said he is seeking election to pursue its full implementation.

“I want to continue what I started with the committee,” he said. “I want to continue to push the recommendations we have approved and sort of ferry them through the processes of budgeting, gaining support and implementation.”

Klein, 60, who served on the council from 2006-14, said she’s running again at her neighbors’ request.

“The U.S. 290 expansion is really affecting us. A lot of businesses have had to close,” she said. “Over the next couple of years (as that road nears completion), we are going to have to try and get them to come back.”

Klein, who is a scientist, said she was happy to see the city create a comprehensive plan, especially since a plan created in 1987 was never fully used or implemented.

“This will only be good if the plan keeps getting updated, and councils in the future look at it,” she said. Position 4:

Sheppard, 41, who is seeking her third term on the council, said she ran initially to help Jersey Village become a more visible community in the region.

The strategy consultant with Deloitte said that passage of the comprehensive plan in February will help accomplish this goal.

The greatest challenges, she said, have involved mobility, such as the U.S. 290 construction, right-of-way easement acquisitions related to that work and an ongoing traffic-calming study with Gunda Corp.

“It takes a lot longer to get these things done than people may expect … and that obviously drives some of the angst, and then we’ve got social media that exacerbates and drives some of the misinformation,” she said. “We are constantly fighting that.”

In what will be her last term if she wins because of term limits, Sheppard said she wants to stay the course that came with the adoption of the comprehensive plan.

Mauriello, 60, is a 10year city resident who previously also worked as a geoscientist.

He said many neighbors urged him to run for council.

“I may be new to politics, but I’m not new to leadership, problem solving or the concept of service,” he said. “We are blessed with a very diverse community — professional people, business owners, people in the public and private sectors, young and old, working folks and retired. All of our citizens have unique knowledge and life experiences which, when shared, can provide the solutions to any problem or challenge.”

Mauriello said he wants to convince people that the city represents an opportunity for new businesses.

“With an expanded business base, we will have added revenues to upgrade our necessary services when needed and undertake more projects to further enhance amenities like our parks and recreational opportunities, as well as the overall charm and visual appeal, all the while keeping a lid on tax rates,” he said. Position 5:

Eustace, 68, is seeking his second term on the council.

Eustace, who is retired after working in the oiland-gas industry, sees issues related to infrastructure needs and public safety and says his experience will help.

“I have served this city for about 30 years, either on a committee, or as a member of a commission,” he said.

Eustace said he hopes the council will fully use the new comprehensive plan.

“We have not gone into depth about what we (the council) will do, but there are issues of the plan we can address rather quickly, that are not that expensive to do,” he said.

Those include improvements to signage and to city parks, park trails and minor infrastructure improvements, Eustace said.

Wubbenhorst, 61, is a retired IT professional in addition to owning his business. A city resident since 1992, he said he considered running 16 years ago but that the time wasn’t right.

“I am running because I am oriented toward community service and believe I have something to contribute in this capacity,” he said.

Wubbenhorst lauded city leaders for passage of the comprehensive plan.

However, he said that was the easy part and that implementation will be more challenging.

“Implementing the comprehensive plan is going to take strong leadership, perseverance and experience,” he said. “I have shown these traits in my professional career and my 18 years of volunteer work for the city.”

Engledow, 43, is hoping the voters will consider a fresh perspective. Engledow, who has worked 20 years in project management, said, “I am ready to utilize my unique business experience and decisionmaking skills to better the future for all residents.”

Engledow said the council members have handled some issues inappropriately and that in some cases he feels the public voice was stifled, such as regarding recent passage of an ordinance amendment that allows installation of fiber optic cell towers in residential areas.

“This could and will lead to cell towers being built in the backyards of some residents,” Engledow said. Charter amendments

Voters also will consider changes to the city charter.

Both proposed amendment changes relate to redlight cameras. The first asks for a permanent ban on the cameras.

The second asks that the charter be amended to allow the council to complete red-light camera programs started before this year. Approval would permit the company to reinstall the cameras if the city desired.

A group of residents presented a petition with more than 450 signatures to the council in January demanding that the cameras be permanently banned.

The 10 cameras, installed in June 2008 as part of a contract with American Traffic Solutions, were removed in April 2013 when construction began on U.S. 290 segments at key entry points into the city.

Jersey Village Police Chief Eric Foerster said there are no plans to re-install the cameras, but residents who want to ensure that can’t happen would need to vote yes for Proposition 1 and No for Proposition 2.

Visit jerseyvillage.info/default.aspx?name=city. elections for details.