Dear Fellow Residents: 

Early voting begins in the Kemah City elections in about two weeks.  On this ballot will be the office of mayor, two council positions and a non-binding referendum on how you would like to see KCDC funds prioritized.  I believe this is a very important election that presents a fundamental choice about the future of our city.

Since its beginning Kemah has struggled with how to prioritize between the interests of the residents on one hand and encouraging tourism and economic development on the other.  When I ran for mayor I felt that we had overdone economic development at the expense of the residents.  As a result we swung the pendulum back toward the residents with initiatives such as the city assuming the cost for all residential garage pick up, building the first ever city owned park, purchasing the green space behind Bay Breeze, completing the Bel Road drainage project and devising a plan to develop the 57-acre spoil site as a park.  In my opinion, this is the correct emphasis and the city should have a bias favoring the interests of the residents over further commercial development.  I certainly do not think we should become anti-business, but in the final analysis, economic development should be undertaken to enhance the lifestyle here and not at its expense.

For this reason, I think it is important that we elect a mayor and council members that do not have business ties to Kemah's entertainment district.  Our mayor and council must stand as a check against the commercial interests overwhelming the city.  If these individuals have their business interests there, that will be nearly impossible for them to do.   In this election, Greg Collins and Pat Buchanan are the candidates that do not have any business ties to the entertainment district.  Both John Conrad and Keith Mercado have businesses in or near the entertainment district.  In Conrad's case, I believe that he is not suited to be mayor for a number of reasons, but his involvement in a business that leases from Landry's is clearly a source of possible conflicts of interest.  In the case of Mercado, I respect his interest in public service and his willingness to put his name up for consideration.  In fact, I hope that the next mayor will consider Keith for the KCDC Board as the "merchants' representative."  However, I do not think that a person who has a direct financial interest in the city should serve on Council. 

In addition to these two contested positions, you will be asked to vote on non-binding referendum that would dedicate 50% of the KCDC funds to street construction and repair.  In every section of the city except Kemah Oaks, our streets and drainage are in need of repair and/or reconstruction.  This will be a significant capital outlay, eventually costing millions of dollars.  Currently the KCDC receives approximately $600,000 per year from sales taxes.  In addition, the city receives about $200,000 in hotel/motel taxes which must be used to promote tourism.  This referendum would express your desire to Council and the KCDC Board that, at least, $300,000 of this $800,000 per year should be spent on our streets. 

The truth is that we don't need to be spending $800,000 per year on economic development.  I think this is evidenced by some of the projects KCDC has financed over the last few years that have questionable tangible economic development benefits.  More importantly, the alternative is that we are going to have to raise property taxes to finance these street improvements.  Kemah residents enjoy a very low city tax rate.  In all likelihood that rate will have to go up even if don't allocate some KCDC money to improving streets.  However, if we allow KCDC to spend all of these funds on economic development projects like archways and visitors' centers, the increase will be much larger.

I think the choices are clear in this election.  If your interest in Kemah is primarily in making it a home for you and your family and keeping your taxes as low as possible, I would encourage you to vote for the candidates that will insure the interests of the residents are protected.  I believe those candidates are Collins and Buchanan.  In addition, I would encourage you to send a message to the next mayor, council and KCDC Board that you are interested in our streets being repaired before we build any more archways or welcoming signs by voting "YES" on Proposition 1.

William E. King
1215 Kipp Avenue
Kemah, Texas 77565
weking@weking.net

The Order Calling for a General Election, May 7, 2005   Kemah