Municipal elections in Corpus Christi, Texas (2017)
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| 2017 Corpus Christi elections |
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| Election dates |
| Filing deadline: March 27, 2017 |
| General election: May 6, 2017 |
| Election stats |
| Offices up: Mayor |
| Total seats up: 1 |
| Election type: Nonpartisan |
| Other municipal elections |
| U.S. municipal elections, 2017 |
At-large Councilman Joe McComb won the special election for mayor of Corpus Christi, Texas, on May 6, 2017. The Corpus Christi City Council appointed Debbie Lindsey-Opel to fill his seat on the council. She was sworn in on July 11, 2017.[1][2][3]
The mayoral special election was held to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Dan McQueen. McQueen, who won the position in November 2016 and took office in December 2016, resigned in January 2017.[4][5] His resignation came as he was facing questions about his educational background, his chief of staff, and comments he had posted on Facebook about the public, the media, and city leadership.[6][7] Learn more about McQueen's resignation by clicking here.
Water quality was a central issue in the special election. Corpus Christi issued three water advisories in the 16 months leading up to the 2016 mayoral election. Local media traced McQueen's upset of then-Mayor Martinez partly to voters' frustration with the city's water issues.[8][9] Corpus Christi continued to have water problems in the ensuing months, issuing a fourth water advisory in December 2016.[10] Learn more about water quality and other issues facing Corpus Christi by clicking here.
The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in the special election was March 27, 2017.[11] McComb faced seven opponents, including former Mayor Nelda Martinez and former city ethics commissioner Larry White. Former Councilman Mark Scott also filed for the race, but he withdrew on March 30, 2017.[12] Learn more about Scott's candidacy by clicking here.
Elections
Special election
Mayor[13]
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☐ Mark Di Carlo |
Campaign finance
The figures in the tables below are from the most recent report submitted by each candidate as of June 22, 2017. They are reproduced as presented by the candidates in their report summaries.[14]
Margareta Fratila and Ray Madigal filed paperwork with the city indicating that they did not expect to spend or receive more than $500. That meant they did not have to file detailed campaign finance reports.[15]
| Campaign finance information for 2017 candidates for Mayor of Corpus Christi | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Total contributions | Total expenditures | Cash on hand | Outstanding loans |
| Mark Di Carlo | $600 | - | - | $22,000 |
| Margareta Fratila | - | - | - | - |
| Jonathan Garison | $396.49 | $769.03 | $396.49 | - |
| James Hernandez | - | - | - | - |
| Ray Madrigal | - | - | - | - |
| Nelda Martinez | $10,985.00 | $55,041.88 | $39,413.84 | - |
| Joe McComb | $25,087.76 | $27,763.71 | $28,731.80 | - |
| Larry White | $150.00 | $986.06 | $225.00 | $836.94 |
Endorsements
Information about endorsements was not readily available in this race.
Additional elections on the ballot
There were no other elections on the ballot in Corpus Christi.
Issues
Water quality
The candidates in the May 6 special election agreed that water quality was an issue in the city but took different positions on how best to diagnose or fix the problem.
Corpus Christi's recent water issues started in July 2015, when E. coli contamination was found in water samples and the city issued a water boil notice. Low levels of the chlorine used to disinfect the water supply prompted a second water advisory in some parts of the city in September 2015, and positive tests for non-harmful bacteria led to a third in May 2016. A fourth water advisory was issued in December 2016, after city officials found an unidentified chemical in the water supply.[16]
Local media cited voters' frustration with the ongoing water quality problems as a factor in Dan McQueen's upset of then-Mayor Nelda Martinez in the November 2016 race.[8][9] David Smith, a political scientist at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, told the Corpus Christi Caller-Times that McQueen's win was a "reflection of people [who] did not feel that Nelda did enough to protect them from the water boils."[17]
Attorney Mark Di Carlo and business owner James Hernandez suggested that the water system may not have had the capacity to accommodate the city's population. At a candidate forum dedicated to the water quality issue, Di Carlo wondered whether there were enough water treatment plants to serve the city.[18] Hernandez told KRIS-TV that he favored building "two desalinization plants, one on the north side and then one outside, south of Topaz, the Barney Davis Plant. Then we can be able to have our own fresh water supply on hand."[19]
Martinez, Councilman Joe McComb, and former ethics commissioner Larry White emphasized the lack of maintenance of the water system. "Over the last two decades, we had money," McComb said at the water quality forum. "We just did not employ enough of those dollars to rehabilitate the streets, replace water and sewer lines, or do the necessary maintenance on them."[18] Martinez told KRIS-TV that, "The cast iron pipes underneath the ground were built between 1950 and '59, and we were the first ones, under my leadership with a great team, to put in a replacement program... What has taken 40 years of neglect is going to take a while to fix."[20] "Corpus Christi has neglected its infrastructure," White said on his campaign website. "The problem is that over the years the City Council authorized money for Capital Projects (add something new, optional) and didn't spend the money on Capital Maintenance (maintain what we have, mandatory). Now we're paying the price for this neglect."[21]
Ballotpedia surveyed the candidates about the specifics of their proposals to address the water quality issue. The table below presents the available responses.
| Corpus Christi has experienced some problems with its water supply. Do you think more needs to be done to fix the water supply issues? If so, what do you think the city should do? | |
|---|---|
| Candidate | Response |
| Larry White[22] | "I'm running because I am a Chemical Engineer who understands the water problem. The City needs to do a better job on maintenance and complete several upgrades to the water system." |
City streets
Potholes and other street repair issues were another source of voter frustration that carried over from the 2016 mayoral race to the 2017 special election. As with the water quality problem, the 2017 candidates agreed that the city had pressing infrastructure needs but disagreed about exactly how to address them.
One area of disagreement was over how to fund infrastructure improvements. Candidate Jonathan Garison, an assistant principal at Tom Browne Middle School, proposed using bonds. His campaign website said he planned to "work with city council, the city manager's office, and relevant departments to review data and identify needed upgrades and replacements. Two bond proposals will then be created. One proposal will handle the city's arterial and feeder streets, while a second bond will concern residential streets. This plan will allow for proper planning and funding."[23]
Candidate Larry White believed bonds were the wrong approach. "Bonds are not the solution to our infrastructure program," he said on his campaign website, adding, "Bonds have the appearance of not costing the tax payer. This is initially true. But eventually, the tax payer pays and pays a lot. Corpus Christi has a $1.6 billion dollar debt because of bonds. Guess who ends up paying this debt with interest?"[21] He proposed instead that the city build up a capital maintenance fund, divert money from development and low priority items to infrastructure, and explore the possibility of using grant money, taxes, and/or user fees to fund infrastructure improvements.[21]
Ballotpedia surveyed the candidates about which infrastructure needs they considered most pressing and how they thought the city should fund infrastructure improvements. The table below presents the available responses.
| According to KRIS-TV, Corpus Christi voters list infrastructure as a major issue facing the city. Other than water system issues, what do you think are the most pressing infrastructure needs in Corpus Christi? How should the city fund infrastructure improvements? | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Priorities | Funding |
| Larry White[22] | "Streets are the most visible and I agree a lot of work is needed. However as an engineer I am more concerned with the City's aging sewer system. The smell of this problem hasn't yet reached everyone." | "Bonds are not the answer to fixing our infrastructure problem. An on-going maintenance program is needed with on-going and reliable funding (user fees and/or taxes). My priority will be to find other sources of funds to get the needed maintenance going before considering user fees and/or taxes." |
About the city
- See also: Corpus Christi, Texas
Corpus Christi is a city in Nueces County, Aransas County, and San Patricio County, Texas. As of 2010, its population was 305,215.
City government
- See also: Council-manager government
The city of Corpus Christi uses a council-manager system. In this form of municipal government, an elected city council—which includes the mayor and serves as the city's primary legislative body—appoints a chief executive called a city manager to oversee day-to-day municipal operations and implement the council's policy and legislative initiatives.[24]
Demographics
The following table displays demographic data provided by the United States Census Bureau.
| Demographic Data for Corpus Christi, Texas | ||
|---|---|---|
| Corpus Christi | Texas | |
| Population | 305,215 | 25,145,561 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 160 | 261,266 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White | 89.6% | 74% |
| Black/African American | 4.1% | 12.1% |
| Asian | 2.3% | 4.8% |
| Native American | 0.4% | 0.5% |
| Pacific Islander | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Two or more | 1.7% | 2.7% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 63.2% | 39.3% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate | 83.4% | 83.7% |
| College graduation rate | 22.2% | 29.9% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income | $56,333 | $61,874 |
| Persons below poverty level | 16.1% | 14.7% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2010). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2014-2019). | ||
| **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Corpus Christi Texas election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Corpus Christi, Texas | Texas | Municipal government | Other local coverage |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Nueces County Elections, "Unofficial Results," accessed May 6, 2017
- ↑ Corpus Christi Caller-Times, "City Council Appoints Debbie Lindsey-Opel to Vacant At-Large Seat," June 20, 2017
- ↑ Corpus Christi Caller-Times, "City Council Names 4 Finalists for Open Seat," June 13, 2017
- ↑ KVUE, "Corpus Christi Mayor Posts Resignation to Facebook," January 18, 2017
- ↑ Corpus Christi Caller-Times, "Council Forges Ahead," January 24, 2017
- ↑ KRIS-TV, "6 Investigates: Mayor Dan McQueen's Credentials," January 16, 2017
- ↑ Corpus Christi Caller-Times, "Questions Continue, Mayor's Chief of Staff Withdraws Resignation," January 18, 2017
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 The Texas Tribune, "37 Days: Corpus Christi Finds Lessons in Mayor's Political Implosion," February 9, 2017
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Texas Monthly, "The Short, Tumultuous Tenure of Corpus Christi Mayor Dan McQueen," January 23, 2017
- ↑ CBS News, "Corpus Christi Had 3 Reports of Dirty Water Before Ban, Official Says," December 17, 2016
- ↑ Corpus Christi Caller-Times, "Election Filing Period Opens for Corpus Christi Mayoral Election," February 28, 2017
- ↑ Corpus Christi Caller-Times, "Mark Scott Drops Out of Mayoral Race," March 30, 2017
- ↑ Ballotpedia staff, "Email correspondence with the office of the Corpus Christi city secretary," March 29, 2017
- ↑ City of Corpus Christi, "2017 Campaign Finance Reports," accessed June 22, 2017
- ↑ Corpus Christi Caller-Times, "McComb, Martinez Lead Mayoral Fundraising by Wide Margins," April 7, 2017
- ↑ Corpus Christi Caller-Times, "Timeline: Corpus Christi Water Issues Since 2015," December 22, 2016
- ↑ Corpus Christi Caller-Times, "McQueen Defeats Martinez in Corpus Christi Mayor's Race," November 8, 2016
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Corpus Christi Caller-Times, "Mayoral Candidates Talk Water Future, Water Past," March 24, 2017
- ↑ KRIS-TV, "Candidate Profile for James M. Hernandez," accessed April 12, 2017
- ↑ KRIS-TV, "Candidate Profile for Nelda Martinez," accessed April 12, 2017
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 Vote Larry White for Mayor, "Where I Stand," accessed April 12, 2017
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 Ballotpedia's municipal government candidate survey, 2017, "Larry White's Responses," April 13, 2017
- ↑ Jonathan Garison for Mayor of Corpus Christi, "Policy Issues," accessed April 12, 2017
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
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