Saturday, May 4, 1996

'Mum Lady,' Fort Worth mayor's race highlights of today's elections

By MARK BABINECK
Associated Press

The West Texas city of Brownfield unsuccessfully prosecuted Mary Gunnels for selling homecoming mums from her house. Now, she says she wants to run the place to make sure it doesn't happen again.

Ms. Gunnels, who has a lawsuit pending against the city stemming from last year's legal battle for "knowingly and intentionally operating a flower shop" in a residential area, is running for mayor.
Zoning ordinances is the basis of her platform.

"It just takes somebody with a backbone," said Mrs. Gunnels, widely known as "the mum lady."
"If I don't think it's right, you're going to know I don't think it's right."

Mrs. Gunnels, whose campaign slogan is "Mum's the word," said she expects to emerge from the field of four vying for the open seat. Other candidates are farmer Cesareo Melendez, Jr., mechanic shop owner Vince Schertz and former City Councilman George Cox.

Most of Saturday's elections around the state are for city councils, school boards and bond issues.

But in Dallas, five candidates are hoping to fill the state Senate seat vacated by Republican John Leedom. Republicans Steve Matthews, John Corona, Donna Halstead and Bob White and Democrat Jan Erik Frederiksen are vying for the District 16 seat.

The winner will serve the unexpired portion of Leedom's term, which runs through January 1999. Leedom, who had served in the Senate since 1981, announced in November he was resigning to devote more time to his family and business.

Also, special elections are slated for state House seats vacated by Susan Combs, R-Austin, and Curt Seidlits, D-Sherman.

Fort Worth residents will go to the polls to decide who will replace former mayor Kay Granger, who resigned to run for U.S. Congress. Two business owners, a musician, a retired law officer and an engineer comprise the field. All point to job growth as a key issue.

If none gains more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two will meet in a May 25 runoff.
The region with the most electoral action is West Texas.

Amarillo will decide whether to back the sale of the public Northwest Texas Hospital to a private company, Universal Health Services.

Universal has agreed to pay about $120 million to the Amarillo Hospital District, but detractors say the value of the deal is much less because the district will pay Universal about $180 million over the next 25 years for indigent health care.

Amarillo city commissioners, though not bound by the referendum, have pledged to follow the people's wishes.

In Midland, citizens will determine the fate of a proposed $33.2 million airport terminal to replace the 38-year-old facility serving the area.

In Denver City, a neighbor of Brownfield southwest of Lubbock, three city council candidates stand ready to help form a majority block to oust their embattled city manager.

Ray Hohstadt, who has been city manager for 10 years, recently was quoted in a deposition saying that God "gave" him the city's five-year plan. His opponents also charge he doled out about $37,000 in bonuses without approval.

The Miss USA Pageant is one of the key issues of the South Padre Island mayoral race. Two-term incumbent Peggy Trahan supports the pageant, which relies heavily on city funds. Her opponent, Mayor Pro Tem Ed Cyganiewicz, wants the city to stop footing the entire bill.

In Salado in Central Texas, concerns over what unregulated growth might mean for a village that cherishes its old-fashioned ambience have sparked a vote on whether Salado should incorporate.

Passage would pave the way for elected city officials, ordinances restricting downtown building and renovation, city police, perhaps a push for a sewer system to replace septic tanks - and city taxes to help pay for it all.