Editor’s note: Four candidates are vying for two atlarge seats on the Lometa City Council.

Incumbent Betty Poe, and Carlos Garcia, Dale Germany and Rigoberto Reyes have filed for the two-year terms.

Candidates were asked a series of questions, and their responses follow. Reyes declined to respond.

Carlos Garcia

As a lifetime resident of Lometa, Carlos Garcia is well aware of all the city of Lometa has to offer, as well as the problems that plague it. As a Lometa City Council candidate, he believes he has the skills needed to help his hometown prosper.

First on Garcia’s list of underutilized local assets is the Lometa Regional Park.

“Our park is our biggest asset, and we need to better use it to serve our city,” he said. “It is really only used for fire department, city, school and Lions Club events.

“We need to bring in more activities and encourage the community to put it to use,” said Garcia.

He outlined a number of ways in which better use of the park may be accomplished. “We need to begin advertising the park as well as lowering the cost of a park deposit, making it more affordable and less restricted,” the candidate said.

Garcia also would like to see continued improvements to the city’s appearance, including demolition of dilapidated buildings as well as an overall clean-up program. An employee of the city of Lampasas Street Department, Garcia believes a Clean Sweep program such as the one his employer recently completed within its city limits would greatly benefit Lometa.

“A week-long Clean Sweep similar to what Lampasas holds every year would go a long way in cleaning up debris, old lumber, junk and trash from the city of Lometa,” Garcia said.

The council candidate also sees the need for financial growth within Lometa.

“We need to draw more businesses into town and offer more options for the people traveling through to stop; give them somewhere to stop and spend money,” said Garcia.

A 2002 graduate of Lometa High School, Garcia and his wife, Mary, have five children. He is a member of the Lometa Volunteer Fire Department and the Church of Christ. An FFA booster, he also assists with the local and county livestock shows.

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Dale Germany

As a candidate for the Lometa City Council, Dale Germany sees areas in which the municipality may be improved. He also is aware of its fiscal limitations. While praising city officials for steps toward improvement, he does see areas in which Lometa may be enhanced on a shoestring budget.

“I have no axe to grind. City officials have a thankless job,” Ger- many said. “They have been making some street improvements, but there are a lot of things I would like to see done.

“You have to look at the amount of money the city has. It is about spending the money wisely,” he said. Among those items with room for improvement are beautification of the community and better utilization of the Lometa Regional Park.

Germany, a 25-year resident of Lometa, believes the city’s tight budget is a drawback, however.

“We have a limited tax base for the city of Lometa, and this limits our resources,” the candidate said.

A retired G-3 Operations sergeant major in the United States Army, the 22-year veteran believes his military background has given him the skills needed to remedy some of the city’s woes.

“I think I would do a good job for the city. I have the leadership and planning skills that can help this community,” said Germany.

“Lometa is a great community. I moved here in 1985 to raise my kids,” he added.

The candidate’s daughter, Tina Resa, resides in Lometa with her family, and his son, Dale Jr., lives in Pleasanton.

Germany, who was reared in Goldthwaite, works for Hill Country Community Action in its weatherization department. He is a graduate of Goldthwaite High School and holds an associate’s degree in auto engineering.

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Betty Poe

Running for her second two-year term, Lometa resident Betty Poe believes the City Council is making strides to improve the city, despite its limitations, and sees room for further advancement.

“The City Council is striving to maintain the infrastructure with limited funds and personnel,” she said. “Lometa needs to further develop this infrastructure while also looking to beautification.

“We need to continue making street improvements and cleanup. We need to do something about these old buildings that are falling down around our ears,” said Mrs. Poe.

“We have wonderful, friendly people living here and a lot of assets. It’s just putting it all to use.”

While Mrs. Poe believes that during her term in office, the city has made progress, she sees room for further improvement.

“I would like for the city to entertain some manufacturing business. We need to lure businesses in to hire locally and keep our people here and working,” she said. A means by which Mrs. Poe believes this may be accomplished is through community efforts such as the Lometa Economic Development Group of which she is a member.

“We need to seek grants and find ways in which to build up the community,” she said.

The Lometa Regional Park also is a point of concern for Mrs. Poe.

“The Lometa Regional Park is underdeveloped and underutilized,” she said.

A Lampasas native, Mrs. Poe has lived in the Lometa area since 1956. She has six children: Bobby, Beverly, Barry, Brent, Betsy and Bryce.