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Cathy Kuehne -
Herb Pearce
Two standing Lampasas City Council members will vie for the mayoral position in the May 6 municipal election. Both have identified historical renovation and utility infrastructure as priorities for the city.
Cat hy Kuehne
Having served on the City Council, the Spring Ho Committee and the Lampasas Association for the Arts, Cathy Kuehne said she feels she has a “diverse background and a lot to offer as mayor.”
She initially began a career in business working for Ford Motor Credit but was recruited by Rice Consolidated ISD, where she developed a love for teaching.
When her husband Mike Kuehne’s parents asked them to move home to help with the family business, the couple settled in Lampasas.
“We absolutely fell in love with the town,” Kuehne said. “We felt it’s a good place to raise kids. It’s small enough to have that smalltown feel but big enough for them to have opportunities. … There’s something about this community that envelops you and makes you want to give back.”
In addition to her role as a digital technology instructor at Lampasas High School, Kuehne also works with her husband in photography and his vinyl record business ventures, and she recently gained certification as a counselor.
“That was helpful in the listening aspect,” she said. “You have to make time for people to come talk to you. The job of the mayor and council is not what’s best for me; it’s what’s best for the community.”
Listening to and serving community members are what inspired Kuehne to run for mayor.
“I feel that service is important,” she said. “Serving on the council and as mayor is my way of giving back.
“I want to be able to make a difference and help us grow in the way that keeps us ‘Lampasas.’ I also want to embellish and make us better,” Kuehne said. “I want to help people find answers to their questions. I want to promote Lampasas, and the mayor is the face and advocate of the community.”
Regarding the city’s list of capital improvement projects, Kuehne said the council and mayor need to use resources such as the city committees that are at their disposal.
“The Capital Improvement Projects committee really focuses on what we need to do,” Kuehne said. “I see the council’s role more as where the money is spent. Being on council, it’s not making all the decisions yourself. You’re leaning on other boards of volunteers.”
She added that she believes infrastructure should be a primary focus.
“Water is crucial to our area, both fresh water and water treatment,” Kuehne said. “Our [infrastructure] is in pretty good shape, but it needs improvement. All that infrastructure really needs to work together. If not, we won’t be able to handle the growth.”
Kuehne added that she also is passionate about the city parks system and citizen quality of life.
As for hotel-motel funds, Kuehne said the city “really needs to refurbish the Hostess House to get it back to code and get it back to where people can enjoy it for reunions, family gatherings and parties. It’s such a gem and such a neat part of the community’s history. Having these venues is going to bring people into town.”
Another good use of HOT funds is maintaining existing visitor destinations such as the Hancock Springs pool, Kuehne said.
“It’s one of three springfed pools in the state. We need to ensure that it’s well-maintained,” she said.
Herb Pearce
Herb Pearce is proud to be a native Texan, born and reared in Midland, in the Permian Basin.
He attended Texas Tech University on a football scholarship and entered the workforce directly afterward.
“I began working for my father’s heavy equipment business. That’s when my real education began,” he said.
Pearce has since spent 37 years in the lumber industry and shares that knowledge through the Creating Badger Builders program for Lampasas High School students.
“I started my business from the ground up, and I am passionate about business,” he said. “My strengths are the ability to see and create opportunities, both professionally and within the community we live in.”
The councilman said his personal pillars of leadership are learning from both successes and failures, taking care of employees, treating customers with respect, and taking care of the finances and physical assets without cutting corners. He believes a business mindset is wellsuited for the role of mayor. “I really felt I wanted to bring these values into the service of the citizens of Lampasas,” Pearce said. “We live in very challenging days. In my business, we’ve had some challenging times, but we also learned how to overcome those challenges.”
After serving on the Lampasas City Council and as a member of the Capital Improvement Projects committee, Pearce was inspired to run for mayor because of the people who built and continue to build the Lampasas community.
“My wife’s great-greatgrandparents came to Lampasas in 1876,” he said. “They got married, bought a property and started their life here. I feel to whom much is given, much is required. To carry on what it took for someone to come from England … I am blessed to serve our community.”
Pearce said community members with hearts of service also have inspired him, and he named individuals such as Marisa Skiles of Wings of Eagles Outreach and Janet Crozier with the Lampasas Community Garden.
“Seeing City Hall come to life and filled with community members for something they believe in, that really inspires me,” Pearce said. “Seeing these things has taught me to have an open mind about people’s convictions and passion to help other people and make their lives better.”
Pearce said of the city’s list of capital improvement projects, the Hostess House renovation is his top priority.
“My daughter was married in that building,” he said. “It adds another stake in preserving our historical markers.”
Other high-priority projects include public utility improvements like water and wastewater, as well as essentials like the fire department.
“When any of us goes to our water faucet and it doesn’t work, it becomes a problem,” Pearce said. “We have to keep our eyes on all those inner workings and do a good job with it.”
Regarding hotel occupancy tax revenue, Pearce said he hopes the city will use these funds to create venues from existing city spaces, like the New Hope Baptist Church, that draw visitors and tourists.
“Let’s take care of the assets Lampasas has,” Pearce said. “Lampasas doesn’t need to be a drivethrough town; it needs to be a place of destination. We’re so primed to do that.”
He added that the 2024 solar eclipse likely will require HOT fund expenditure.
“We’re going to probably use some HOT revenue on the eclipse to put our best foot forward,” he said. “Literally, the world will be watching us that weekend.”