Caldwell will be electing a new mayor at the upcoming Saturday, May 2, election.
Current mayor Janice Easter did not file to retain her seat, so the race is between two newcomers: Brad Oliver and John Rychlik.
Oliver said that he is running “to build a stronger and safer Caldwell.”
He said he would like to benefit the city by “reshaping our image and transforming our city into a place that others will want to call home.”
Rychlik said he decided to file as a way to give back to the town he considers home.
“No matter where I worked or lived throughout the world, whenever I was asked, ‘Where is home?’, my response was always ‘Caldwell, Texas,’” he said.
“I began promoting and became an ambassador for Caldwell way before deciding to run for mayor.”
Candidates were asked: What will be our most pressing future infrastructure needs (streets, drainage, water and sewer) through the decade to prepare us for future growth?
And, how do we pay for that? What kind of financing needed?
Oliver said his main focus as mayor would be water security.
“In working through solutions for water, it must include updated sewer systems to address the new subdivisions,” he said.
“Unfortunately, the new homes will have to take priority over the older established areas.”
Oliver said there is a major need for a new sewer treatment plant, which he said will cost “upwards of $30 million.”
“Short answer is we the citizens of Caldwell,” he said in answer to the question of how to pay for this plant.
He said funding the much-needed plant will require a bond election. “Caldwell voters will have to vote on it,” Oliver said.
Rychlik said streets, drainage, and water and sewer are all priorities.
“To grow responsibly and effectively while minimizing the disruption to the citizens, we would plan to address all three areas with an integrated approach that maximizes flood reduction, replace aging sewer lines and extends pavement life, while managing city resources efficiently,” he said.
Rychlik said he would like to see community input balanced with feedback from the city engineer in the city administrator and council’s decisions.
He said as far as funding goes, the city could use a combination of grants, impact fees imposed on developers and current tax revenue.
“If infrastructure work is needed in new developments, we would evaluate the use of impact fees to share the cost with developers,” Rychlik said.
“If additional financing is needed, we will get as much information on available financial instruments to provide to the Council to make informed and fiscally responsible decisions.”
Candidates were also asked: What are your specific street and drainage priorities for the next two years? Be specific on the location and what type of project you would do at that location.
“It is time to start paying attention to the citizens of Caldwell who have lived here and stop prioritizing the new subdivisions,” Oliver said.
“Many of the streets, including mine, have potholes and issues.”
Oliver said he would stop sending workers out to “put sand in the holes.”
“The reality is the City has overlooked many existing streets’ needs,” he said.
Oliver also said he would like to see open lines of communication between the mayor and road crews and residents and the city.
“I do not pretend to know the full scope of work for all the roads within the city, but you can start in the Hull Subdivision and a hydrology study to stop the flooding in front of the Vychopen’s house at 914 Lorey Lane,” Oliver said.
“I assure you once folks know the mayor is open for business, the names of every crack will come into city hall.”
Rychlik said he would like to see increased and improved drainage in town.
“From regularly attending council meetings, reviewing existing studies that have been performed, driving around town and listening to residents, we can pick anywhere located in the flood hazard area from O’Neal to Broadway around 12th Street and go all the way to OSR,” he said.
“The concrete drainage system and culverts that have been put in place in those areas are working as planned, however there is more work to be done.”
However, he said he would like to do more research on the subject before making any final decisions.
“Before any specific street or drainage priority would be selected, we need to get community input, analyze the existing flood plain and drainage studies and provide that to the Council so they can make informed decisions that prioritize projects based on risk and need,” Rychlik said.
Finally, candidates were asked: Do you favor creation of a planning and zoning board to address the issues or do you support allowing the city council to address zoning issues on a case-by-case basis?
Oliver said he would like to see the creation of a planning and zoning board to work with new and existing businesses.
“They can facilitate communications and working through the process while implementing the visions of the City and Chamber of Commerce conducive to success,” he said.
Oliver said he would like to see a P&Z Board that operations without “endless restrictive oversight,” but instead creates “beneficial guidelines for success” and helps “remove onerous ordinances and requirements with the city council.”
“The Planning and Zoning Board cannot be adversarial, but create a fresh attitude and a willingness to listen drawing interest from entrepreneurs with outside money,” he said.
“It must help Caldwell become the “Friendly City” for which I will work tirelessly to expand.”
Oliver said he would still like to see the city council involved in the case of “any new business or structure which reflects negatively on the safety, beauty or the reputation of Caldwell”, but would like to see the P&Z board take over for simple variance requests.
Rychlik said he would like to see both P&Z and city council utilized.
“I support using both a Board and City Council to address zoning issues because the collaborative approach would be the most efficient and effective,” he said.
Rychlik said the P&Z board would encourage community involvement and insight from local professionals, but that the council should ultimately be responsible for decision making, as elected officials.
“Having a zoning board present their reviews to the Council, who will make the decisions would create a timely, transparent, unbiased and effective process,” he said.
Rychlik said his career as a finance and compliance professional taught him valuable lessons that would help him in the responsibilities of mayor.
“I gained valuable experience of managing budgets, advising senior management on what is happening at all levels to keep them informed, listening and advising employees who had concerns about their specific work situation or how the company was operating and directing them on finding a resolution,” he said.
“I have been training for this role my entire career.”
Oliver said his prior work experience and time in Caldwell have equipped him to build “a city which is family- friendly, welcoming to new businesses and built on a foundation of faith and honesty.”
He also said as mayor he would like to “be a better steward of your hard-earned tax dollars.”