The Bastrop Advertiser (Bastrop, Tex.), Vol. 140, No. 101, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 17, 1994 Page: 1 of 28
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Youth outreach
eyed by church
See Page 6
Bastrop 60
Smithville 72
Hays 75
Hempstead 84
See Page 9
Family Plan
clinic carrier
heavy load
Vol. 140, No. 101
h.
Texas' Oiliest Weekly Newspaper
Since March l, 1853
50C
Bastrop, Texas
Thursday, February 17, 1994
Candidates loosen purse strings, races heat up
Candidates hit high gear
By Davis McAuley
Editor <•
Running to follow Randy
Fritz as Bastrop County judge,
Peggy Walicek of Smithville
loosed her campaign purse
strings during January and
raised substantial amounts from
loans and gifts, according to the
most recent candidate finance
reports.
Her opponent in the Demo-
cratic Primary, Norman Hansen
of Bastrop, reported raising far
less from backers but still out-
spent Mrs. Walicek who laid out
only minimal amounts before
Jan. 1.
Hansen's initial campaign fi-
nance report listed expenses of
more than $7,000 with no out-
side contributions.
In the new report Hansen lists
expenses of $2,700, partly offset
by $350 in gifts from former
county judge Jack Griesenbeck,
real estate salesman Bill Chess
and Vernon Tuck.
Mrs. Walicek reported
spending $2400, mostly for
printing, supplies, advertising
and signs.
At the same time she reported
borrowing $3000 for the cam-
paign along with more than
$1000 in gifts.
Substantial contributors in-
clude $250 from Bastrop real
estate broker Kay Wesson and
$100 each from Pat Mitchell,
Bastrop attorney James Ker-
shaw and retired insurance
agent W.E. Maynard of Bastrop.
Also during January, Bastrop
attorney Lamar Wiginton turned
up the heat in his effort to un-
seat veteran District Attorney
Charles Penick.
Wiginton reported raising
$8961 since Jan. 1 to finance
spending just over $7600. A to-
tal of $8000 in contributions
came in the form of loans to the
campaign from the candidate.
Other major contributors in-
clude Rose Carter of Smithville
($500) and Ted Reagan of
Smithville ($200). Bastrop
backers include Carol Crawford,
Mary Lee Marshall, Evelyn
Weilert and James Ginn ($50
each).
Major expenses for the Wig-
inton campaign include more
than $1000 each for advertising
photography, political consult-
ing, a phone bank and direct
mail pieces.
Penick, who raised over
$5600 from contributors late
last year, reported January ex-
penses of $1789 during January,
chiefly for, signs, billboards,
voter lists and supplies.
The incumbent also reported
$100 contributions from Lund-
gren Realty of Elgin and Darrell
Ponder of Austin.
In the race to succeed Robert
Raesz of Elgin as judge of the
County Court at Law, Assistant
District Attorney Forrest
Sanderson led the way in Jan-
uary spending while his oppo-
nent, Bastrop attorney Benton
Eskew, reported a significant
lead in contributions.
Sanderson reported spending
$1681, chiefly for consulting
services, printing and mailing
expenses. He also reported
raising $415 in gifts of less than
$50 each.
Eskew reported expenses of
$208 for the month, almost en-
tirely for sign pjunting.
Reported contributions in-
clude $200 from the candidate
and $1000 from the Bratton
See SPENDING, Page 2
Hospital picks new head
of staff, Wehmer leaving
By Janice Butler
Staff Writer
Dr. Steven Yount was named
Chief of Staff at Smithville
Hospital last week.
He will officially inherit the
one-year post from the current
chief, Dr. Ralph Wehmer, on
April 1.
Besides his chief of staff
position, Wehmer is also giving
up his obstetrics and family
practice in Bastrop County, ac-
cording to Smithville Hospital
Administrator Jim Langford.
"After April 1, Smithville
Hospital will not be delivering
babies," he said.
"Wehmer's plans are still up
in the air, but he has announced
to the staff that he is leaving,"
Langford confirmed.
Yount said as the new chief
of staff he will assist in the
search for a new obstetrician,
but he admitted that the chances
for finding one may be slim.
"I'm not sure well ever be
able to replace Dr. Wehmer. No
one else is interested in deliv-
ering babies in a rural hospital,
and who can blame them?
"Obstetrics outside a metro-
politan area is frought with lia-
bilities, and there's no one to
share call with," he added.
"I don't know how Dr.
Wehmer's done what he has for
so long. I tip my hat to him,"
said Yount.
According to hospital
records, Dr. Wehmer delivered
98 babies last year in
Smithville.
Hospital Administrator Jim
Langford could no immediately
say how much revenue the hos-
pital stands to lose without a
doctor to deliver babies.
"Well be looking for his re-
placement, but it will nearly be
impossible," said Yount.
Yount opened his general
family practice in Bastrop on
November 4,1991.
"I have 2,500 patients, but I
don't deliver babies, and I don't
see children less than 12 weeks
old," he added.
As chief of staff, Yount will
assist in acquiring two more
physicians on the Smithville
Hospital staff.
Advertiser Photo/Janice Butler
Dr. Steven Yount is the new chief of staff at Smithville Hospital
which faces a number of new challenges, including finding a
new doctor to deliver babies.
In addition he will be active
in making some decisions for
the new hospital such as new
equipment acquisitions and
identifying patient needs re-
garding equipment.
"It's a very exciting time for
all of us here at the hospi-
tal," Yount added.
Groundbreaking for the new
facility is tenatively scheduled
for April.
Road views differ
County judge candidates debate
Candidates for . Bastrop
County's top administrative post
staked out different approaches
Saturday to a looming election
on creating a unified county
road system.
Former district court clerk
Peggy Walicek said a unit road
system could entail extra cost to
set up initially but in the long
run would save money for the
county.
Norman Hansen said since
the race for county judge got
underway, hes shifted ground
and will oppose the move at a
possible November referendum.
County Judge Randy Fritz,
who is not running for a second
term, has launched a campaign
to put the unified road system
plan before voters. He has been
collecting voter signatures on a
petition to force a county wide
vote on the issue.
The judge says he has hun-
dreds of signatures already and
hopes essentially to complete
the task outside polling places
around the county on March 8
See DEBATE, Page 2
Renee Blaschke returning
to Smithville city council
Smithville civic leader and
former official Renee Blaschke
was appointed to the City Coun-
cil Monday.
She fills the vacancy left by
Mayor Pro-Tem Clinton Wright
who resigned after she was
named by Gov. Ann Richards to
the Lower Colorado River Au-
thority Board of Directors.
"It all happened so fast that I
was a little reluctant to accept
but only for a minute. My hus-
band and I just recently retired,
and I guess that's over al-
ready," Mrs. Blaschke laughed.
"I'm honored that this council
has put their trust in me. This
has been a very progressive
council, and I'm looking for-
ward to working with
them," she added.
Mayor Vemon Richards said
council members discussed sev-
See BLASCHKE, Page 2
Structure standards due review
By early March, Bastrop City
Manager Michael Talbot hopes
to have better directions from
the council about a plan to put
new teeth into rules governing
substandard buildings in town.
Following an ongoing series
of neighborhood meetings to
help develop the outlines of a
comprehensive plan for city
growth, the council and city
staff plan a joint priority setting
retreat March 5.
That's when Talbot hopes the
Coming Up. pi 6
council will give its preliminary
nod to the proposed new rules
and a five-member citizen panel
to oversee enforcement.
"I hope they do (give the go
ahead)," said Talbot Tuesday.
"We need to be addressing the
situation."
Talbot's proposal calls for the
city building official to act on
complaints and determine if a
residence or other building is
substandard. If it is, the official
can issue a notice giving the
owner 30 days to repair or de-
molish the structure.
The owner has the option of
appealing a staff decision to the
five-member board or to ask the
panel for more time to complete
repairs, said Talbot
The board would be ap-
pointed by the city council.
As part of the city developing
a comprehensive plan, graduate
students in planning from
Southwest Texas State Univer-
sity have already conducted a
survey of Bastrop's housing
stock, noting which appear to be
in poor or substandard condi-
tion, among other things.
The issue did not come up
Tuesday in the council's third
neighborhood meeting, this time
at Good Shepherd Lutherar
Church where officials out-
numbered other residents by
more than three to one.
During the session Bastrop
businessman Robert Schmidt
urged the council to preserve
"the human scale" while guid-
ing future development That
means, in part, trying to ensure
that key areas of the city on both
sides of the river remain acces-
sible on foot, preserving the
t city's intimate, small town atmo-
sphere, he said.
Schmidt also called on city
See MEETING, Page 2
SUBSTANDARD?
Advertiser Photo/Davis McAuley
Bastrop City Manager Michael Talbot la proposing new rules and a new citizen panel to-con-
front the problem of substandard homes and buildings In town.
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McAuley, Davis. The Bastrop Advertiser (Bastrop, Tex.), Vol. 140, No. 101, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 17, 1994, newspaper, February 17, 1994; Bastrop, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth409834/m1/1/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Bastrop Public Library.