The Llano News (Llano, Tex.), Vol. 107, No. 43, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 10, 1995 Page: 4 of 14
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Llano Area Newspaper Collection and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Llano County Public Library.
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Editorial/Opinion
vital measure of a newspaper is not its size, but its spiritH
[jj Llano New, ThorxUy, Au<. ip, i9>6 - Arthur Hays Sulzberger*
COW POKES
By Ace Reid
Right decision
Llano's City Council took a giant step
forward Monday night when it passed a
motion to Join with the Lower Colorado
River Authority to build a new water plant
for the city.
Anew plant has been under study fv sev-
eral years now because the current water
plant la in "terrible” shape and cannot be
fined.
LCRA General Manager Mark Rose told
the council that his staff would immedi-
ately began working toward a possible
grant from the Farmers Home
Administration to provide a portion of the
$3.5 to $4 million required to build a new
water plant and will also begin drawing
plans for the plant.
Rose explained that the grant. If available
plant would be operational.
Rose said fears from certain Llano citi-
aens that the LCRA la seeking to "taka over'’
or "run the city" are absolutely not true. He
explained that LCRA had been working
with Llano for a long time providing elec-
tricity. '1 see our role.'Hoee said, "ha helping
communities such as Llano.”
He also offered the financing capabilities
of LCRA. He said that an LCRA loan at about
the same rate or lower than bonds could be
available through LCRA.
The partnership in this project will take a
huge load off the shoulders of the city coun-
cil while control of the project would still
remain with the city.
I envision a model water plant that the
dtisens of Llano can be most proud of, and
to Llano, could take as long as two years —-one which will take us into the middle of
gain approval from FHA. He said that pre- the next century.
111. nary plans could be drawn but actual
bidding for the construction phase could
not be done prior to grant approvaL
Steve Parks, senior engineer for LCRA,
who along with his staff has been studying
the water plant problem for over a year
now, said Monday night that it would take
six months for design preparation and
"about a year” for construction before a new
We must realise that Llano Is a prime tar-
get for growth in the Texas Hill Country and
water is an all-important factor in that
growth.
I am proud of Mayor Ross Bauman for his
leadership and the city council for having
the foresight to "get along* with providing
adequate water for its citizens.
Wifi
Drive carefully
It's back-to-school time.
Next Tuesday morning Llano public
school students will be walking, running,
riding bicycles, riding in buses and driving
their own vehicles to schooL
The traditional appeal is being made by
school officials and law enforcement per-
sonnel to be especially careful and watchful
in around schools.
Mflfty students will be riding buses this
year and certain rules must be remembered
concerning school buses.
It Is Texas law that a vehicle approaching
a school bus which is in the process of load-
ing or unloading must stop and remain
stopped while the alternating red flasher
lights are activated. The vehicle must stop
no matter whether it is approaching the bus
from the front or the rear.
The law applies in the city and rural area.
A vehicle may not proceed past the stopped
bus until the bus resumes motion or until
the bus driver signals to proceed.
Laws enacted by the Texas Legislature
says first offense violators may be punish-
able by a fine of not less than $200 and not
more than $1,000. On conviction of a per-
son of a second or subsequent offense, the
court may order that the person's driver's
license be suspended for a period of up to six
months.
Posted-*peed limits in school zones dur-
ing school hours Is 20 MPH. On many occa-
sions this speed is too fast in congested
school areas before school starts in the
morning and when school lets out in the af-
ternoon. Drivers should be especially care-
ful during these hours near any school. We
hope and pray that neither Llano nor any of
the surrounding area will have any school
traffic-related accidents during the 1995-96
school year.
We can all help keep the record clean by
being most careful in and near school zones
and while approaching school buses.
WLB
The Llano News
(USPS 316-700)
Serving Llano, Llano County and the Highland Lakes area
Since 1889.
Published weekly at 813 Berry Street, Llano, Texas 78643
Entered in the Llano Post Office as second class, postage
paid at Llano, Texas, under the Act of Congress of 1878.
WALTER L. BUCKNER, Editor and Publisher
SARAH BUCKNER
JIMMY STEPHENSON
A.C. KINCHELOE
PATRICIA MUDD
CONNIE HENDERSHOT
RUTH PENCE
PAT LEMMON
DIANA LEMMON
RAY SUMRALL
Assoc. Editor
Ad makeup and printing
Proofreader & classified
Reception/proofreader
Typesetter
Bookkeeping
Darkroom
Mail Room
COLUMNISTS: Marilyn Hale & John Kuykendall
NEWS CORRESPONDENTS: Shirley Muery, Vera
Honig, Bernice Schuyler
SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Llano and Bumal Count!**: 1 year $19,
2 year* $35, 3 year* $50. El**wh*r* In Tex**: 1 year $26,2 year* $M, 3 y*ars $65.
Out-of-8taU 1 year $40, 2 years $70, 3 year* $50 All payable in advance. Oversea* -
call or wr»e lor quote
Th* Llano N*w* solicits letter* to the editor concerning I*mm* ot local Inter**!. Letters
must be signed and no longer than two standard page*, double-spaced and typed,
N pmalbli A day-time phone number must also be Included.
The staff reserve* the right to edit all letters according to accepted standards
For further Information call Th* Llano hew* at (915) 247-4433.
POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGE TO LLANO NEWS,
BOX 187, LLANO, TEXAS 78643_
Directors
running
scared
Dear Editor,
It's no wonder that the CTEC
Board of Directors is running scared
now that their sneaky, underhanded
way of conducting Co-op business
had finally come to light.
The issue is not and never has
been the quality of service which
we enjoy, almost without interrup-
tion. But when a power failure docs
occur, we know it won't be the
CTEC Board members rushing out
to restore power.
We must continue- to reward the
personnel who keep the lines
humming, discontinue the perks the
Board members now enjoy, and
when possible give the rate payers a
break.
Leadership experience is impor-
tant, but not nearly so important as
knowing that our Co-op manage-
ment is responsive to the members,
the majority of whom have ex-
pressed their disapproval of the
Board's decision to abolish term
limits.
Only you, the CTEC members
who bother to vote can bring this
Gravy Train to a stop.
Sincerely,
Clara Lew Sawyer
“That bull calf you hombres stole
an' butchered was the District Attorney's
top herd sire prospect!”
Letters to the Editor poS
Llano, Texas 78643
Election
process
explained
Dear Editor ,Bmo<
I am writing this .letter to inform
the members of the .Cental’Texas
Electric Cooperative what has hap-
pened to our election process since
the board of directors of the co-op
voted themselves unlimited terms.
Now, at the end of a director's
three year term, he turns around and
puts someone on the nominating
committee who will nominate him
and he is certain to get on the bal-
loL He will then be elected because
his name will be the only name on
the ballot. This can be done over,
and over again and there is nothing
the 16,000 members can do about
it.
The board should have changed
the election process to at least give
the members a choice of the in-
cumbent and someone else. In the
last 30 years, any name on the bal-
lot placed there by the nominating
committee, was elected as director.
Recently, a 10 year present direc-
tor made the statement at one of our
meetings that anyone can be nomi-
nated from the Boor at the annual
meeting. I hope this director finally
figures out what we already know:
in all the years past, all of the
proxy votes are in and counted for
the incumbent, therefore, no one
nominated from the floor can be or
has ever been elected.
This year for the first time in the
history of the co-op, you as mem-
bers have a choice. Due to the lime,
money and effort of the Citizens for
Co-op Reform and the majority of
the nominating committee, we have
two nominees for each of the four
open places on the board of direc-
tors. This being the fair way to do
it, I hope the membership will lake
advantage of it and vote by proxy or
in person.
I have also been a member of the
Hamilton County Electric Coop for
a number of years. They also have
three year staggered terms. Each
year, when I receive my ballot,
there are always at least two names
for each director position on the
ballot.
I would like to know why some
of the board of directors and man-
agement have fought us tooth and
nail and accused us of just about
everything in the book when we
were only trying to do what is right
for the membership. All we arc
'trying to do is keep the member-
ship in control of the co-op because
they arc the owners and not the
board of directors.
My final note is on a letter writ-
ten by a 12 year present director
saying that our group was trying lo
take over the board of directors and
he needed help in putting down this
"plot." This is disgusting and sick-
ening to me. This is the same
director who at recent meeting did
not know that the $8 you pay for
each meter is a surcharge and is
NOT credited against your bill!
when you directors where elected,
the membership trusted you and put
their confidence in you. Are you
living up to the memberhsip trust?
Sincerely,
John H. Schucsslcr
Castell
Accident
victims
impressed
This letter was received by Con-
stable Bill Mills, who suggested
The Llano News reprint it for the
citizens of Llano to read.
Dear Mr. Mills,
My husband and I want to ac-
knowledge your kindness last Fri-
day morning at the accident scene
on Hwy. 71 east of Llano.
We are very impressed with ev-
eryone we came in contact with
during that traumatic time. The
EMS and hospital staff at Llano
Memorial Hospital were wonderful.
We vverenri eased later that day.
Joan^julver
Austin
Reader says
Big Brother
'combersome'
To Mr. Kenny Osbourn and the
other officers and directors of the
Central Texas Electric Cooperative
board:
Dear Sirs:
I have just this week received
your letter concerning the matter of
a small group of subversives at-
tempting to wrestle control of the
"Co-op" from you. Your letter
brought to mind a story told to me
by my father, the late J.C. Cone,
Jr., about the same thing some
forty odd years ago.
As you may or may not recall
J.C. Cone, Jr., "Mr. Bob" Lee, and
Adolph Sieeler to name only three
of the honorable gentlemen who
served on the first board of directors
of the Central Texas Electric Co-op
and were the charter members of the
organization, gave freely and un-
selfishly that the people of the Hill
Country might enjoy the modem
conveniences offered them by the
availability of electric power.
They, every man on that board
were visionaries who saw the bene-
fits of electric power under the con-
trol of a local board, elected by a
vote of the members and answerable
to that membership.
In about 1949/50, there was a
power struggle to attempt to take
control of the co-op from the board.
Each member of that original board
was sued jaihyy as* bofcrd and in-
dividually for a million dollars - a
great sum of money then and now.
The board won the lawsuit and
continued,to serve until replaced by
other duly elected representatives of
the people.
Over time the attentions of the
members of the co-op turned to
other matters, and like all well reg-
ulated and well run organizations
the members put more and more
trust and responsibility on the board
of directors and officers of the orga-
nization and look less and less in-
terest in the voting and workings of
the co-op.
Therefore, like any other body of
government or of the private sector
eventually only a few votes by
comparison to the total member-
ship dictated the policy for the
whole group.
Thus, we have unlimited terms in
office, salaries and mileage, and
large insurance premiums and
eventually every member of the
Central Texas Electric Co-op will
help pay the bill. The bill being an
unresponsive (to its members)
board of directors determined to
perpetuate itself at any cost, more
and larger 'perks', and eventually an
organization that is. so centralized
and so cumbersome that it not only
will not operate as its founders in-
tended but cannot operate in spite of
itself, in essence - "Big Brother."
Some may say gentlemen, that I
am angered over my father and the
other "founding fathers” names be-
ing eliminated from "articles of in-
corporation" and others might say
that I have other selfish motives in
addressing this issue. My Motive
for addressing this issue is that I
want to see this co-op continue to
be controlled by the desires of its
members, and for the members to
be able lo express their collective
desires and be heard.
My other motive is that you and
any others on the board having so
little regard for the people you sup-
posedly serve would accuse them
and me of a subversive activity
simply because wc have expressed a
desire to have you account for your
actions and wc have submitted a
slate of candidates to have the
membership at large consider for
the board of directors.
This action taken by concerned
members of the Central Texas
Electric Co-op of which I am
proudly a part used to be called
democracy, gentlemen! You, Mr.
Osbourn can call it a "plot."
Jim Cone
Llano
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Buckner, Walter L. The Llano News (Llano, Tex.), Vol. 107, No. 43, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 10, 1995, newspaper, August 10, 1995; Llano, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1140508/m1/4/?q=%22Places+-+United+States+-+Texas+-+Llano+County%22: accessed June 29, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Llano County Public Library.