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Kyle City CouncilPosted November 13, 2007, 8:30 a.m.
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Hays Highway Editor
KYLE – Not everyone agreed that Kyle made the right move when it included single-member districts in the home rule charter first passed in 2000. The city's rapid growth stood to make the districts obsolete almost as soon as they were formed, and the possibility of balkanizing city politics is always present when councilmembers represent specific areas.
On the other side, question often arose during the recent Kyle city council election as to which candidates for the east side seat really understood the east side and intended to fight for it.
The voters spoke on Nov. 6 by electing Amberwood Homeowners Association president Ray Bryant, who first made his presence felt at city council by rounding up dozens of residents from that subdivision three months ago to protest a water rate increase proposed by Monarch Water Supply.
Bryant won in a landslide, receiving 247 votes, which were more than the votes for opponents David Walsh (125) and Johnell Huebner (30) combined. Bryant said on the night of his election that while he hopes to balance his approach, the east side is foremost on his mind.
"We're looking at drainage easements on the east side," Bryant said. "We're looking at traffic flow. We're going to look at the bridge on (County Road) 217. I'm dealing with the Monarch issue, the rate increase. And traffic lights. And then the other thing is that I'm visiting the (homeowners associations) in the various neighborhoods so I can learn more about their concerns. I want to learn what will keep them here."
The east side of Kyle, already the fastest growing portion of the Buda-Kyle area, stands to maintain rapid growth in the coming years. According to a demographic study commissioned by Hays CISD and conducted by School District Strategies of Dallas, the elementary zones for Hemphill and Fuentes Elementary Schools, which lie in east Kyle, number 2,468 lots with preliminary plat approval. The majority of 2,707 approved preliminary plats in the Tobias Elementary zone, about one-third of which lies east of IH-35, are in or around east Kyle.
Shane Arabie of Kyle's Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) said much traveled Lehman Road has three low-water crossings. Many homeowners worry about drainage. The construction of the Seton Hospital at Kyle Parkway, across IH-35 from the HEB, will almost certainly ramp up traffic nightmares for east siders who depend on Goforth Road.
Bryant said he intends to stay on top of those developments with Seton Hospitals Vice President Herb Dyer, who will oversee the hospital project in Kyle.
"We are looking at infrastructure, and that's something we're going to partner about," Bryant said. "I'm fortunate enough to have developed a relationship with Herb Dyer. I want to partner with him, but I also want to be a strong voice so he will hear what the concerns are."
Bryant has served on the city's board of adjustments and joined the P&Z in June. He said he has thought for some time about running for city council, but didn't expect to run until May. However, once outgoing Councilmember Todd Webster decided in September that he wanted to resign and the city discovered in October that it could hold a November election for his seat, Bryant was one of the first names to surface.
The response he elicited to protest Monarch's proposed rate increase showed that he could at least generate political support from those whose pocketbooks were affected. It remained to be seen, heading up to Election Day, if he could generate voter support outside Amberwood.
"My whole thing is, I'm looking at everyone," Bryant said. "It's not just about Amberwood. We need to build up the whole east side. Monarch addresses Indian Paint Brush and Amberwood and maybe a few more. That is an issue there. There also are issues everywhere. There's traffic lights and traffic flow and various other things that we have to deal with."
Bryant said he's in for "a balancing act," as a district representative on Kyle's governing body. He said his job is to make what's good for the east side good for Kyle, and vice versa.
"I do want to look at Kyle as a whole, because we want Kyle to be the place where people want to be," Bryant said. "We don't want to lose sight of that. On the east side, there are some things that need to be fixed there and I want to be a voice for that. But I think we need a balance ... All of Kyle is growing and becoming a better city."
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