League City City Council and mayoral candidates' stances on League City’s continued use of automated license plate readers, flood mitigation and city spending and growth were big topics of debate at an Oct. 14 candidate forum hosted by the League City Regional Chamber of Commerce.
The discussion
The moderator questioned candidates on whether they support the police department's use of Flock cameras, of which the city currently has 55.
Candidates gave responses ranging from concerns that continued use violated citizens' constitutional right to privacy to concerns that taking them down would hinder law enforcement’s ability to identify suspects involved in serious crimes.
Seth Rowlands, who is running for Position 3, said through his years of working in law enforcement, including years as a major crimes detective, the cameras are one of the greatest investigative tools to come along in years.
“Yes, it does help us catch criminals faster, but it also lets us catch criminals period, because there are several cases where the only shred of evidence there was was a hit on a Flock camera,” Rowlands said.
Still, Rowlands said, if elected, he would respect the outcome of the Nov. 3 election where voters will be asked if the city should continue to use the cameras.
Gordon Bethel, who is running for Position 1, said he supported the cameras, which had been used to solve a theft crime in his own neighborhood, and felt the use of the cameras in solving serious crimes, such as murder and child abduction, outweighed privacy concerns.
"If [Flock] cameras are going to keep an eight-year-old girl who I have in my house from being abducted, opposed to somebody getting upset because the chief three cities away looked up his ex-girlfriend … I'm gonna go with catching the person that abducted a child,” Bethel said.
Robert Bruce, who is also running for Position 3, Dinah Carpenter, who is running for Position 1, Sean Doyle, who is running for Position 6 and Sean Saunders, who is running for Position 7, also said they supported use of the technology for solving crimes, but would respect the referendum outcome.
On the other hand
Julius Segelquist, who is running for Position 3, said the city’s use of the cameras violated civil liberties and that the government's chief role is to protect citizens’ civil rights.
“I take a very principled stance against Flock,” Segelquist said. “I've always been opposed to them.”
Gregory Van Etten, who is running for Position 2, said he had publicly decried the cameras on social media and reached out to Mayor Nick Long before City Council voted to put the issue to referendum.
Teresa Potter, who is running for Position 7, said she opposed the cameras and felt there was a lack of community input before the cameras were first installed.
"I do not support Flock cameras,” Potter said. “I am against increased surveillance of my community. I think that our police department is amazing ... and I think that the Flock cameras are an unnecessary burden to our rights.”
Dina Driskill, who is running for Position 1, also said she strongly opposed the cameras.
Lisa Welty, who is running for Position 6, said she initially supported the cameras but after hearing residents' concerns at recent council meetings she was open to discussing privacy risks.
Also of note
Mayor Nick Long, who is running for re-election, and challenger Tom Crews, who currently serves on City Council as Position 3, each offered their viewpoint on how the city should pursue flood mitigation.
Long argued that a lack of coordination between cities creates drainage disasters for cities that lie downstream on Clear Creek, such as League City.
Long pointed to city efforts during his term to build a regional coalition to tackle drainage and secure financial support from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to fund a flood control study for Clear Creek and Dickinson Bayou watersheds.
Crews said he believed many of the city’s flooding problems are a result of neglect of existing drainage ditches and channels by allowing them to become overgrown and restricted.
“Taking care of what you have is one of the cheapest solutions there [is],” Crews said.
Driskill said during Hurricane Harvey floodwaters came within one inch of her home’s weep holes.
Driskill said when developers construct new subdivisions on elevated dirt, stormwater runoff drains into surrounding older neighborhoods and, if elected, she would make sure developers, especially those involved with major projects, such as Grand Parkway, provide a clear analysis of where the water will go.
Carpenter, who serves as director for the Brittany Lakes HOA, said she also suffered flooding due to nearby development and said, if elected, she would aggressively pursue the Texas Water Development Board’s $312 million statewide flood mitigation fund.
Carpenter said she would not sign non-disclosure agreements with developers.
What residents should know
Candidates were asked how they would make decisions about guiding the city’s growth, especially as it relates to budgeting and making sure the city’s development does not outpace the city’s ability to provide a high quality of life to residents.
As a former EMS shift captain, Bruce said he would prioritize proactively expanding the city’s EMS services to the city’s currently developing west side, arguing that if the city waits until new subdivisions are built or fully populated it would sacrifice safety.
Welty and Position 2 incumbent Tommy Cones said they would support funding for additional EMS vehicles.
“I would like to see the very first year is to add another ambulance because we're growing too much,” Cones said. “They make about 9,000 calls a year. That's a lot for this city."
Doyle, who is a banker, said he would pursue fiscal responsibility and argued that roads and drainage infrastructure must lead development so growth doesn’t outpace the city’s capacity.
“We cannot allow infrastructure to fall behind development,” Doyle said. “Investing in these core services protects property values, improves mobility and reduces future cost.”
Saunders said he co-sponsored a council resolution asking the Texas Department of Transportation to expand Highway 517 and Highway 270 to improve east-west traffic mobility. Saunders also said he had voted to increase developer impact fees and enforce high detention pond requirements.
Meet the candidates
The local races on the Nov. 3 ballot in League City are as follows:
Mayor: Incumbent Nick Long will face current council member Tom Crews.
City Council, Position 1: Candidates Gordon Bethel, Dinah Carpenter and Dina Driskill will face one another for position 1.
City Council, Position 2: Incumbent Tommy Cones will face candidate Gregory Van Etten.
City Council, Position 3: Candidates Robert Bruce, Julius Segelquist and Seth Rowlands will face one another in the special election to serve the remainder of the two-year term, which is currently being served by Crews.
City Council, Position 6: Candidates Sean Doyle and Lisa Welty will face each other for position 6.
City Council, Position 7: Incumbent Sean Saunders will face candidate Teresa Potter.
Early voting runs from Oct. 19 through Oct. 30, and election day is Nov. 3.
