By Linda Byrne
Editor

Candidates for Boerne City Council struggled to paint a picture of the future Boerne during a debate Thursday, April 24.

Asked to rank three items—“a small town look and feel; growth of clean regional business; and robust tourism” in order of importance, candidate Jeff Haberstroh said: “Your taking the three things that make Boerne special and asking us to choose between them.”

He went on to describe a “small town that lives big” and said business growth is most important, followed by small town ambience and tourism.

Fellow debate participants Rob Ziegler, Judy Edmondson and Jacques DuBose all agreed that the three qualities describe Boerne precisely and are intertwined.

“Tourism is our main industry and Main Street is our major asset,” Ziegler said, adding that the professional design assistance Boerne will receive from the Regional Urban Design Assistance Team in June will ensure that Boerne keeps its distinctive small-town flavor while appealing to residents and tourists.

“Tourism is a good clean business,” Ziegler concluded.

Jacques DuBose said “a small town look and feel” is important to Boerne’s vitality and said innovative ideas are needed.

“Some business owners feel the business climate is not all that friendly,” DuBose said.

“Boerne has been changing for 150 years and we need a vibrant downtown. He said living on San Antonio’s doorstep means “we get some overflow” that should be encouraged.

“Boerne is a great day trip,” DuBose said.

Judy Edmondson ranked “small town look and feel” as most important and pointed to Boerne’s beginnings as a small village on Cibolo Creek. Next, she ranked tourism and the sales tax money tourists bring in to the city, followed by clean business.

“All three are intertwined,” she said.

The debate moderator, Kay Ford of the League of Women Voters in San Antonio, also posed questions about whether Boerne’s historic zone should extend beyond Main Street, with all four candidates saying Boerne’s historic sites should be preserved and protected.

DuBose said, however, that “Texas is big on property rights. The property owner needs to have input or it could be a legal issue.” He said each potential historic building would have to be considered on a case-by-case basis.

“If it’s a no-brainer, the owner may agree,” he said.

Ziegler said, “The Herff Farm has the potential to be one of our biggest assets.” He said he was impressed with other historic farms across the nation he’d visited and called on Boerne residents to support the concept of the Herff Farm as a tourist destination.

Other questions concerned the candidates’ records in public service and Boerne’s mobility problems.

On those issues, the candidates pointed to greater collaboration with other governing entities, including Kendall County, and said continued transparency in decision-making will help the community reach consensus.

Prior to the City Council candidate debate, the candidates for Boerne Independent School District board of trustees debated for an hour.

Asked for specific goals each candidate has to maintain and improve quality in the district, Robert Jubela said he would improve teacher morale. Cliff Luttrell said he would focus on managing growth, seek relief from state mandates, and take some paperwork burdens off teachers so they could devote more time to teaching.

Baron W. Houser said he would advocate advancement in technology, while Bob Ogle said he would do a better job at communicating with the community. He also said he would work on teacher retention and advocated for exit interviews for departing teachers.

The candidate forum was sponsored by Boerne Together, the League of Women Voters, the Boerne Classroom Teachers Association and the Boerne Association of Texas Professional Educators.

To view the debate, tune in at 7 p.m. daily to Channel 14, the GVTC public access channel.