CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Voters will have the chance to decide between four different candidates in this year's race for District 4, which includes Padre Island, Flour Bluff and a small portion of the eastern Bay Area east of Airline Road.
Eric Magnusson IV, small-business owner May Mendoza, engineer Dan Grimsbo and Aransas Pass city employee Kaylynn Paxson are seeking election. You can find a breakdown of their views in the answers they submitted to our 3NEWS team below. Eric Magnusson IV did not respond.
May Mendoza
Do you support the Inner Harbor Desalination Project? (Please answer yes or no and then give your reasoning.)
I support Desalination as we need a drought resistant source of water, in addition to our existing water sources. Having access to more water, helps bring in more businesses and industry to our area. This stimulates economic growth with more jobs and people in our City, which increases the City's tax revenue and can help give local tax payers some potential relief from paying higher property taxes. Despite my initial environmental and safety concerns with the Inner Harbor location, I am more confident now with the EPA's greenlight for TCEQ's draft discharge permit.
What is the biggest thing the current city government currently does well?
Our City government does a really good job of supporting our Police Officers and Firefighters. Public Safety is a top concern for our Citizens and having a great working relationship with our Public Safety Departments is a must. After being endorsed by both the Police Officers Association and the Firefighters Association, I am committed to working with both of them to ensure they have all of the resources, equipment, training and personnel needed to run effectively and to provide protection for themselves and our citizens.
What is the biggest issue in Corpus Christi?
The biggest issue in Corpus Christi is our Streets. I for one am tired of replacing at least 1 tire annually due to horrible potholes throughout the City. Repairing/replacing residential and commercial streets in a timely manner properly, so that it is done right and streets last longer, could save us millions of dollars on our extremely high City Budget. Plus, flooding issues on city streets is another major problem and concern in my District, especially on the Island and in Flour Bluff. This issue needs to be addressed and solved.
Dan Grimsbo
Do you support the Inner Harbor Desalination Project? (Please answer yes or no and then give your reasoning.)
Yes. Desalination offers an advantage over surface water sources, which are limited by storage capacity and reliant on rainfall. The Gulf provides an abundant, drought resistant, treatable supply of water. Regarding the Inner Harbor (Ship Channel) project, I’m in favor of the location, along with other potential desalination locations. The engineering and environmental assessments of this site have been thorough, with multiple state agencies; including TCEQ and TWDB, involved in the evaluation. Additionally, the project has received financial support from the state and compared to other locations, appears to be the most cost effective and straightforward in terms of constructability.
What is the biggest thing the current city government currently does well?
The city has been proactive in addressing street repairs, making significant improvements to our infrastructure.
What is the biggest issue in Corpus Christi?
Securing a stable, long-term water supply is the most pressing issue. Ensuring reliable water sources is essential for continued growth and economic development for Corpus Christi and surrounding areas. She has said that she wants to cut taxes, reduce spending and focus on streets and drainage. Paxson supports desal but opposes Inner Harbor desalination project
Kaylynn Paxson
Do you support the Inner Harbor Desalination Project? (Please answer yes or no and then give your reasoning.)
I support desalination as a potential option to source fresh water to our city. I am not in favor of the current location proposal. Desalination in the inner harbor is capped in its output capacity. Our city and its needs are growing, I don't support any proposal that's a high cost and does not meet the needs of our city in the long run. Putting the desalination plant in the inner harbor also posses potential threats to our environment and coastal wildlife. The condition of our water and wildlife directly impact our local economy by attracting tourism and new residents.
What is the biggest thing the current city government currently does well?
We do not have enough police officers. Currently, I believe the city government is doing a good job of adding officers to the police force. The number of officers directly impacts many aspects of daily life for each citizen.
What is the biggest issue in Corpus Christi?
Our city needs to refocus on listening to people and pursuing their interests. We have to prioritize the interests and needs of our communty first. It is important to me that we focus on the things that impact the daily life of our citizens and actively involve them in the conversations about this city. I believe our city council members should be the voice of the people, and represent their vision and interests.
