Voters turned out in force for the Sunrise Beach City Council election on May 4, choosing a new mayor and councilor and keeping a veteran councilor. 

Rob Hardy won the mayoral race with 211 votes, or 57.03 percent of the vote, to John Schwin’s 159, or 42.97 percent. Both candidates were sitting councilors seeking to fill the seat of Mayor Chellie Stewart, who chose not to run for re-election. 

“I want to continue the work of the council and of Mayor Chellie, who decided not to run,” Hardy told DailyTrib.com in a post-election interview. “They’re hard shoes to fill, but the good thing is that Chellie and I are not just colleagues, we’re neighbors and friends, and I will continue to seek her counsel and advice. I am very pleased with how things turned out, and I look forward to continuing the work of the citizens.”

Voters also chose two councilors. Three candidates ran, with the top two vote-getters taking seats.

Newcomer Jeffrey Cook won a seat with 234 votes, or 39.07 percent of the total cast. Incumbent Dan Gower kept his seat with 214, or 35.73 percent. Frank Donnell was unsuccessful in his bid with 151, or 25.21 percent of the votes cast.

Voter turnout

Sunrise Beach saw a large voter turnout compared to some of its neighbors in the Highland Lakes. 

According to the Llano County Elections Office, of the 789 registered voters in the city, 370 of them participated in the May 4 mayoral election, which comes out to 46.89 percent.

The percentage of registered voters who turned out to vote in Sunrise Beach far exceeds that of much larger communities nearby, like Granite Shoals and Marble Falls. The small lakeside town also had more voters overall than both of these cities in the May 4 local elections.

In Granite Shoals, 283 out of 2,782 (10.17 percent) of registered voters went to the polls.

In Marble Falls, 368 out of 4,721 (7.79 percent) of registered voters chose the one new council member.

Hardy attributes the relatively high voter turnout to the civic-minded residents of Sunrise Beach.

“We have a very interested and committed population out here,” Hardy said. “I’m incredibly gratified that so many people are interested in the well-being of the community. We had a huge turnout (for the election).”

dakota@thepicayune.com

In its first semester as a team, the Marble Falls High School esports squad won the Texas Esports League championship on May 5, 2024. Courtesy photo

The undefeated Marble Falls High School esports team won the Texas Esports League championship against Young Men’s Leadership Academy of Fort Worth on May 5 in Arlington. 

MFHS juniors Jesse Jimenez, Reed Lewis, Alex Turley, and Jeremy Williams were victorious in a nail-biting, 4-3 seven-game series of the popular video game Fortnite, a third-person battle royale shooting game with construction elements.

“This was by far the greatest test we have faced all year,” coach Adam Ray said.

The Marble Falls squad turned things around during a timeout while down 2-3 against the Fort Worth gamers.

“We felt that if we rushed them at the beginning and did not give them a chance to hide and gather supplies, we could catch them off guard,” Ray said. 

The team advanced to the final following a quick 4-0 sweep of DeSoto High School on May 4.

“Our game plan going into the match was to control the high ground of the map and keep DeSoto below us,” Ray said. “We had great communication and team play, which led to a decisive victory.”

Countless hours of practice were critical to the team’s success, Ray said.

“We practiced here at the high school three times a week, but (the students) play at home every day online with each other,” he said.

Those hours together paid dividends as Marble Falls displayed its chemistry at Esports Stadium Arlington.

“Communication is what makes this team great,” Ray said. “While at the tournament, there was a big gap between the level of communication we had and the teams we competed against.”

All four Mustangs are on a mission to return to Arlington in 2025.

“They are excited at the opportunity to defend their title next year,” Ray said.

This spring was the first semester that Marble Falls High School offered esports, an ACE afterschool program. 

“Any student can sign up with ACE and be a part of the esports team,” Ray said.

Visit the Marble Falls school district website to learn more about its ACE program.

nathan@thepicayune.com

The 2024 Burnet County Area Fair is June 7-8 in Burnet. Staff photo by Dakota Morrissiey

The Burnet County Area Fair has been around since 1903 but has never had a ribbon-cutting. That changes at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 8, at the Burnet County AgriLife building, 701 N. Vandeveer St. in Burnet. The Burnet and Bertram chambers of commerce are teaming up to honor the much-celebrated event.

“We’ve never had a ribbon-cutting before,” said one of the fair’s organizers, Lynda French, in an interview with DailyTrib.com. “(The Bertram chamber) approached us with a ribbon-cutting, and we just thought we would do it ahead of time and get the word out for a little publicity.”

The 2024 fair is June 7-8 in the AgriLife building. With free admission, fair-goers can browse exhibits of arts, crafts, food, and more, enjoy live music, and shop local vendors. The crowd favorite ice cream crank-off is 2 p.m. June 7.

FAIR HISTORY

The first recorded Burnet County fair was in 1903 in Bertram at what is now the city’s baseball field. It was held each year in August and, by the late 1920s, was drawing crowds of over 6,000 people. The county had a population of fewer than 10,000 at the time, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. 

The fair was moved from Bertram to Burnet in the 1930s. Livestock exhibits were in the Burnet square until 1967, while the other exhibits filled up any available building, including the school cafeteria and VFW hall.

In 1967, the Burnet County Fairgrounds opened at 1301 Houston Clinton Drive, where the fair was held until it ceased to operate in 1990. According to Burnet historian Carole Goble, the Burnet County Fair and Rodeo Association didn’t have enough manpower to run both the fair and the rodeo, so the fair fell by the wayside for 30 years.

The event was revived in 2010 by a coalition of community organizations: the Highland Lakes Master Gardener Association, Texas Education Association of Burnet County, and Burnet County AgriLife Extension Office. 

The Burnet County Area Fair continued to grow after its rebirth and came to include the Highland Lakes Quilt Guild and Bluebonnet Button Club. It was held at the Burnet Community Center in 2014 and moved in 2021 to its current site.

dakota@thepicayune.com

Catherine Bell is the new Place 6 councilor in Granite Shoals. Staff photo

Granite Shoals has a new Place 6 city councilor after Catherine Bell decisively defeated incumbent Councilor Phil Ort in the May 4 election. Voters also passed all 19 proposed amendments to the city’s charter. These big changes were made in an election with the lowest voter turnout in the city since 2016.

Bell won the Place 6 seat with 234 votes, or 82.69 percent of total votes cast, to Ort’s 49 votes, or 17.31 percent of total votes cast. According to the Burnet County Elections Office, only 283 out of 2,782 registered voters in Granite Shoals, or 10.17 percent, participated in the election.

Councilors Brian Edwards (Place 1), Mike Pfister (Place 2), and Steve Hougen (Place 4), all incumbents, ran unopposed for their two-year terms. 

The councilors will take their oaths of office on May 14.

Bell is a Burnet County native who has lived in Granite Shoals since 2008 and been active at City Council meetings for the past several years. She worked for the Texas Department of Insurance Enforcement Division in Austin for 26 years before retiring in 2018.

“At the forefront of my mind is to keep Granite Shoals moving in a positive direction,” Bell told DailyTrib.com after her May 4 victory. “I want to hear from the citizens. I want to hear what they have to say.”

Ort was a two-term councilor, first elected in 2020. His tenure was eventful and, at times, controversial. 

Before he was elected, Ort spearheaded opposition to council members for approving a substantial raise for former City Manager Jeff Looney, who was later fired in 2022. 

While on the council, he was censured in 2022 for allegedly fabricating dozens of complaints in support of a dark skies ordinance in Granite Shoals. In 2023, he pleaded guilty to a 2021 vandalism charge for keying a car in the Marble Falls H-E-B parking lot. He also was the first person to publicly share a recording of former City Manager Peggy Smith discussing ways to kill the city’s feral cats, which eventually led to her resignation in January 2024. 

Ort was also an advocate for the city’s parks and residents’ property rights. 

“I believe that Catherine Bell will make a great counselor,” he wrote in a post-election statement to DailyTrib.com. “I have known her to be level-headed and strong. There are many difficult decisions that the council will have to make in the future and I feel the city is in good hands. For me, I now have more time to spend with my family and to catch up with the many chores that have been piling up. I want to thank my supporters and I want them to know they can always reach out to me.”

CITY CHARTER AMENDMENTS

Granite Shoals voters also approved all 19 proposed city charter amendments on the ballot. Many of the changes were clerical corrections or adjustments in language, but some could impact how the city is run. 

Proposition C was slightly controversial. This amendment removes the power to hire and fire the city secretary from the council and gives it to the city manager. Some councilors argued this could cause a rift between the city secretary and the council, while others said all city staff should be under the city manager’s administrative umbrella.

Proposition G was a win for government transparency. City staff will now be required to provide financial reports on a monthly rather than quarterly basis. This change was fueled by historically poorly presented financials from past Granite Shoals leadership.

VOTER TURNOUT

Despite big decisions on the ballot, Granite Shoals voters did not show up at the polls, totaling the lowest turnout in eight years:

• May 2024—283 voters
• May 2023—423 voters
• May 2022—474 voters
• May 2021—No order of election
• November 2020—1,216 voters (presidential election ballot)
• May 2019—No order of election
• May 2018—351 voters
• May 2017—368 voters
• May 2016—191 voters

Bell regularly participates as an election judge for Granite Shoals but was unable to this time because she was a candidate. She acknowledged that low voter turnout is a problem.

“I don’t know how to get people to vote,” she said. “It takes five minutes. It is a freedom that each and every citizen who registers to vote has. You need to do your civic duty by going out and voting. That is you speaking for how you feel.”

dakota@thepicayune.com

Members of Kingsland Girl Scout Troops 40010 and 40020 with more than 200 birthday cake kits they assembled as part of their annual community service project. Most were given to the Highland Lakes Crisis Network for its summer meals program. Some went to the Granite Shoals Police Department. Courtesy photo

Two Girl Scouts troops in Kingsland recently assembled over 200 D-I-Y birthday cake kits to donate to the Highland Lakes Crisis Network’s summer meals program and the Granite Shoals Police Department. Troops 40010 and 40020 chose the kits for their annual community service project, following the organization’s slogan of “Do a good turn daily.”

“It was an easy project girls of all ages could get into,” said Troop Leader Arlett Long. “We have girls from Daisies to Cadets. Daisies are 5 years old, the Cadets are seventh-graders.”

You don’t have to be a Scout to help provide meals and snacks for families needing food assistance during school breaks. Everyone can get involved. Just check out the Crisis Network’s newly posted online Wish List.

The network will begin delivering weekly summer meals on June 3. The yearly summer program continues through the first week of August, said HLCN Operations Director Rachel Naumann. 

“We deliver meals every Monday to the families on our list,” she said. “We send easy, kid-friendly meals that they can make if they are at home alone. We also include snack items and cereal, and every family gets a casserole.” 

Casseroles are baked by volunteers, either individuals or groups who get together to turn out dozens at a time. Groups that provided a hot dish a week last year included volunteers from First Baptist Church and the Highland Lakes Service League.

The birthday cake kits are new additions this year and come with a cake pan, cake mix, icing, sprinkles, candles, balloons, and Sprite to use instead of eggs, oil, and water. 

“We put everything in the cake pan and covered it with plastic wrap,” Long said. “We also included a note to say how to use the Sprite and to have a happy birthday.” 

All of the Girl Scouts earned a community service badge for their participation. 

To donate to the Highland Lakes Crisis Network, visit the nonprofit’s website. You can also follow the HLCN on its Facebook page for the latest updates and needs. Call 325-423-3662 for more information. The network’s office is located at 700 Avenue T in Marble Falls.

suzanne@thepicayune.com