Dike candidates discuss issues at Thursday event

Property and voting rights, having a say in decisions which impact the community, purpose of incorporation and impact of the solar facility being constructed in the community were among the topics Dike mayoral and City Commission candidates weighed in on during the forum hosted Thursday night at Hopkins County Regional Civic Center.

Dike mayor candidates Dru Bell and Brett Lester, and three of the four candidates — Lucretia Pool, Pam Harder and Betty Waters — for two at-large seats on Dike City Council — also participated in the forum. Thompson noted that attempts had been made to try to reach the fourth commission candidate but queries had received no response. He was told that Dirk Wessels is out of the country and may be unable to access the communications at this time.

Although six Dike residents are on the ballot for election, regardless who garners the most votes, the special Dike incorporation proposal must pass to make the rural community a Type C city.

Dike Commission candidate Lucretia Pool in her introduction noted she was born in Hopkins County. Pool’s grandparents passed down land to her father, who left it to his four kids; she currently resides on that land in Dike.

“We all love our land out there. We love the peace and quiet. We don’t want corporate businesses on our land and around us with the noise. We want peace and quiet, and that is why we moved to the country. The corporate that is out there now is destroying our land and our quiet,” Pool said, referring to the solar facility being constructed in Dike community.

Pool said she is running for Dike commissioner because she wants “Dike to stay Dike,” to return to a community of love and peace, which it currently is not. She also emphasized that in seeking incorporation and election, the intent isn’t to strip anyone’s rights.

“We will not be telling anybody what to do. Everything has to be voted on by the citizens of Dike,” Pool said.

Commission candidate Pam Harder, in her introductory statement, noted she too is a lifelong Hopkins County resident, and has lived in Dike for the past 25-30 years.

“The land is important to me and my freedom on that land is also important to me,” Harder said. “I am here to represent the people who do not want anymore government than we have to have.”

Harder said she was motivated to seek the commission seat for Dike is because she too wants Dike to stay the way it is, but acknowledge that her ideology for that differs from those seeking incorporation.

Harder said her concern is not for today but future leadership, those who might be elected to Dike council in 2-20 years in the future, and what those individuals’ agendas might be.

“I do not want to incorporate Dike. I do not want to control my neighbors. I do not want to set parameters that we have to live within that we don’t have right now. I don’t want another layer of government. I don’t want another layer of tax, and believe me a city incorporated does not run on nothing. The money will come from somewhere. I have heard lots of different ideas of where that money may come from, but ultimately, you don’t know where it's going to come from 20 years from now because you don’t know who is going to be leading that city. So, I hope that the proposal fails,” Harder said.

Mayoral candidate Dru Bell and his wife of 17 years have lived in Dike for 10 years with their kids, and love the place.

“A lot of things have been going on here lately, and it has created a big hole and a big division between the community and between the school boards. We need to come to a resolution on how to better protect our community. That really starts with really being able to incorporate, and then we would be able to make one ordinance,” said Bell, explaining that the ordinance would simply give Dike residents the right to vote, and would keep the vote for any decisions related to the incorporated area of Dike.

Bell said he was asked by others in the community to run for mayor of Dike. He said while most agree on where they want to get in Dike, there are differences of opinion on how Dike should reach that goal.

“Once we put in the ordinance that the vote goes to the table for the community, it takes it out of the hands of commissioners,” Bell said, adding that in turn gives the residents all of the authority, not the commissioners, through the votes they cast. He said Dike residents, upon incorporation, would have to create a charter. They could write it into the charter that if the residents don’t like the way the mayor or commissioners are representing them, they can change that with a two-thirds vote.

“We are all in this together. Help us write the charter, help us come to a conclusion that benefits each one of us, because ultimately, we are all looking in the same direction. This would ensure that the people of Dike are with each other,” Bell said.

Commission candidate Betty Waters said she’s lived with husband Curtis in Dike for 33 years, and live in the home he was born in 79 years ago. They have four children, six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. She is a member of several committees at Lake Highlands Baptist Church, including the finance, food and project committees, and is vice president of the WMA.

“I’ve noticed a difference in all the land. Things have changed since solar has come into our area; it’s a mess is all I can say. I’m here to protect Dike and unite Dike any way that I can,” Waters said.

Commission candidate Waters said her goal in seeking the office is to help her community, to unite the people “We’re to united right now. It’s a mess in Dike,” Waters said. “Let me tell you, it’s a mess. My main reason is to put the vote back into the people’s hands. You the people would have a voice. No do you have a voice? Who’s voice do you have?”

Mayoral candidate Brett Lester said although originally from Los Angeles, he moved to Texas in 2005. He lived in Sulphur Springs for about 10 years, then moved to Dike in 2018.

Lester said his community activity includes serving as a volunteer firefighter, something he’s done since he was 16 and old enough to drive.

“I am fresh out of the Marine Corps and I am not for incorporation. In my opinion, if you incorporate, you will lose your rights. You will lose your rights to do what you want on your property, and once you lose your rights, you will never gain them back,” Lester said.

He said his main goal in running for mayor of Dike is to maintain the property right of all residents in Dike. Lester believes that incorporation will pose the potential for people to lose the that right to do what they want with their property. As examples, he noted a city government could stipulate what residents are allowed to burn on their property (providing it’s legal), can lead to fines and homeowners associations.

Pool said a Class C incorporated city would require the vote of the people, not just the commissioners or mayor. The people who live in Dike attending regular Dike commission meetings would voice to the elected city leaders what they want in their community, then the issue would be put to a vote of Dike residents. They would establish referendum outlining what they do and don’t want in Dike.

Harder said as far as she can tell, there are no benefits to forming an incorporated city in Dike. She said she’s been told nothing that gives incorporation merit. She said she’s been asking what the benefits would be and how they would be funded since the issue of incorporation was raised. She’s heard many ideas voiced for Dike, including updating the community center, having a park for kids seen running around on county roads without supervision. She said while a city park would be a wonderful thing, she believes that could be achieved without incorporation.

The potential loss of control of the small community and for residents in the future is too high a price to pay for incorporation, Harder added.

Bell said a referendum established after incorporation would ensure that doesn’t happen. It would place the decision-making in the hands of local residents, not those elected to serve as leaders of Dike. The charter and with city ordinance would guard against that.

Waters said incorporation would protect the rural habitat — the water system, trees, livestock, the birds and other wildlife native to the area.

Lester, however, echos Harder’s sentiment that as far as he can see, there are not benefits to incorporation. It would mean having to pay more money to to create public service department to serve the citizens, funds would need to be raised for upkeep of roads within the incorporated area.

Pool, however, said as she understands it, as long as Dike residents pay taxes to the county, they must send law enforcement and emergency services to the citizens of Dike when they are needed. She said the leader of the local EMS service said as long as they are required to pay taxes, EMS services will continue to serve Dike residents tool.

Harder argued the statutes as she understands they would mean road maintenance for county roads within the incorporated area of Dike, which are currently falls to the precinct commissioners, would become the responsibility of the city upon incorporation.

Bell said county taxes are paid so the road should remain county roads and the county should be responsible for maintaining them, even upon incorporation.

Water said as she understands it Class C incorporation would make Dike the type of municipality as Tira, where residents are not denied county services including road maintenance simply because they are located within the city limits.

Lester pointed out that the city limits of Tira is most made up of farm to market road, not county roads. That would be the difference, which would make the roads in an incorporated Dike the municipality’s responsibility, as he understands it.

Waters said as an incorporated municipality, Dike would be eligible to apply for grants to help with maintenance and repairs that might be needed. A small tax or fee added to certain bills, such as electric and internet bills, could also generate funds for the city as well.

Lester pointed out that adding those to the utility bills would still be a tax that would have to be paid by Dike residents.

Pool proposed not taxing residents, but charging the trucks that travel city streets to service and construct the solar facility going up in Dike.

Also suggested among advocates for an incorporated Dike was passing along costs in the form of a corporate tax.

Harder said the easiest way to fund city expenses is through taxes, which she is opposed to.

Candidates for Sulphur Springs ISD Board of Trustees and Como-Pickton CISD Board of Trustees were also invited to take part in the nonpartisan 2023 Election Forum hosted by Hopkins County Republican Party March 30. Three of the four candidates for the two at-large school board seats on the May 6 SSISD election ballot participated, and the fourth submitted a prepared statement, citing a commitment to his child for his absence. Como-Pickton CISD had only one candidate, incumbent D.J. Carr, on the school boar panel. Incumbent Jim Murray was unable to attend, but did submit a written statement from which moderator Jim Thompson read.