Joey Hasty, Dona Schroetke and incumbent Joe Phelps won their bids for the Argyle Town Council on Saturday in a campaign centered on the town’s future development.

With soaring campaign contributions, the election became a hotly contested race and opened the dialogue about the town’s transition from its rural roots.

On Saturday, the results showed residents clearly wanted change, Phelps said.

“The people have told us what they want us to do,” he said. “It was time for a change. I am looking forward to the next two years.”

In the weeks before the campaign, Hasty and former councilwoman Schroetke had openly criticized the management of the council.

Each agreed the council must have a unified direction on the correct path for the town’s future development.

It was a familiar topic for the election.

Much of the dialogue centered on careful planning of future development that would allow the town to keep its rural character while still bringing in commercial business.

As a slow-growing town, the council has the difficult task of guiding Argyle through that transitional period, but it has lead to frustrations about commercial business and traffic issues. Both issues arose during the election.

Behind the issues, the committee Argyle Concerned Citizens, which was backed by developers John Michaels and Teresa Rather, sent campaign contributions soaring to at least $12,000, a record high for the city. The group backed all three of Saturday’s winning candidates, and the endorsements had at least a partial role in their success, said Phelps, the Place 5 council member.

“I don’t know how it could have negatively af­fect­ed it,” he said. “When you have that many people involved, it helps.”

Even Place 1 council member Mark Bogosian, who lost to Hasty, noted the impact of the committee but in a different light.

“I am very flattered that they spent the money that they did to unseat two coun­cil members that follow the rules,” he said. “People deserve the government that they elected. I wish them luck.”

Bogosian said the committee and his opponents helped spread mistruths about himself and Place 3 council member Jayne Marshall, who lost to Schroetke.

Marshall said that the people have spoken.

“I’ve said all along — win, lose or draw — I win,” Marshall said. She was happy to get back to her private life, she said, since her son, Marcus, returns from his final tour of duty in Iraq this weekend.

Hasty campaigned on the issue of a divisive council that did not agree. He believed that would not benefit residents, and a united front was important for the council as the town begins to make its transition.

Hasty said he believed voters responded to his work ethic as he and his wife went door to door spreading his message.

Schroetke said both she and Hasty can begin looking to their future on the council. 

“We have our marching orders and we’re ready to work,” Schroetke said.

DAN X. McGRAW can be reached at 940-566-6875. His e-mail address is dmcgraw@dentonrc.com