LAKE DALLAS — Mayor Pro Tem Karl Hammond filed Monday to run for mayor after announcing his intentions to seek the office more than a month ago, soon after the city called a special election for November.

Karl Hammond

The special election will be held during the general election on Nov. 4. The winner will serve the rest of former Mayor Marjory Johnson’s unfinished term, through May 2010.

Hammond, 40, was mayor pro tem when Johnson resigned in June to move to Sanger. Since then, he has served as acting mayor.

The post has brought him few surprises, he said.

“I have a pretty good idea of what’s expected,” said Hammond, who has been on the City Council for three terms. The city has been proactive in preparing for the opening of the Lewisville Lake toll bridge and the widening of Interstate 35E, and he sees additional focus on diversifying the city’s commercial base to take advantage of that new influx of traffic.

But he doesn’t know what to expect with the upcoming race.

“At first, I waited to see whether [fellow council member] Alan Fletcher would announce,” Hammond said.

Hammond did throw in his hat after another council member, Tony Marino, declared his intention to run.

As of Wednesday, Martino had not filed for a place on the ballot, according to City Secretary Beverly Weikum.

Hammond has been thinking through his campaign strategy, but it’s a little tricky because some things about this race are different, he said.

Firstly, the campaign period feels quite a bit longer.

Many had anticipated Johnson’s resignation even before the May election, so would-be candidates have had a long time to think and plan their strategies.

“With the May election, you might be thinking about it in January, but you aren’t doing anything,” he said.

And secondly, Lake Dallas hasn’t had a contested municipal election in awhile. That makes it difficult to know how much money to raise — especially in light of how expensive local races have become the past two years — and where to spend it, he said.

The filing deadline is 5 p.m. Aug. 29.

PEGGY HEINKEL-WOLFE can be reached at 940-566-6881. Her e-mail address is pheinkel-wolfe@dentonrc.com

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