In the neighboring cities of Hickory Creek and Lake Dallas, two former city council members have challenged incumbents in the only political skirmishes the cities will see this spring.

Former council member Karl Hammond, 40, has challenged incumbent Richard Martin, 61, who is seeking his third term in Place 5 on the Lake Dallas City Council. And former council member Randy Wahl, 50, is seeking his old seat on the Hickory Creek Town Council, challenging Eric Wiser, 47, in his bid for a second term.

Neither council members Lynn Clarke nor Chris Gordon drew opposition in their bids for re-election in Hickory Creek. Likewise, in Lake Dallas, no one opposed the two newly appointed council members, B.W. Brooks and James Harper, in their bids for their first full terms.

Because no school board candidate was opposed in the Lake Dallas school district, neither city will have a combined election. Early voting begins April 27. The election is May 9.

Lake Dallas Place 5

Martin, a retired service technician for Coca-Cola, said he has been involved in city politics for a long time and didn’t want to give up his seat, even though he recently suffered a stroke. He has been recuperating in the hospital for more than two months and has been getting a pass to attend the council meetings.

Martin said he feels good and expects to be out of the hospital in a few weeks.

“I’ve started walking again, and there’s just this physical test I’ve got to go through,” he said.

Meanwhile, he’s depending on others to help him with the campaign.

“I’m getting lots of help from family and help from others involved in the city,” Martin said.

Hammond, who gave up his council seat in a failed bid for mayor last year, said it took him a while to decide what seat to run for.

Manager of a fencing supply company, Hammond ran together with Martin in 2005, when several candidates worked together to oust the incumbents at that time.

Back then, Hammond challenged Ken Stapleton on his attendance record.

During the 2005 election season, Stapleton missed more than half of the council meetings.

Hammond said when he realized that Martin had missed 30 percent of the meetings in the year before his stroke, “that sealed it for me.”

“I’ve been involved in city government for almost six years and I’ve never missed a meeting of any kind,” Hammond said.

Hickory Creek Place 5

Wiser, a finance manager for Southwest Airlines, was first elected at the same time Hickory Creek residents passed a $5 million bond package.

Wiser said he is happy with the new public works building and rebuilt roads, namely Harbor Grove and Royal Oaks, which serve some of the city’s older neighborhoods.

“If you remember, the council took a risk by waiting a month in bidding those jobs, and it actually lowered the cost,” Wiser said.

Solving drainage problems around Town Hall, the last of the current bond projects, could be off the drawing board and under construction in the next few months, once federal engineers review and approve the plans, Wiser said.

The council took its time because the members wanted to be sure they got it right, he said.

The town’s first plan to address drainage for the construction of Town Hall and Cornelius Town Center did not work.

In fact, Wahl sued Hickory Creek, and the builders and developers around Town Hall twice in an attempt to get the problem solved. He dropped his first suit, filed in 2005, only to file again in 2007. That suit was dismissed in February 2008.

Wahl, a real estate agent, served from 2006 to 2008.

He disagreed that drainage plans take this long. The current council bogs down in small things, he said, and hasn’t tackled the big decisions needed, such as adopting impact fees and architectural standards.

He pointed to the town’s approval of a variance for a new, four-story hotel as an example.

“They approved that hotel before they had drainage, and they approved a variance without posting a sign letting the public know what was coming,” Wahl said.

Residents in the neighboring subdivisions were upset with the decision, he said.

Wahl acknowledged his candidacy was controversial, but said residents deserve a choice. He would have asked for more input before deciding his vote on the hotel, he said.

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

Karl Hammond

Karl Hammond

Born in: Lubbock

Age: 40

Education: associate of arts degree, North Central Texas College, 1994; associate of science degree, North Central Texas College, 1999

Employment history: U.S. Navy, 1985-93; auto parts employee, 1990-2000; manager, O’Reilly Auto Parts, 2000-04; manager, Jamieson Fence Supply, 2004-present

Richard Martin (I)

Richard Martin

Born in: Dallas

Age: 61

Education: diploma, South Oak Cliff High School, 1964

Experience: electrician assistant, 1960s-1970s; print plant manager, 1980s; service technician with Coca-Cola, 1982-2009 (retired)

Randy Wahl

Randy Wahl

Age: 50

Born in: Huntingburg, Ind.

Education: bachelor’s degree in sociology, University of Evansville, 1981

Experience: state trooper, Texas Department of Public Safety, 1982-85; real estate broker, 1986-present.

Eric Wiser (I)

Eric Wiser

Age: 47

Born in: Arlington

Education: bachelor’s degree in business administration, University of Phoenix, 1997

Experience: All with Southwest Airlines — reservations, 1987-88; supervisor, 1988-95; supervisor, executive office-customer relations, 1995-98; manager, revenue accounting services, 1998-present.