KRUGERVILLE — Two residents have stepped into the race for the mayor’s seat — a one-year, unexpired term left by Robert Cleversy’s abrupt departure last summer.

Cleversy’s one-time opponent, Robert Spears, 48, a safety coordinator for a drilling company, is running against Erich Ransleben, 42, a pool contractor who lost a bid for a City Council seat in 2005.

Place 1 incumbent Thurman Bridges, 70, who has served as acting mayor since Cleversy’s departure in August, has drawn opposition in another former council member, Bryan Firth, 57.

Early voting begins April 27. The election is May 9.

Mayor

Ransleben pointed to his five years of service on the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission, as well as his day job as a contractor shepherding projects through cities all around North Texas, as strengths relevant to helping Krugerville grow in the coming years.

He said that he wasn’t disappointed after the City Council decided recently to not make any more plans for a new sewer line, at least for the time being. Even though Krugerville sits between Cross Roads and Aubrey on busy U.S. Highway 377, the town is too far from either to connect sewer lines affordably.

“It’s a pipe dream right now,” Ransleben said, adding that the town’s $98 million tax base affords little for bond-funded projects. Krugerville issued $110,000 in bonds last year that mature in 2023. The sewer project could cost between $10 million and $20 million, he said.

Instead, with Krugerville’s new standards for construction, the city can continue to attract commercial development that shows a high regard for rural living, he said.

“If we work for consistency and desirability from lot to lot, we can get those who can’t afford Cross Roads,” Ransleben said.

Spears said his experience working for and with regional groups such as the North Central Texas Council of Governments can help Krugerville grow.

For example, he said, the city missed out by not being ready with infrastructure plans so it could apply for federal stimulus money when the nationwide plan was announced.

“Cities smaller than ours are getting funds,” Spears said.

As a fire chief in Mineral Wells, he wrote a 10-year plan for his department, he said. Between the city’s pursuit of several grants and a bond election, the department was outfitted ahead of the plan’s schedule.

“We got to ‘year 8’ within two years,” Spears said.

He acknowledged that new sewer lines are a long-term need, but the city needs to start building relationships now. If the city forges relationships with regional players, Krugerville will be ready when additional opportunities arise.

The mayor and City Council also must begin prioritizing street and drainage projects, doing what they can to encourage development on U.S. 377, he said.

“With a few more small businesses, we can generate the sales tax that makes street money possible,” Spears said.

Place 1

Firth, who served two years on the City Council before he lost his re-election bid in 2007, said he’s come back because he’s concerned about a possible shortfall in the city budget.

“We’d shut it down when the spending ran amok last time,” Firth said, adding that if he didn’t win, he’s comfortable with the outcome. “This way, people know I’m still keeping an eye on it.”

He said he believes the city can partner with its neighbors to bring sewer services to the area, despite the fact that the latest round of estimates gave city leaders sticker shock.

“It’s really needed in the old-town area, for residents first, and then businesses,” Firth said.

Bridges said next year’s preliminary property tax rolls are up about 5 percent.

The council knows to stay within the community’s needs, given the economy, he said.

“We have good oversight,” Bridges said. “We hold a little bit back in the good times for the tight times.”

He’s thought about the city’s ongoing struggle to add sewer services.

“With 1,600 citizens, it doesn’t take much math to figure it out,” Bridges said, estimating that taxes would triple in order to pay for a citywide sewer system.

But if residents want the system, that’s up to them.

“I’ve got no problem putting it on the ballot,” he said. “I just don’t think it’s going that way.”

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

KRUGERVILLE CITY RACES

MAYOR

Erich Ransleben

Age: 42

Born in: Houston

Education: bachelor of science in advertising, Texas A&M Commerce, 1991

Experience: advertising, 1991; oil field data technician for environmental cleanup, 1991-93; pool design and sales, Robertson Pools, 1993-2002; pool design and sales, 2003; pool design and sales, AquaStone Pools, 2003-present

Robert Spears

Age: 48

Born in: Odessa

Education: associate degree in paramedics, Odessa College, 1984; associate degree in fire technology, Odessa College, 1995; bachelor’s degree in fire administration, Western Illinois University, 2004

Experience: fireman, 1980-1997; fire chief 1997-2005; roughneck, 2006; fire training, Navarro College, 2006-07; safety coordinator, Felderhoff Drilling, 2007-present

Thurman Bridges (I)

Age: 70

Born in: Decatur

Education: attended University of North Texas, 1958-65

Experience: supervisor, 1970s-1988; self-employed painter, 1988-2005; retired, 2005-present

Bryan Firth

Age: 57

Born in: Opolis, Mo.

Education: attended Crowder College, 1978; attended Richland College, 1986

Experience: self-employed 1980s-1990s; environmental technician, haz-mat and incident commander, 1996-98; woodworking business owner, 1999-2008; mowing business owner, 2008-present