Mayor's race spending tops $120,000

Some observers worry costly campaigns could deter future candidates

Mark Burroughs and Perry McNeill together spent more than $120,000 in their bruising fight for Denton mayor, according to finance reports filed this week.

Burroughs outspent McNeill nearly 2 to 1 on his way to unseating the first-term in­cumbent. The win capped an unusually costly race marked by lawsuits, conflict-of-interest allegations and flaps over questionable political ad­ver­tising.

By contrast, three candidates combined to spend less than $15,000 in the 2006 mayor’s race, with McNeill accounting for most of the total, records show.

“I think it’s unprecedented for any volunteer public service position to have spent that kind of money,” McNeill said of this year’s totals. “That’s just unheard of in local politics.”

Observers disagree over whether the spending level is an anomaly or a new reality for Denton politics. Some worry the price tag could discourage people with limited means from entering future races.

“I think the spending situation is a deterrent,” said John Paul Eddy, a retired professor who ran unsuccessfully for a City Council seat in 2006. “In our case there’s no remuneration as a council member … and that encourages only people who have, you might say, more wealthy or affluent means to finance and carry on their campaigns.

“That is a very discouraging thing to happen in American democracy.”

Burroughs, a lawyer and former council member, beat McNeill in a June 14 runoff election with 62 percent of the vote. Burroughs earned the most votes in a four-man race May 10 but failed to secure a majority.

Argyle ISD looks at hopes for new chief

Residents talk about what they’d like to see in next superintendent

A small gathering of community members shared what they hope to see in Argyle’s new superintendent at a meeting Thursday with Ted Gillum, who was hired to assist school board members in the search to fill the top spot.

Two board members, Vice President John Schinske and Brenda Alexander, were also there sitting among about 10 residents and district staff members.

Gillum started the meeting discussing the basic qualifications for a superintendent and mentioned that about a dozen people have expressed interest in the post by letter or with a resume, half of those from out-of-state applicants.

A superintendent with teaching experience and a fairly stable resume were among main characteristics requested by those in attendance.

Even as the district gets larger, Randy McKellar, a former school board member, told Gillum that he hopes the next superintendent will understand and appreciate the benefits of a small district mentality.

He also hopes they can find someone who is generally concerned with students’ education in the classroom and is supportive of teachers.

“Teachers need to have the freedom to fail … [and] not be afraid to take a risk” in being innovative, McKellar said, because not all students learn the same way.

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