Cbc Bdttdlion
Vol. 68 No. 86
College Station, Texas
Thursday, Mar. 4, 1976
ravenec unopposed
mayoral campaign
rence “Larry” Bravenec is unopposed
ing Bob Bell’s withdrawal from the
shortly before filing closed at 5 p.m.
relay.
II said he withdrew from the mayor’s
because ‘‘the energy spent in cam-
ring by both candidates can be better
in service to our community. ”
hard-fought campaign would divide
Icitizens at a time when community
is needed,” Bell said.
II, who had resigned as councilman
Place 3 to run for mayor, filed for
Set 1 6. Incumbent James Dozier has also
)nce-a-year occurrence
filed for that position.
Bell said he wanted to run for one of the
three two-year terms so he would not have
to campaign again next year.
He said he decided to run against Dozier
rather than James Gardner or Homer
Adams because “Dozier’s views of a coun
cilman’s duties and my own are farther
apart than the other two.”
Lane B. Stephenson, 1202 Dominik, will
face incumbent Homer Adams for Place 2.
Stephenson is associate director of Texas
A&M University News Service.
Three candidates filed for Place 3: Texas
A&M sophomore James W. Crawley of 443
Dunn Hall; Larry J. Ringer (associate pro
fessor of statistics at A&M) of 702 Thomas
St., and E. Murl Bailey, Jr. (associate pro
fessor of veterinary physiology and phar
macology at A&M) of 1807 Sabine Court.
Clinton Robison, 1101 Southwest 405,
has filed for Place 4. Robison is an instruc
tor at Bryan High School. James Gardner,
the incumbent, has also filed for the posi
tion.
Anne Hazen, 1205 Munson Ave., was
the only candidate to file for Place 5.
The elections will be held April 3.
Filing fad ends again
J
iere hasn’t been this much excitement
ci / hall since the time Councilman Jim
Tier offered to pay the garbage bill for a
Ln who claimed she never had to put
any garbage for collection. She simply
|ed all of it.
b the tale went.
This time it was different: this was the
1st day, the last hour to file for city office,
his was it.
Strolling through the heavy wooden
s of the College Station City Hall, one
|d sense the excitement of filing for city
at the very last minute. It’s a once-a-
fad.
ere were councilmen and others puf-
laway on low tar and nicotine cigarettes,
tping them onto the floor, and stomp-
lon them.
Ind lighting another and another.
Ind there were the curiosity-seekers
[wives of the councilmen. And a radio
plan who kept darting back and forth,
i microphone clutched tightly in one
^1 pencil and notepad in the other. His
"recorder constantly swaying from a
der strap, rebounding off of his hips.
They all wanted to know the same thing:
who was filing for city office at the last
minute?
All of the current councilmen were
there, with the exception of Homer Adams,
joking and laughing and wondering out
loud who might file at the eleventh hour.
Councilman Jim Gardner poked his head
through the double-doors and asked the
recurring question:
“Anyone file against me yet?”
Yes, someone in the crowd blurted out.
Someone had filed. Gardner frowned.
“Oh well. That’s all right”
Gary Halter, a mild-mannered A&M
political science professor who is the only
council member not facing an election this
term, joked about running for mayor.
“Oh, I would but I’ve got only 12 mi
nutes left to get 25 signatures on a petition.
That’s 30 seconds a signature. Just don’t
think I’d make it. ”
Meanwhile, the radio newsman had
almost—but not quite—caught onto what
Halter had said.
It took a good deal of effort by Halter and
another reporter to convince the radio
newsman that the councilman was only jok-
ing ’
One councilman muttered “chickenshit”
when Councilman Bob Bell announced
shortly after 4 p.m. that he was dropping
out of the mayor’s race and, instead, filed to
run against incumbent Councilman Jim
Dozier. Bell dragged Dozier out into the
hallway to explain why he wanted to run
against Dozier and not run for mayor. Nurs-
ing laryngitis. Bell called Dozier “a good
man” but said nonetheless, he wanted to
run against him.
It will be a tough race. Bell said.
Amid the din of laughter, outdated Aggie
jokes and vocal threats by some to run for
mayor, an A&M accounting professor and
part-time beekeeper quietly left city hall.
Councilman Larry Bravenec, the only can
didate for mayor, doesn’t have much to
worry about.
An hour or so after the 5 p.m. filing dead
line the people were gone. The cigarette
smoke was gone from the air. The cigarette
butts had been swept up. The lights were
out.
The race was on.
Goodies Galore
With the flu season here, your friendly neighborhood store awaits with aisles of drugs and other sundries.
College Station negotiating
for utilities from Gulf States
By STEVE GRAY
Contributing Editor
Representatives of Gulf States Utilities
Company met with College Station city of
ficials Friday in an attempt to work out
possible arrangements in which the city
may purchase its future water and electric
ity beginning in January 1979, city sources
revealed yesterday.
The sources did not give details of the
meeting but did say that Gulf States is try
ing to formulate a reasonable base rate that
would be charged should the city decide
en seek three positions on Consol
Unpersons, including five employed at
A&M University, filed at the last
ute yesterday for three open positions
le A&M Consolidated School Board,
'wo candidates, Elliot Bray and Lam-
Wilkes, filed for Position 1, a three-
term.
ray is a Data Base manager for the
[as A&M Registrar. “If elected I would
to see why there was a lack of mainte-
|ce in the past,” he said. “One million
ars of the bond issue is set aside for
ring the old school buildings. ”
.ambert Wilkes, professor of Agricul-
il Engineering, has been on the school
lojrd for five years.
I le said the bond election should be
Enized rather than presented to the vot-
« in One lump sum, giving the voters a
13 ! ! yice on each part of the issue.
Incumbent Nancy Donaldson, presi
dent, did not file for re-election in Position
1. She said she wants to devote more time
to her family and would like to campaign
this month for the bond issue. However,
she said she is satisfied with the progress of
the school board, especially in regard to the
curriculums.
A major accomplishment of the school
board in the past year, she said, was the
survey of educational goals, which helped
the board to adopt a “learning philosophy. ”
Donaldson has been on the school board
for four years and was chairman of the
school’s policy committee for two years.
The three-year term of Position 2 will be
contested by four candidates George H.
Boyett, Roger G. Feldman, Elizabeth
Naugle and Hoy A. Richards.
Boyett, who operates a local commercial
rental business, said a bond issue must be
passed, but that this $6.4 million program
is no more valid than the last one, $5.1
million. “It is too nebulous,” he said.
Feldman, assistant professor of Veteri
nary Medicine, says he is “deeply commit
ted to a program that allows each child an
opportunity to take the courses he can use
in the outside world.
“The lack of facilities have held us back,
and little else is going to be accomplished
until space is provided,” he said.
Naugle, homemaker and former elemen
tary school teacher, said she has seen the
contributions of women in the past, and
would like to see the school board ba
lanced.
Richards, a transportation economist at
Texas A&M, is interested in the tax payers’
costs for quality education.
“Because local communities will have
less federal and state aid, we need to be
come aware of our priorities as we become
self-sufficient and take on more responsibil
ity,” he said.
The one-year term of Position 4 is being
contested by: candidates Louis F. Bouse,
William D. Fitch, William A. Wasson,
Helen Wilborn and Bruce Upham.
Bouse, an agricultural engineer, has
three children in the school system and is
active in various local youth groups.
Fitch, president of the Area Progress
Corp., a local land development firm, said
if the proposed bond issue doesn’t pass, he
will propose a smaller issue “having just
i certain necessities.” If it does pass, he said
he will make sure the public gets its
money’s worth.
Wasson, certified public accountant and
a Texas A&M systems auditor, said “he
would have preferred the bond issue to
(see School, page 5)
later not to renew its present utilities con
tract with the City of Bryan.
Gulf States is an independent utilities
firm that provides service to several towns
in the Brazos Valley, including Hearne and
Caldwell. The city has been purchasing wa
ter, electricity and some sewer service
from Bryan for more than a decade.
Gulf States has previously expressed in
terest in providing water and electricity to
College Station via two transmission lines
located on two sides of the city. Their offer
is a standard rate for municipalities and
includes power transmission costs. Com
pany officials have said if the city were to
supply its own power substations, Gulf
States would give the city a five per cent
discount on their quoted price.
A Gulf States spokesman said last year,
however, that construction of such power.
substations could cost the city in excess of
$1 million.
The College Station City Council on Jan.
29 rejected Bryan’s contract proposal that
was submitted to the city' Jan. 21 and gave
Bryan city officials 14 days to submit a new
proposal containing competitive rates and
terms.
Bryan’s deadline to submit a revised con
tract proposal was Feb. 12 and it has not yet
been delivered to College Station. North
Bardell, College Station city manager,
Wednesday said that staffs for both cities
are still working to resolve some of the
questions regarding the contract.
“Something should be decided by the
end of this month,’’ he said, without
elaborating.
The city has objected to Bryan’s proposal
primarily because electrical rates would be
raised 30 per cent over the present interim
rate schedule that was adopted by College
Station in August.
Bardell earlier said the difference in
Bryan’s rates and those proposed by Gulf
States is indicated by a utility bill represen
tative of the month of December 1975.
For 3,400 kilowatt—hours (kwh) of elec
tricity including fuel costs adjustments, a
resident of Caldwell woidd have paid $59.
Under Bryan’s current rates, the cost
would have been $98, a difference of 60 per
cent, Bardell said.
Local residents currently pay $2.25 per
kwh and 38.5 cents per 1,000 gallons of
water. Bryan’s proposal would raise elec
tricity rates to $2.95 per kwh and water
costs would jump to 47 cents per 1,000
gallons.
The Bryan City Council met on Feb. 3 to
discuss the list of objections to their prop
osal that was submitted to them the day
before by College Station.
College Station councilmen contend that
the city is partially subsidizing Bryan’s ad
ministrative, billing and distribution costs
under the present and proposed contracts.
They have objected also to clauses within
the proposal that: (1) provides for a five-
year contract with automatic one-year ex
tensions, (2) termination of one utility ser
vice would automatically cancel the other
services and (3) would require that College
Station purchase at least 80 per cent of its
water from Bryan.
The two cities originally were to have
completed contract negotiations no later
than Dec. 31. There has been speculation
(See Negotiations, Page 5)
ual representation, name upheld by SG
he Student Senate battled its way
ough a special session last night and ap
ed revisions to the present constitu-
which will be voted on by the student
y on March 11.
Senate debate on the constitution began
Wednesday but was rescheduled due
the lack of time.
Dual representation was upheld as the
thod by which students are represented
the senate. This system covers two areas
1 provides two representatives for each
ita: a living area and college representa-
e. Dual representation is currently in
feet.
Senate member Scott Sherman favored
[edual system because he feels it is a more
piplete form of representation.
Students will not only be represented
their on or off-campus living area rep
resentatives, but through their academic
colleges as well,” Sherman said.
To aid off-campus students, he suggested
a ward system be established to divide the
Bryan-College Station area into sectors de
pending upon the student population.
Then each sector would be alloted a rep
resentative.
Duane Thompson, vice-president of
rules and regulations , said this system is
not efficient because there is no way to
effectively distribute the living area rep
resentatives.
Thompson said out of approximately
24,000 students enrolled at Texas A&M
University, 8,000 live on-campus and are
adequately represented to some extent.
However, the remaining 16,000 students
are scattered off-campus and are poorly
represented.
“A college-base system would allow a
central and easy access to both the student
and the representative,” Thompson said.
Kay Zenner says the ward system sup
ported by Sherman would not work. She
said it has been tried but has yet to succeed
in Texas. She also added it would be dif
ficult to draw a ward system to include
representation in the areas of those stu
dents who commute to A&M .
Judy Stearman, representing married
students housing, said neither she nor her
constituents seldom see, much less know,
their college representative. She also said
that married students aren’t represented
enough as it is and it would be “ridiculous
to take away our already limited represen
tation. ”
“Living off-campus has changed my at
titude,” said Donnie Paine.
Paine, in favor of the dual system said
that because he has become familiar and
experienced with the problems of an off-
campus student, he can represent them
better than someone who hasn’t... like a col
lege representative.
“It gives you a better perspective as to
what is going on,” he said.
Currently 33 per cent of the students live
on campus and 66 per cent live off-campus.
The percentage of college senators living
on-campus is 63 per cent, while 37 per cent
live off-campus.
During the meeting, vice president of
Academic affairs, Raj Kent, a major con
tributor and supporter of the changes, did
not ask for recognition at any time. He also
left the meeting at several points. His final
departure followed the approval of the dual
representation article.
In communication during the meeting,
(see SG, page 5)
Vote on
Attendance
Buben
Yes
Senator
Representation
(Absent)
Smith
Yes
Winget
No
R. Kent
X
Buttery
Flores
No
X
T. Strickland
Yes
Thompson
No
Cook
Yes
Gerst
Yes
Gregson
Yes
Merrick
No
Stansfield
Yes
Kasper
Yes
Lynch
No
Palmer
Yes
Luker
. . . Yes
Crittendon
Yes
Gray
Yes
Bush
No
Gibson
... No
Kelly
Yes
McVey
. . . Yes
Marble
No
Brown
... No
Payne
Gilmer
Yes
Schwartz
Yes
Ingram •
Yes
J. Strickland
White
Yes
Geddie
No
Zenner
No
Zumwalt
Yes
Sherman
Yes
Scott
Yes
Gunselman
... Yes
Harvey
Yes
Ben-Ali
... Y'es
Spiller
Stearman
Yes
Bender
Yes
Cummings
... Yes
Pankonien
No
Marti
... Yes
Mayfield
Yes
Tower
No
Marcello
Yes
Wakeman
. . .. No
f
*1
Members of Student
Government do many
| things at Senate
meetings. Some read
(textbooks, newspa
pers, anything at all)
while others do more
exotic things, like
needlepoint.
Photos by Jim Hendrickson