Former councilmember Sandra Melton hopes that voters will elect her to a second term on the Sherman City Council next month.
Melton is one of three candidate who are vying for the district no. 1 seat most recently held by Shawn Teamann, who resigned his position in order to run for mayor during the November general election.
The Herald Democrat recently spoke with the candidates in the city council race and asked a series of questions to each regarding their qualifications, background and priorities going into the election. It is our hope that these questions and and answers will help inform voters as they go to the polls this fall.
The special election to fill Teamann’s vacancy will be held on Sept. 14, with early voting running from Aug. 28 through Sept. 10.
Q: For individuals who may not be familiar with you, who are you? Where might they know you in the community?
A: “I am Sandra Melton, a former Sherman city councilmember, a retiree of the city of Sherman with over twenty-two years of service. I worked in the water office for five years and transferred to the City Clerk’s office where I became a Certified City Clerk. I have spent the last nine years working for the Sherman School District at Neblett Elementary. My heart is serving others. My husband, Danny and I have been together for thirty-three years. We had five children and nine grandchildren.”
Q: What led you to seek office on the Sherman City Council?
A: “I served as a city councilmember for one term and sought the office of Mayor. While I worked for the city I answered many questions and served the citizens along with the elected officials, I vowed that when I retired, I would continue to serve and use the information I gained to help those in our community. I would love to continue to serve our community in that capacity.”
Q: What skillsets and unique traits do you think you bring to the table for the Sherman City Council?
A: “I am the only candidate that has been a former councilmember. I will not have to be “brought up to speed” or taught how the city is run. I am a retiree of the city of Sherman, a former Certified City Clerk, and an employee of the Sherman Independent School District for the last nine years. I believe all of these unique skillsets will be an asset to our community.”
Q: If elected, what priorities do you plan to bring to the city council?
A: “The infrastructure such as streets, water and sewer for our existing residents will be my number one priority when I am elected to the City Council. I will make sure that the city follows through with the updates of our downtown area and Cherry Street rebuild that is underway.”
Q: What challenges do you see facing the city in 2024 and beyond? How do you plan to address them?
A: “Sherman has lots of challenges facing them in 2024 and beyond such as the massive growth. I plan to work on having the developers pay their share for this growth and stop spending the taxpayers money to bring them into the community. We need those that are coming here to pay for the roads, water, sewer and such. Quality affordable housing and grocery stores are needed in our community. I will work on balancing the growth with what and where things are allowed in Sherman. We need to stop allowing the multifamily growth in the existing neighborhoods.”
Q: With the growth facing Sherman, what do you think is the best strategy for balancing the needs of new growth and existing residents?
A: “We need to take care of the roads, water and sewer (infrastructure) that is here now before approving so many new businesses and homes. If those wish to be here and they do, then have them pay their share to do so. We need to be more strategic in where the growth is allowed to happen in the city.
