In Kennard, City Council members have been appointed after previous members decide to retire — or die.
Donald Lamb, a member of Kennard s City Council, poses for a portrait outside of City Hall on April 8. The city recently canceled its City Council elections because incumbents had no challengers.— a weekly dispatch about the people, places and policies defining Texas, produced by Texas Tribune journalists living in communities across the state.
There is no living memory of the last contested election in Kennard. And the Texas Secretary of State, which oversees most elections, does not keep records on municipal races. Although Lamb has heard grumblings from some community members, and there may be an occasional disgruntled social media post, nobody has taken enough issue with the city to challenge a sitting council member.
It’s hard not to know everyone when your whole town has about 400 residents and fits inside one square mile. Problems are resolved without government intervention. There’s little room for corruption, Lamb said. The city employs one person and contracts work out to three other people and has an annual budget of $57,000. There is no police department, instead residents rely on state troopers and Houston County sheriff deputies. And there is a small volunteer fire department.
Americans care deeply about good governance, Theriault said. But Americans are usually more focused on the elections on the state and national stage because it’s what they see most often covered in the news. Numerous Kennard residents spoke to The Texas Tribune, but few consented to be recorded or named, fearing a repeat of the film.Photographs of the Houston County Fair sit on a windowsill at Curry’s Grocery in Kennard. The store serves as a local meeting place.Dozens of Kennard teens and adults stop by the relocated Curry’s Grocery every morning as part of their daily commute. The store is owned by City Council member Mike Curry and his wife, Judy.
Residents often decide to run for office because they disagree with decisions made by their local leaders. So, one reason why residents might not be interested in running for council, Theriault said, is that they don’t know what city leaders are doing.
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