SDN October 13, 2020 by Seguin Today

OCTOBER 2020

WEATHER

13 TUESDAY

TODAY

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WEDNESDAY THURSDAY

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LEGEND Lic # ML-16126 PLUMBING & ROOTER 830 • 303 •3335

By o you ht T oug

The Voice of Seguin Today

Volume 55 • Number 194 830 • 379 • 2234

Early voting in 2020 General, Presidential, Local Election begins today

Candidates seek your votes Guadalupe County Elections Office during November 3 Election ready to take on early voting By Cindy Aguirre-Herrera

(Seguin) -- Campaigning is officially underway now that early voting has begun for those appearing on a Nov. 3 General Election ballot. The election not only includes the U.S. Presidential race but also local and school board races. In the city of Seguin, the positions include three council seats plus the race for mayor. Wanting to be your next mayor are former Councilwoman Donna Dodgen and local resident Francisco “Frank” L. Herrera. The winner will replace current Mayor Don Keil who was no longer eligible to run due to the city’s eight year term limit. In District 2, there are two candidates vying for that seat. The candidates in that

race include Pete Silvius and By Cindy Aguirre-Herrera Sonia Mendez. (Seguin) -- Employees and The final contested race in poll workers at the city of Seguin is for City the Guadalupe County Council District 6. Those Elections candidates include Monica are Carter, Wanda Rosales and Office doing their part Ricardo Sanchez Jr. to ensure that In the Navarro ISD, there voters can have confidence are now a total of five candidates running for three when voting early. Early available seats on the school voting begins today and board. The candidates runs through Friday, Oct. include trustees Tracy 30. Due to the pandemic, Large, Renee Rehfeld and an additional week has Clint Scheib, as well as been added to the early newcomers Weldon Dietze voting schedule by Texas Governor Greg Abbott. and Mark Malinovsky.

top of safety protocols hand them their ID. We are -- bringing contactless going to ask the voter just to voting to the polls. show the poll worker their ID so that they can verify their identity without touching anything. The voters will be giving what we are calling disposable stylus “We are going to have to vote with on the Express six foot tape lines marked Voting Machines. They are outside for those standing actually Q-tips but disposal in line. We are going to stylus sound so much better set up the voting machines but they work great on the six feet apart. Our check- voting machine and they in stations will be six feet give the voter the freedom apart. The voters can expect to touch the machine as the poll workers wearing much as they want with that FALLAdministrator TRADE DAYS In the Marion ISD, candidates include Karl Elections masks. They can expect to stylus to vote their ballot but October 24,hand 2020 10am-4pm In Seguin says due to see Harborth, Jill LeSage, Jamie Mote, Mike Lisa Hayes sanitizer sitting they never actually have to October 24, 2020 10am-4pm Central Park, Central Park, a pair of elections held Purcell, Eric Smith and La Verne Vick. on the counter for their use. touch the machine with their 201 S. Austin St. 201 S. Austin St. earlier this year, her They can expect to not have hand,” said Hayes. staff has remained on the poll worker ask them to See EARLY VOTE, page3 See CANDIDATES, page 3

FALL TRADE DAYS In Seguin

FALL TRADE DAYS www.visitseguin.com In Seguin October 24, 2020 10am-4pm Central Park, 201 S. Austin St.

October 24, 2020 10am-4pm Central Park, 201 S. Austin St.

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Seguin Talks About Race TUESDAY OCTOBER 13, 2020

Panel discussion at local library launches month long conversation, events about race, promotion of equality By Cindy Aguirre-Herrera

(Seguin) -- The Seguin Public Library is helping the community turn the page to what might be one of its most important conversation yet. The library is inviting citizens to stop by and pick up a free copy of the book “So You Want to Talk About Race” by ljeoma Oluo. Library Director Jacki Gross says the book is being made available this week in time for the Seguin Talks About Race Panel Discussion this Saturday at the library. Gross says this year has given rise for such a conversation. She says not only did the library believe it needed to be the center or a place to start these types of conversations but it was also prompted by members of the public who also wanted to see a similar effort in the local community. “It is scary because it is such a personal topic and it raises so many emotions but if we want to improve and change and learn to appreciate diversity than we are going to have to start having these conversations and not just say ‘well, it is not in our community.’ It’s everywhere and it’s going to be hard. I have no

doubt but I think you don’t learn anything until it’s hard, right? It’s a call to action to talk,” said Gross. This weekend’s panel discussion also launches a month long book study plus other opportunities to discuss the issue. Gross says the series of events at the library work to continue these “courageous conversations” in hopes of engaging, listening and advocating for equality. Gross says the first piece to this effort is, of course, the book. Gross says in the book, Oluo has made it easy for readers to think about what has been written and equate those things into our own personal lives. “She really started out her writing career as like a blogger but what this book does is there’s separate chapters and she brings up questions at the end of each chapter that kind of gets you thinking about things she talked about in the chapter and how you can talk about some of those things with your family members, with your coworkers to get their perspective and she is upfront about it that these are very hard conversations and often, we hear things we don’t want to hear because it’s hard to hear those things. We chose this book because she ends each chapter with a series of questions that are designed to help engage a dialogue,” said Gross.

Individuals, however, don’t have to worry about reading the entire book in time for Saturday’s panel discussion. Instead, Gross says she hopes to motivate them to move further along in the book or even just to pick up a copy as soon as possible. “It’s a wonderful book but it does bring up topics that are hard to digest sometimes so that’s why we felt like it was important to have these copies available and then really the panel discussion is kind of launching this almost month long, we hope discussion about race so the panel discussion will include five panelist of different backgrounds and different age ranges and we hope they can bring different perspectives to some of these issues that were raised in the book and then the following week, we are kind of continuing in that theme and we will have diversity related story hours, a diversity related teen program and pre-teen program so we can really engage all ages and then we’ve partnered with the schools Navarro and Seguin, given them some books and hopefully, they’ll initiate conversations with their students,” said Gross. Gross says those panelists invited by the local library represent a variety of backgrounds and bring together a wealth of personal experiences to the table. “A lot of them are from Seguin.

We have Dr. Bernadette Buchanan and she’s a professor out at TLU, Rev. Megan Elliott and she’s a member of the LGBT community and the head pastor at Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church; Rev. Jimmie Flakes who is the head pastor at the Second Baptist Church of Seguin and then Jacinto Ramos, Jr. and he actually does not live in Seguin but he is the chief of board of governance and leadership for the Leadership ISD in Fort Worth and is very involved in initiating these types of conversations and then also Rashad Tolbert who is a student at TLU and is the president of the Black Student Union at TLU,” said Gross. Gross says although the book is about race, she says the community discussion is about everything that makes us different yet so unique. “This is unchartered territory so we are anxious and excited and a little nervous. These are hard conversations,” said Gross. “It is scary because it is such a personal topic and it raises so many emotions but if we want to improve and change and learn to appreciate diversity than we are going to have to start having these conversations and not just say ‘well, it is not in our community.’ It’s everywhere and it’s going to be hard. I have no doubt but I think you don’t learn anything until it’s hard, right? It’s a call to action to talk.” The book, again, can now be picked up at the Seguin Public Library. Individuals do not need a library card to get a book. The Seguin Talks About Race Panel Discussion is set for 1 p.m. Saturday at the library located on West Nolte Street. Since the panel discussion is an in-person event, sign-up is encouraged as seating is limited for safety. To ensure a seat this Saturday, signup at EventBrite or click https:// www.eventbrite.com/e/seguintalks-about-race-panel-discussiontickets-123528845101.

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TUESDAY OCTOBER 13, 2020

Voters to decide on a number of area races

CANDIDATES continued from 1

include Republican Candidate Frank Pomeroy and Democratic Candidate Voters in Marion will also be heading to the polls to fill plus Incumbent Judith Zaffirini. The three available council seats. Candidates for the Marion Texas State Representative District 44 City Council include David Bauch, Abigaile Maberry, race also has Republican Candidate and Christopher McClain and Richard White. Incumbent John Kuempel facing off with Democratic Challenger Robert Bohmfalk Candidates vying for Texas State Senator District 21 and Libertarian Candidate Julian Mardock. In the race for U.S. House of Representatives District 15, Democratic Candidate and Incumbent Vicente Gonzalez faces Republican Candidate Monica De La Cruz-Hernandez and Libertarian Candidate Ross Lynn Leone.

groups are looking for voter support in becoming a funding source to help repair and restore their respective bodies of water. Those entities include Lake Dunlap, Lake McQueeney and Lake Placid.

Other entities having items on the ballot this November include Schertz, Selma, New Berlin, New Braunfels., Staples, New Braunfels ISD, San Marcos CISD and Nixon Smiley CISD along with Green Valley Special Utility District, Crystal Clear Special Utility District and Lone Oak Farm Municipal Utility Several local lake associations will also District. be seeking votes this November as they work toward becoming a Water Control Early voting begins today and runs and Improvement District (WCID). The through Friday, October, 30.

Safety measures in place for early voting in Guadalupe County

EARLY VOTE continued from page 1

In addition to keeping voters safe from COVID-19, Hayes says her staff has worked hard to ensure the integrity of its mail ballot process. “Once a mail ballot has been received back in our office through the mail, it is very simple but very important. When a voter applies for a mail ballot, they fill out an application and they sign-it. When they receive a mail ballot in the mail, there is a signature line on the back of that envelope that they return that ballot in and they sign that as well if they follow directions and we hope they do. So, when that mail ballot is returned to us, it is matched up with that application in which it was requested and it is secured until the Early Voting Ballot Board meets and the Early Voting Ballot Board meets prior to the election day and they work in teams and it’s a Republican and a Democratic team member so it’s always both parties accounted for there and they review these ballot envelopes and the applications to ensure that those signatures match. That’s the first step to any mail ballot being processed. If those signatures don’t match, then that mail ballot is not countable. If it does match, then it moves on to the next step of the process,” said Hayes. With so many things being questioned in this year’s General, Presidential Election, Hayes believes her staff has and will take all the required steps to ensure that voices are heard and ballots are counted. “I feel very comfortable with our process. The Guadalupe County Elections Office has always prided ourselves on following the letter of the law. It’s not that anybody who wants to can request a mail ballot.

Initially, that person has to be a registered voter anyway and then comparing the signatures on the application and the carrier envelope, I feel is safeguard in regard to ensuring that those voters are actually the same people. We do everything we can to ensure that we are conducting this process according to the law and we take it very seriously. We know the voters are putting in a lot of faith in us and in the process and so we do everything we can to ensure that this is being done correctly,” said Hayes. Guadalupe County voters are reminded that individuals can vote at any of the nine early voting locations in the entire county. Curbside voting is also available to any voter who has difficulty walking or standing for long periods of time. Early voting locations include the Seguin Elections Office, Cibolo Fire Station #2, Central Texas Technology Center, Grace Church, New Berlin City Hall, the Schertz Elections Office Annex, the former Schertz Elections Office, the Seguin ISD Administration Building and Selma City Hall. Early voting will be held today through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., on Saturday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Sunday from 1 to 6 p.m. Hours will be from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 19 through Saturday, Oct. 24. Early voting will continue from 1 to 6 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 25 and from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26 through Friday, Oct. 30. The election is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 3.

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SPORTS

TUESDAY OCTOBER 13, 2020

Seguin volleyball drops district Beakley’s five TDs spark Bulldogs to road win over Cowboys matches to Johnson, Canyon Aden Rackley piled up a team-high 106 rushing yards and found the end zone once. Samuel Montoya was Beakley’s top target with 102 yards and a pair of touchdowns on five catches. Dillon Blakely coralled the other TD pass. Dominic Castellanos kept the chains moving with six receptions for 86 yards. Cotulla competed extremely well for a team in its season opener against an opponent playing its seventh game. The Cowboys started strong and led 12-7 at the end of the first quarter.

(Cotulla) - With no Marion fans in Myers Memorial Stadium due to Cotulla ISD’s COVID-19 policy, the visiting Bulldogs battled their way to a 41-34 road win in District 14-3A-Division I Friday evening. Junior quarterback Tanner Beakley completed 70 percent of his passes (14-20) for 219 yards and three touchdowns while running for 76 yards and two scores.

Marion won the second period 14-3 to take a 21-15 lead into halftime, and the margin was 28-21 heading into the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs built a 41-28 lead before a late Cowboys’ touchdown made it a onescore game. The win moves Marion to 2-1 in district play, 4-3 on the season. The Bulldogs have the open date in the schedule this week and return to district action on Thursday, Oct. 22 with a road game in Poteet.

(Seguin, New Braunfels) - The Matadors suffered a pair of losses in the District 26-5A volleyball race over the weekend, falling to BudaJohnson in four sets on Friday at Goldie Harris Gym, and to Canyon 3-0 on Saturday in New Braunfels.

Bode delivered four kills and the team’s only ace. Brittain put up seven assists. Rodriguez came up with 11 digs. Roberts totaled two blocks.

The Matadors are 0-4 in district Seguin won the first set against play, 2-7 overall. They host BoerneJohnson 25-21, but dropped the next Champion at Goldie Harris Gym on three 25-18, 27-25, and 25-22. Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Taylor Bode put away 13 kills, Kyla Ramon 11. Layla Salazar and Reese Brittain set for 17 and 16 assists, respectively. Julie Kocian sent four aces over the net, Brittain and Reagan Rodriguez two apiece. Rodriguez collected 21 digs, Ramon 16. Tresalyn Roberts recorded three solo blocks and a block assist. New Braunfels-Canyon swept the Matadors by finals of 25-9, 25-12, and 25-8 Saturday.

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TUESDAY OCTOBER 13, 2020

SPORTS

Seguin Cross Country Results San Antonio Southside Meet, Oct. 10 Varsity Girls - 5K (3.1 Miles) Name Placed Overall Time

Varsity Boys - 5K (3.1 Miles) Name Placed Overall Time

Audriana Rodriguez(10)

15th