Billy Lerma
What is your age?
65
What is/was your profession? Are you now retired?
Retired from US Postal Service
What relevant experience can you bring to office?
Born & Raised in Corpus Christi, served in US Marine Corp, served 25 years on Tuloso-Midway ISD Board of Trustee, Retired from the U S Postal Serves as a Station Manager.
I served my Country, State and my Community. All I know is to be a Servant. Also I currently served as your City Councilman for District 1.
How have your life experiences prepared you for this position?
My experience that I have received in all of the above positions in Q-3.
Which problems would you address on your first day in office?
I have addressed many issues in District 1 from streets, infrastructure and safety. I will continue to work on all of the above but add securing a permanent water resource, business growth and housing etc.
What do you see as long-term issues which need to be addressed throughout your time in office?
Must secure a permanent water source for our city. Streets and Safety with growth of our city must continue to expand.
What is local government doing well right now that needs to be expanded further?
This council has done a good job in working on residential street and needs to continue that from this day forth. Also for the first time in many years we lowered the tax rate by 2 cents.
With this Mayor and Council we must continue to listen to the residents and work on Growth, add Jobs and Amenities, to keep our young professionals here in Corpus Christi.
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Everette Roy
What is your age?
60
What is/was your profession? Are you now retired?
Branch President with ValueBank Texas.
What relevant experience can you bring to office?
I have an Undergraduate Degree from Chaminade University and a Masters from Webster University. I served on Active Duty in the Army for almost 10 years then went into the Reserves for almost 4 years.
I was deployed during the Persian Gulf War, Desert Shield/Desert Storm with the 41st Combat Support Hospital. Upon receiving an Honorable Discharge, I was employed in Health Care Management where I worked for several companies and was promoted to Executive Vice President. Upon moving to Chicago from San Antonio because my wife was promoted and had to move to Chicago, I became a Mortgage Lender in order to stay in the community and take care of our little ones as my wife traveled.
Over the years, I was a Loan Officer, Manager and President and CEO of a Mortgage Company that I started. When I returned to Texas, I worked as a Senior Vice President for Kleberg Bank and now a Branch President with ValueBank.
I am a graduate of Leadership class 44 and served on Leadership Class 45 and 46. I also have participated in multiple boards in the area to include the City of Corpus Christi after I served as District 1, Council Member from 2018 to 2020.
How have your life experiences prepared you for this position?
I lost both of my parents before I was thirteen years old. I have worked hard for everything that I have from that point on. My father told me before he died, “If you want to learn discipline, join the Army.” He was a Veteran too. When things got tuff when I was in college, I took him up on his advice and joined the military. The military took me places and taught me to be well rounded.
I have been married for 32 years. My wife has stood by my side through good times and hard times. She too is a Veteran. Working together with someone for over 30 years is one of the biggest testimonies of how to deal with life. Our motto is: Choose your Battles.
My financial background helped when I was on the City’s Audit Committee and with the Budget. I am concerned that the increased budget will place a burden on the people of Corpus Christi. Someone has to pay for the debt.
Which problems would you address on your first day in office?
The Council’s ability to work with City, County and the Port. Respect each other even when we don’t agree
What do you see as long-term issues which need to be addressed throughout your time in office?
- Increase in the Budget and Spending which increases the taxpayers obligations through property tax, sales tax, insurance and fees.
- Quality of Life in Corpus Christi
- Water resources
- Safety of our children
- Roads and Infrastructure
- The bridge
- Homeless
What is local government doing well right now that needs to be expanded further?
Attracting new jobs. Through our Regional Economic Development we have seen several companies flock to the Coastal Bend Area. We need to continue to momentum. The more we can attract diversified employers to the area, the less we will feel the impact when oil production changes.
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Tracy McCall
What is your age?
40
What is/was your profession? Are you now retired?
Engineering Business Consultant
What relevant experience can you bring to office?
I have my Bachelors in Chemical Engineering and Masters in Business Administration with 15+ years of industry experience. I will bring expertise on development and infrastructure to the City.
My past experiences have sharpened my ability to communicate and build long term partnerships with all levels in multiple organizations and government agencies. I will be the voice with legislation to push projects to completion.
I am the most qualified candidate to seek different perspectives and generate new innovative ideas that will benefit the people of Corpus Christi.
How have your life experiences prepared you for this position?
N/A
Which problems would you address on your first day in office?
Homeless. I am a strong advocate for people who suffer from mental illness. We need to recognize the impacts of mental illness and build programs to help and support those who suffer from this disability.
We need to work with county agencies, local service providers, industry, and nonprofits to support us in tackling our homeless issues. We need to get homeless off the streets and out of shelters and into apartments to make them feel comfortable in their own place and see that there’s hope.
Then support their illness or recovery programs. The City cannot do this alone or burden our tax payers and why it’s important to join efforts with others.
What do you see as long-term issues which need to be addressed throughout your time in office?
Infrastructure. We need to get our house in order to market growth. Infrastructure needs to be in place to attract businesses and grow our city. Bottom line, we don’t just need to fix our streets and drainage, but investment in reliable technology, high-speed connectivity, and an uninterrupted water supply is key to generating economic growth.
What is local government doing well right now that needs to be expanded further?
Public Safety! Coming from industry, Safety has been instilled in me. We need to make sure our police officers and firefighters have the tools and resources needed to conduct their jobs.
We need to fix our streets, so our police officers are not tied up in minor traffic accidents from people swerving to miss pot holes. We need to make sure our firefighters are fully staffed to meet the response times to aid our people and that adequate water is available for them. Our City is growing and we need to continue to support Public Safety.
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Answers to KRIS 6 News questionnaires were written by the candidates in their own words and received little-to-no editing from KRIS 6 News employees.
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