New council members want city to keep a handle on growth

Each candidate won a respective place on the council on May 7, with Nelson defeating challenger Bill Jones for the Place 1 seat and Estes defeating incumbent David McClure in Place 2. Corey Wynns held the Place 1 seat but decided not to run again. Wynns had been on council for four years and McClure had been on council for 10 years. Rouel Rothenberger was reelected to council in Place 5. He faced no challengers. 

Nelson, veterinarian at Town & Country Veterinary Clinic in River Oaks, said his family moved here to Azle in 1990, and his parents have lived here since then. He and his wife moved back to Azle from Bedford in 2016, with Derrick explaining his affinity for the town motivated him to come home. Nelson graduated from Azle High School in 1994 and then earned his undergrad degree in animal science and then his vet school degree, both from Texas A&M University.

“I’m excited and nervous for this opportunity,” he said about winning a seat to council. “Again, I love this town – that’s why I moved back here. I basically never left. I just want to do what I can to make it better.”

Nelson, 46, said he knows how to run an organization and thinks he has the skill set to do a good job. He bought the vet clinic in 2011.

He said his interest in local affairs was triggered when he saw large areas of trees get clearcut on Stewart Street.

“I didn’t know at the time they had already passed an ordinance,” he said.

But when he saw the trees had been removed, he thought their removal “didn’t have to be this way.”

“And then I just started thinking about what processes led to this – why would you allow people to just do that?” he said. “I’m not a tree-hugger per se, but I just think that trees are beautiful.”

He said he and his wife live in a neighborhood called Rustic Woods, and he grew up in Timberlake Estates. Both neighborhoods have beautiful oak trees. He added that his in-laws live in Oak Harbor, where there are beautiful trees.

“I just didn’t understand the why and I still don’t understand the why,” he said, referring to the removal of trees.

He said he knows it’s way cheaper to level trees and just clearcut everything and then start over and then “plant a $50 Bradford Pear in the front yard or something. Why do we have to do it that way?” He said the beautiful trees are asset for the city, just as the lake is an asset for Azle.

“I just think it was so short-sighted,” he said.

Nelson said he understands development coming to Azle, but the city needs to have a plan for the growth.

“To my knowledge, there isn’t really a detailed plan of what we’re trying to do five years from now, 10 years from now,” he said. “What are we planning to do to try to attract other businesses to come into town? I’m not saying there’s not (a plan). I just haven’t seen it. I haven’t heard of it. The growth is going to happen – and I’m all about that. But what are we doing about it?”

Regarding the city’s assets, Nelson likes the city’s library and Central Park and the activities held at the park. He also thinks the lake is an asset along with Shady Grove Park and having access to the boat ramps and beach.

Nelson said his biggest passion will be seeing what can be done to revitalize Main Street, to make it a place to attract businesses and make it a destination. Besides trees, wildlife is an asset for Azle, he said.

He said the city and school district need to work together to handle the massive growth here, noting he thought it would be detrimental for the mayor or city council members to speak against bonds or school needs.

Reacting to his election loss to Nelson, Bill Jones said in an email to the News that he was “sad for our city.”

“Election rhetoric wins again,” he said. “Those who won are telling the people things they cannot accomplish. This is a fact, and my opponent violated the Texas ethic laws and still won.”

Jones’ allegation centered on statements Nelson made at the Azle City Council meeting on May 3, when he talked to the council about a proposed zoning change for a development and mentioned his candidacy for the council and his thoughts about the zoning request. Jones said he does not plan to file a complaint against Nelson with the state.

Jones said ideas to “stop all new developments in Azle is silly.” He added that it’s impossible to “stop what is coming to our region. The DFW region will surpass 10 million people before 2050 so new growth will come our way.”

He said there was “one saving grace” for this region’s growth.

“There are no east-west corridors in our city, and no real plan of creating them,” he said. “This fact has slowed the growth but it will not stop it. Many of our citizens have been asking the city to bring more things to our city, such as restaurants, recreational things for our teenagers and shopping.”

Jones said the majority of our region’s growth is in the 100 square miles of AISD, of which Azle is only 8.8 square miles.

Estes said she wanted to give back to the community by running for council.

“If you want to see change, you need to be the change,” she said, “I’m a big proponent of that.”

She lived in Hawaii for 14 years, and came back to Azle in 2017. She left Azle to go to Hawaii. She grew up in Azle and graduated from Azle High School.

Estes, 51, is a teacher and coach at Azle High.

“One of the things I’d like to see is a community center,” she said, noting that it could be targeted for families. The community used to have a YMCA here on FM 730. She said that’s where she used to swim. A new recreation center would help the town, she said.

Estes said growth and development are inevitable but there needs to be a plan to grow responsibly with sustainability.

“I think that the recent tree ordinance is a really good start,” she said. “I live down there off Dunaway and Ash, and the deer are plentiful. I don’t know where they’re going to go. That’s the reality of it.”

Being elected to council is “humbling,” Estes said.

“It was a quick decision,” she said. “I am an Azle product, and I’m proud of where I’m from and to watch what’s coming on, I just wanted to be a part of it. To actually throw your name in the ring and to have a resounding outcome, that was humbling, very humbling.”

She appreciates McClure’s service to the city from the council.

“I appreciate the opportunity to see what I can do,” she said.

Estes said people around town told her about their concerns on development. They wanted to see the city manage growth better. She said the city’s investigation of using road impact fees instead of using road proportionality fees will be beneficial for the city.

“I am very excited to get involved,” she said. “I’ve sat in the audience for a while now, and so I just want to be a cog in the machine.”

McClure did not respond to the News for comment.