Two candidates are running for a two-year term in Ward III on the Houston City Council. Learn more about the candidates.
Candidates are Don Romines, incumbent, and JD Hatcher. The election is Tuesday, April 7.
Don Romines
Tell us about yourself.
I have lived in Houston all my life, except for attending and graduating from the University of Missouri in Columbia in 1973. In 1972, I married Barbara Bridges, and we have two sons, Frank and Tyler. My qualifications include: Retired business man (53 years), Chamber of Commerce (President in 1989), National Guard (seven years), Houston Development Board Treasurer (25 years) and I recently was designated as a certified municipal official in the Municipal Governance Institute. This is the first time a Houston official has been certified.
Why are you running to be a city alderman?
I have been blessed to serve on the council for many years and am honored to serve my community in this position. My goals are to work with the mayor and other council members to continually make Houston a great town for people to live, work and raise their children. We are always looking for new ideas and projects that enhance our community. For the past 40 to 50 years, Houston has been blessed with financial stability which allowed the city to fund new ideas and projects. This stability was no accident. It required lots of planning and good leadership.
What are the responsibilities of a city alderman?
An alderman has a lot of responsibilities. In my opinion, the primary responsibility is to set policy. This includes approval and monitoring an $11 million yearly budget, oversee city services and employees, and facilitate complaints from citizens and business owners. An alderman must always have an open mind for new ideas.
What are your priorities in the upcoming budget?
In the 2026 budget, we have designated money to install a columbarium at the Houston cemetery, continue the annual asphalt overlay, upgrades to our electric, water and sewer infrastructure and equipment, establish a Downtown District Authority (DDA) to help develop the downtown area and start the quadplex/recreation center.
The City of Houston has announced plans to develop a recreation center and ball fields on Spruce Street. What are your thoughts?
On April 2, 2019, the voters of Houston approved a park sales tax to fund a new swimming pool, quadplex of ball fields and a recreation center. The new swimming pool is built and paid for. The quadplex and recreation center will fulfill this promise. My goal is to see the completion of this project and stay within the budget. I think this project will make Houston grow and enhance the quality of life in the community.
JD Hatcher
Tell us about yourself.
I am a blessed father of three children, and a husband to their wonderful mother. April and I have been raising our twins here, and they attend first grade at Houston Elementary. I was raised in the Texas County, Missouri area all my life. I’m the son of praise and worship leaders, so I know what’s going on around here. I understand the real world better than most; confidence is not pride. I grew up hunting in the Paddy Creek Wilderness and Hazelton Springs areas with my father. I enjoy fishing and going to the park with my family. I enjoy baseball and loved playing the game in high school. I graduated high school in 1998 from Licking High School, and hold a biology degree from Drury University in Springfield, Missouri. I work three part-time jobs and I am trying to continue to develop my career in public service.
Why are you running to be a city alderman?
I have a gift in the real world experience arena. I have a background in real humble beginnings, unlike many of the other community leaders. I choose to live here because it is one of the safest places on Earth due to good policing. I radiate positive energy and can do nearly anything I put my mind to for the city. The intellectual diversity I bring to the city council is unmatched in the town’s history. I want to help the community with my logical leadership skills, even if I need to slow the pace up there. I was asked the same question at a city council meeting last month, and I struggled at first. I wish I could say it’s for the money, but I think I figured out the answer. I just didn’t have the heart to say in their face, I feel I am just the better candidate here. I am running for city alderman to help your mayor, Sam Kelley, and to win the election. But the choice is up to the city. The choice is up to the voters.
What are the responsibilities of a city alderman?
The aldermen represent the people and assist in decisions pertaining to the city. We review and make motions for change if needed in regards to the approval and finalization of the city budget. I am prepared to be involved with various committees for community improvement. I will advocate for the people, and foster productive communication between the people and city hall. I will take complaints, and call you back. Aldermen help the mayor, city attorney and the city administrator run the show and close out on all these deals of business relating to governance.
What are your priorities in the upcoming budget?
I would need to look over the budget in detail and figure out what’s really going on in the budget, because my opponent and others at city hall seem to get onboard with anyone that talks about getting it cheap, just looking like tightwads. The mayor, city administrator and some council members give extra attention to salesman types of characters selling the word cheap, too. Sometimes, paying higher upfront costs should be more often than not, because prices keep going up on everything. We need to get out ahead of pricing with equipment; it’s the better decision. I did not agree moving the municipal court under the guise of “saving money” was a good choice. They just reallocated those finances to further complicate the budget. Municipal tickets being handed over to county courts is just not good; the hierarchy of municipal, county, state and federal separation should be within thought. Why do wealthy city leaders think it’s good to be cheap with the community’s finances (calling it the taxpayers’ money) when in turn they have splurged their own money differently in ways that built good returns on large investments that made them rich?
The City of Houston has announced plans to develop a recreation center and ball fields on Spruce Street. What are your thoughts?
I think we need to avoid the cheap attitude regarding this impressive investment; I wouldn’t recommend cutting corners here. The recreational center and ball fields will prepare the community for the future, improve our town’s infrastructure and increase our school’s sense of pride. The structure will attract large sponsored events; generating town revenue for decades to come. We need to make sure it’s built to maximize safety for the community and install safety features that will lower the steadily climbing insurance rates that seem to continue to creep upward. I hope we are energy efficient on the construction plans; and I do plan to continue support to lower electric bills across the entirety of the city. I’m proud to support the construction of the ball fields, because we have a reputation in this area of turning out some of the best ballplayers in Missouri, if not the nation.