Last night Mary Ellen Summerlin was appointed to fill the vacant City Council Place 3 seat left empty following the death of Gary Stork. The vote was 3-0, with Stephen Fine, Glenn Andrew, and Gene Allen voting in favor, no opposed, and Mayor Bonnie White was absent.
Five other applicants had put their name into the hat, including George Baroody and Vincent Voelkel (both were candidates that ran against Stork in the May 2016 election), former city councilperson and local developer Justin McDonald, Robert Keeble (husband of former councilperson Stacie Keeble), and Reverend Allen Noah (pastor of Barnett Chapel in Kerrville).
Mary Ellen Summerlin is a dedicated community member, having served on numerous boards and commissions in the past, including:
- Executive Director of Riverside Nature Center
- President of Habitat for Humanity, Kerr County
- Board member on Headwaters Groundwater Conservation District
- Graduate of Leadership Kerr County
- Former mayor of Port Arthur, Texas
In 2014, Mary Ellen and her husband Tim Summerlin were honored with the Bill Dozier Citizen of the Year Award. Tim is the president of Schreiner University, and is retiring at the end of May 2017.
Mary Ellen has demonstrated great expertise when it comes to water issues and environmental issues, having served on boards that directly affect and support the environment — HGCD and Riverside Nature Center. She explains the water cycle, rivers, and aquifers in this video, produced in cooperation between Riverside Nature Center and Headwaters Groundwater Conservation District.
Mary Ellen is also an active member of the Hill Country League of Women Voters. She has regularly moderated election candidate forums like this one, held in April 2016. This forum was actually for the place on council that Mary Ellen will now fill — Place 3 — and features Gary Stork, George Baroody, and Vincent Voelkel.
We look forward to supporting Mrs. Summerlin in her new role as councilperson!
Additional Readings and Reference:
- RNC’s Volunteer of the Month – This article relates much of Mrs. Summerlin’s history and accomplishments up to this point in 2006.
- September 2014 article: Citizens honored for service and dedication
