ANNA, Texas – With some 50 Anna residents in the audience, eight candidates running for City or School Board positions had an opportunity to express their views and answer questions at Monday's Meet the Candidate Night.

The evening was hosted by The Greater Anna Chamber of Commerce with Dr. Chuck Vance, Pastor of Anna Calvary Baptist Church.

In city races, Mayor Kenneth Pelham is challenged by City Councilman Darren Driskell, and Incumbent Place 1 Councilman Mike Crist is opposed by Tim Bates. Place 3 Councilman Keith Green is running unopposed, and Marc Hendricks is the only candidate for Council's Place 5 vacant position.

The Anna ISD Board of Trustees race has Place 6 Incumbent Alan Walters challenged by Becky Woodard, and Place 2 Incumbent Jeff Frazier is opposed by former Anna Councilman Billy Deragon.

The format of the evening consisted of three submitted questions to all candidates with each candidate having two minutes to answer them. This was followed by three questions from the audience, again with a two-minute answer time and at the end each candidate was given three minutes for closing remarks.

Mayor Kenneth Pelham said he is running for Mayor because "I want to continue the projects that I started over the years. Anna is a growing and vibrant city and I would like to keep it that way. I have a deep devotion to Anna and want to continue to serve the citizens. My votes on issues are for what's best for Anna as a whole community, not just a small group of people".

Running against Pelham, Councilman Darren Driskell said "I believe that the next five years in our city are critical. They will set the tone for where we want to go and how we will get there as a city and a community. It is time for leadership to meet local community interests and needs. There should be also time to meet with current and potential new businesses and share our vision as a city and our sense of community. I believe I can be that leader".

Incumbent Councilman Mike Crist said that "I feel that I have an excellent working relationship with every member of the city council, and I want to continue to support and encourage the contributions of the council. I also have a very well defined and clear working relationship with the members of the city staff. I believe I have done my best to work with the citizens of Anna. As a responsible steward of the honor bestowed upon me, I represent, sometimes against my own opinion, the will of the citizens".

Tim Bates, running against Crist said "I am running to help assure that the growth of Anna develops in safe, positive and family friendly way while maintaining a superb quality of life for all of Anna's residents".

Jeff Frazier, running for reelection to Anna ISD Board of Trustees said "One of the main priorities in our lives is the education of our youth. This process is vitally important to me and my family. We believe we need to be actively involved and find ways to serve the youth of our community. I enjoy being associated as well as of the responsible parties to this important process".

Billy Deragon, running against Frazier said "As a parent and concerned citizen, I want to continue to be involved in improving the education system in Anna. We need to focus on the ultimate goal of becoming an exemplary school. Everything that we do as a district must revolve around this".

Incumbent School Board member Alan Walters is running for reelection because "I want to continue my involvement in the district by assisting the other board members in creating policies that will effectively enhance our student education. One of the current goals I would like to see completed is being and exemplary district".

Becky Woodard, challenging Walters said "I feel that the students and parents need better representation on the School Board. As the wife of a Youth Director and the mother of three children in Anna ISD, I have a vested interest in this district and community. I want to see the focus put back on teaching our students verses teaching our students to take a test. I want to ensure that our students and their education is top priority".

After the event, the candidates visited with with those in attendance, continuing to discuss issues and answering questions.