Mar. 24—Should Mayor Scott Cain win reelection on May 4 he will become Cleburne’s longest serving mayor.

Challenger James Stuer, however, said he believes and hopes that Cleburne residents are ready for a change.

Either way, Cain, who is now in his 12th year in office and is seeking his seventh consecutive term, will tie former Mayor George Marti for Cleburne’s longest-serving tenure.

“I feel that once you’ve been in office more than eight years you’re not running to bring about healthy change, Stuer said. “You’re running to satisfy ego.”

Cain disagreed and added that it’s not the record he cares about.

“Cleburne is at a critical stage for growth and our community has spent a lot of time preparing for that growth,” Cain said. “Now that we’re seeing the early stages of the growth, now is not the time for on-the-job training or new leadership.”

Cain, 57, owns and operates Cain & Keil Law Firm. Stuer, 53, works as a history teacher in Joshua ISD.

Last year Stuer ran for Cleburne’s Single Member District 3 seat. In a low turnout election, Stuer lost to challenger Joseph Mims by a vote count of 29-20.

“I don’t take this lightly when it comes to running for mayor,” Stuer said. “It’s something I’ve been thinking about for quite a while. After talking to my wife about the process of running for city council last year, praying about it and knocking on doors to talk to people to gauge interest I made the decision to run for mayor.”

Cain, in discussing his decision to seek reelection, spoke of work yet to be done.

“We have a new city manager we’re very excited about,” Cain said. “We want to make certain that we continue to carry out the plans that we spent a lot of time working on. So I’m very excited about the opportunities and challenges ahead.”

Cain cited his experience as mayor.

“We’re at a critical stage when it comes to growth and Cleburne’s future,” Cain said. “It’s up to the voters, of course. But I’d argue again that now is not the time for changing leadership or on-the-job training.

“I’ve developed relationships with community and area leaders, builders and business leaders and I think that experience and those relationships will be helpful in getting Cleburne to the next level as we continue to build and grow.”

Stuer commended Cain on his years of service and said he will leave big shoes to fill should his reelection bid fail.

“When people vote in this election I think they’re going to be voting because they want to make Cleburne a much better city,” Stuer said. “Mayor Cain has been a good inspiration and I want to stay positive.

“But I also think that for Cleburne to move forward in a healthy way we need positive change. I’ve also talked to residents and I know that there are a lot of concerns.”

If reelected, Cain said he will continue to fight to maintain Cleburne’s small-town feel and heritage even as the city continues to grow.

Areas of focus, Cain said, will be infrastructure, public safety and working to attract additional retail and jobs.

“In our industrial park, I’m grateful for the businesses we have,” Cain said. “But I want to expand on that to recruit clean manufacturing type jobs that are higher paying that will create better opportunities for our children and students when they graduate.”

Cain spoke of partnerships both in and around Cleburne.

“I’m working more on working with other Johnson County communities to build more teamwork,” Cain said. “To have our communities band together and stick together so that we have a stronger voice in north Texas.”

Other initiatives if reelected include revitalizing Operation Cleburne Pride, an initiative to assist disadvantaged homeowners and a return of the charity summit, to encourage local charities to work together.

Cain spoke too of the challenges Cleburne and all Texas cities face in light of recent state government actions many affecting local control abilities.

Stuer, in quoting former President Ronald Reagan, spoke of working to build Cleburne into a “shining city on a hill” in terms of growth, opportunity, tourism dollars and public safety.

“That’s one of the big things,” Stuer said. “With all the growth underway and still to come, it’s been brought to my attention that we’re in significant need of men and women as first responders and police officers to ensure public safety. Those are major concerns.”

Stuer listed infrastructure needs and concerns in connection with outdated water lines and other issues.

Cain called upon residents to consider whether Cleburne is better off now than it was 12 years ago and, if so, whether they want to continue that course of growth and planning.

Stuer said he too hopes to contribute to charting Cleburne’s future growth.

“If I’m elected, I’m willing and ready to be here to serve and to listen to the people,” Stuer said.

Early voting in the Cleburne City Council races runs April 22-30.