The more things change the more they stay the same

An up-and-down oil industry was one of the topics addressed in a rare gathering of current and former mayors of Midland.

The Exchange Club of Midland hosted the “Midland Mayoral Summit,” which brought together those men who have served as leader of the city.

In attendance were Ed Magruder (mayor from 1968-72), Ernest Angelo (1972-80), Carroll Thomas (1986-92), J.D. Faircloth (1992-94), Bobby Burns (1994-2001), Mike Canon (2001-08), Wes Perry (2008-2014) and Jerry Morales (2014-present).

The Midland mayors talked about greatest challenges, notable achievements, campaign topics and prices of oil during their respective terms. And no matter if oil was $2 a barrel (as it was when Magruder held the office) or $140 (during Perry’s tenure), the mayors told stories of how city business was impacted. Angelo, Perry and Morales talked about having to keep up with rapid growth during their terms, while Thomas, Burns and Faircloth dealt with lower prices and the hiring freezes and decreasing valuations that sometimes accompanied the not-so-good times.

Burns recalled tapping into that Midland spirit of “making things happen” as the motivation for bringing forward the campaign to build the sports complex while prices fell into the single digits in the late 1990s. Putting the airport on the ballot and loop development were other longer-term projects shepherded through with the help other community leaders, Burns said.

“You don’t do anything by yourself,” he said.

The exchange between the mayors brought very interesting stories and one-liners. Angelo talked about campaigning as a “conservative Republican,” while calling his opponent a “liberal Democrat.” In retrospect, Angelo said it may not have been a fair representation of his opponent “but that’s what I said.” Angelo also poked his predecessor, Magruder, when he said even as a “right-wing extremist” Angelo got a sales tax passed in Midland -- the same sales tax he opposed “when Ed was mayor.”

A smoking ordinance were both handled during Faircloth’s and Canon’s terms. Canon mentioned still being able to recall that “showdown” on a Tuesday afternoon when the community came together to discuss/argue about the merits of a smoking ban.

Angelo and Burns oversaw items passed that brought new airport facilities to Midland. Thomas said he actually designed what became the new Midland International. Faircloth and Thomas both discussed the challenge of providing an adequate level of services even when revenues were tight and the community was in need. There were $500 million in the value of Midland’s streets but street maintenance was easy to cut, Thomas said. Any Midlander traveling on the city’s pothole-ridden streets of Midland can probably identify with the struggles Midland has faced for years.

Canon and Perry both talked about dealing with tragedy during their terms. Canon was the mayor on 9/11, while Perry was the mayor on Nov. 15, 2012, when a Union Pacific train collided with a Show of Support parade float, killing four veterans and injuring 14 other people.

There also was a connection with water that transcended more than three decades as Magruder’s council brought T-Bar ranch and its vast underground water supply, and Perry’s council led the effort to make a reality the pipeline that connected Midland with the water in Winkler County.

“Midland has its water for the next 50 years, probably 100,” Perry said.

While the other mayors looked back, Morales provided an update on what his councils had done, including handling the challenges of 8 percent population growth and planning for 200,000 population.

No matter who addressed the Exchange Club crowd, it was a study of hearing about the city’s preparation for the short and long term, for downtown development and growth elsewhere and to remain fiscally conservative. Burns pointed out his councils’ cutting the tax rate six times, one-upping Angelo’s five.

The more things change, the more they stay the same might as well have been the theme of this summit as well as the importance of the position.

“It was close to a $100 million business -- it’s probably $200 million now,” Thomas said. “The taxpayers are the stockbrokers and the council is doing oversight. Don’t put someone in (the mayor’s seat) who isn’t sharp.”