Pierce lands seat on CTC board of trustees

By LYNETTE SOWELL

Cove Leader-Press

Former Copperas Cove city councilman James Pierce Jr. has been elected to the Central Texas College board of trustee place 3.

Pierce replaces incumbent Joseph Burns, CCISD superintendent, who was appointed to the board of trustees in February 2018 to replace Elwood “Woody” Shemwell of Copperas Cove, who retired.

Pierce received 1,399 votes compared to Burns’ 1,227.

For Place 2, Albert Charles Hollinger emerged victorious over Samuel Thorpe, with Hollinger receiving 1,613 votes to Thorpe’s 1,096 votes.

Incumbent Brenda Coley of Killeen ran unopposed for Place 5 and Jimmy Towers, also of Killeen, was unopposed as well.

With these positions, board members are elected from CTC’s taxing district, which include voters in the Copperas Cove Independent School District and the Killeen Independent School District.

Board members serve six-year terms and approve the tax rate for the Central Texas College district. Currently, property owners in those districts currently pay 13.86 cents per $100 in property taxes to Central Texas College.

Pierce thanked voters for coming to the polls.

“I never, ever campaigned in Bell County, and this was an experience that I will remember for a long time.”

Pierce talked Saturday evening about his hopes for this upcoming term of service, with one thing being changing the meeting time of the board of trustees to evening hours instead of during the day, to make it more “accessible to the general populace and the students, people who pay taxes for the taxing district.”

“We need to make sure that the 13.85 cents per $100, that we spend wisely and not raise taxes.  We need to fight for every single person in CCISD and KISD to make it more accountable for all of us,” Pierce said. “Also, I want to make sure the college has the best resources available for the kids, adults and soldiers who attend, and keep it competitive with other schools of higher learning.”