SANGER — Two of the city’s three City Council races have each drawn a pair of candidates.

Council member Mike Walker will not seek re-election to Place 3 and two have filed in his place, former council member Jimmy Evans, 59, and businessman Russell Martin, 47.

Former city employee Samantha Renz, 34, has squared off against council member Robert “Rusty” Patton, 62, in Place 5, while Place 1 council member Thomas Muir faces no opposition as he seeks his second term.

Early voting begins April 27. The election is May 9.

Place 5

Renz, who served for a decade in the city’s planning department but now works as an engineering associate for Haltom City, said the city could do a better job in retaining employees.

“Sanger is commonly thought of as a place for employees to get trained and move on,” said Renz, who has lived in the city for more than 20 years. “I don’t think that the council has always been as supportive of the employees as they can be. They have good ideas and good intentions, but sometimes there’s this negativity towards the employees. They don’t know the commitment that the employees do have. The employees don’t always get the recognition they deserve.”

When the employees are happy, it’s easier to keep residents happy, she said.

Renz is aware of the budget constraints the city is facing, given the decline in property values and some of the recent losses through valuation protests. She said she believes the city can still find places to cut the budget, or at least hold off on certain expenditures. But the city also can boost revenue, she said.

“We need to look at our platting, development and other fees and make sure they are comparable with other cities,” Renz said.

In a routine background check conducted on all candidates, the Denton Record-Chronicle found that Denton County sued Renz for unpaid taxes in 2007. Renz said the dispute came after she refinanced some of her rental properties and a misunderstanding arose with her bank about the escrow payments.

Patton, a retired teacher and educational consultant, agreed that the city is in for some belt-tightening in the coming months and years, but he said the current leadership has a good understanding of what projects could be delayed.

“We’re not in a bad situation financially,” Patton said. “You just have to deal with what you can.”

Many of the capital improvement projects that the city has undertaken, and is currently finishing, have long been committed to by bond money, he said.

Some of that work will help the city when the economy rebounds. Plus, the city’s economic development corporation has kick-started other important development by buying 100 acres for community soccer and baseball fields, he said.

“People used to have to go to Denton for that,” Patton said.

Patton also agreed that it is important the city step up for employee training and development. The council implemented a new merit pay program that can reward employees even in tight times.

However, he thinks that the council is correct in its policy to ask an employee to stay with the city if the city pays for extensive training.

“We’d be fools not to offer educational opportunities, but in return for tuition reimbursement, we can request they stay for a certain time — just as they do in industry, or the military, or the educational system,” Patton said. “It is the taxpayers’ money after all.”

Neither Martin nor Evans returned calls for comment.

PEGGY HEINKEL-WOLFE can be reached at 940-566-6881. Her e-mail address is pheinkel-wolfe@dentonrc.com .

PLACE 3

Jimmy Evans

Jimmy Evans

Age: 59

Born in: Denton

Education: homeschooled, high school diploma

Experience: gas station owner, 1972-82; restaurant owner, 1982-96; convenience store owner, 1996-2000; mobile home park developer, 1986-present; land investor, 2002-present

Russell Martin

Age: 47

Education: no information available

Experience: no information available

PLACE 5

Robert “Rusty” Patton (I)

Robert “Rusty” Patton

Age: 62

Born in: Sanger

Education: bachelor’s degree in industrial arts, University of North Texas, 1974

Experience: sonar technician, U.S. Navy, 1967-72; industrial arts teacher, 1974-2002; department chairman for career and technical education, 1995-2002; educational consultant for career and technology, 2003-present

Samantha Renz

Samantha Renz

Age: 34

Born in: Atlanta

Education: associate degree in general studies, North Central Texas College, 2004; bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, University of Texas at Arlington, May 2009

Experience: head of customer service, 1990-96; production supervisor, 1996-97; night shift manager, 1997-98; Planning and Zoning/engineering coordinator, City of Sanger, 1998-2008; engineering associate, Haltom City, 2008-present