Grapevine, Lewisville mayors' races -- much different from Flower Mound's

Whereas our Town election season has been pretty dry (compared to previous years), there's more interesting races going on in our neighbors in Lewisville and Grapevine.

To the east, Mayor Gene Carey is seeking a fourth term as Lewisville mayor. His opponent is Brandon Cooper, 18 years old and still in high school.

To the south, Grapevine mayor William D. Tate faces two challengers. What's the big story? The fact that anyone would run against him. Mayor Tate has been Grapevine's mayor for 30 of the past 33 years. I was 9 when he was first elected. Tate's name is on a major road, and it's a freeway exit at that (do those big green signs count as campaign signs?). By all accounts I've heard, Grapevine is a well-run city, and they've certainly flourished in commercial growth under his leadership, taking great advantage of Hwys 26, 114 and 121, and its proximity to DFW Airport. The only negative about Grapevine -- it's not Flower Mound.