Incumbent Teddy Reel and challenger Coy Smith outline roads, housing and revenue priorities at Commerce mayoral forum

Incumbent Mayor Teddy Reel and challenger Coy Smith presented competing priorities for Commerce at a mayoral forum held at Commerce City Hall, focusing on road repair criteria, housing in the historically African American Norris neighborhood, strategies to offset tax-exempt university land and preparations for severe-weather emergencies.

On roads, Smith said the city had lacked adequate equipment until recently and recommended prioritizing major thoroughfares, routes to schools and high-traffic corridors; "your your main pathways as far as public roads, roads going to and from major roadways and work, schools" Smith said. Reel pointed to a completed traffic study and said the city should prioritize heavily traveled streets and streets that support new industry and growth.

Both candidates addressed the Norris community, where recent park upgrades were noted. Reel said the city has added equipment at Ivory Moore Park and recommended cautious housing development to avoid displacing long-term residents; "A lot of those families have been there in these houses for generations, so it's got to be done very judiciously," he said. Smith emphasized pursuing home-repair grants and using programs that allow residents to fix or replace dilapidated homes before focusing on new construction.

Revenue strategy and the university relationship were central to the discussion. Reel said "65% of the taxable property of commerce is owned by the University of the State of Texas," and described work with an economic development corporation that uses a half-percent sales-tax allocation and with a private firm called the Retail Coach to recruit businesses such as Starbucks and a planned Dairy Queen. He said the city is exploring festivals and other revenue-generating efforts. Smith said the city should focus on actions it is authorized to do and ‘‘push forward with the things that we can control versus the things we cannot."

Reel said the city must invest in infrastructure as it grows, citing the wastewater treatment plant as an example: "We're gonna need to spend about $8,000,000 in order to get that up and running because we're just barely at capacity in the current shape that the wastewater treatment is." Both candidates supported stronger emergency-preparedness exercises; city staff recommended multi-agency drills that include the Commerce Police, university police, Commerce ISD police and the Commerce Emergency Corps so responsibilities are clear in a disaster.

On public safety, Reel described efforts to make police pay more competitive, add park lighting and recruit local officers through a civilian training program tied to academy attendance; he said local hires know the community and referenced the new police chief by name. Smith recommended strengthening neighborhood-watch-style communication so residents can act as more "eyes" for public safety.

The forum followed a timed format with opening and closing statements. Reel highlighted multi-decade ties to the city and described long-term projects completed during his term; Smith emphasized neighborliness and fresh perspective, saying he ran to support continued progress. After closing remarks the forum opened for attendees to speak one-on-one with the candidates.