Yes, indeed, I knew Charles.
I first met him as a small customer needing house plans for a small addition here at my home.
This chance meeting led me find Charles was soon to seek election to the Wimberley City Council. He was versed enough to recall my previous effort to get elected to the City Council in ’05. I was modestly flattered that he would even ask my advice, what I might offer to help his chances of becoming elected. Best I could discern, he “feigned” no memory of what a train wreck he was asking about. I gave it about a 5 second pause before answering.
“Just don’t do anything I did, and best of all, don’t mention my name.”
Then he might just have a decent shot at winning. Charles prevailed and won pretty big his election to City Council.
Our friendship grew and soon he shared a question. Was I ever going to seek election again? I don’t to this day know if he was just bored or being kind in posing this question, but I responded, “Yes!”
I had thought about it, and I knew my friend Bob Flocke was going to run for Mayor. That would leave Council Place 2 vacant for election.
With Bob dragging me behind him every step of the way, I skated in with a massive voter mandate. Winning by two Yup! Two votes!. In that era, and even now, you just do not ever want a narrow two-vote margin of victory. Every voter owns you and is really quick to tell you so. You are there because of their vote.
A few days passed, all sworn in and seated in Place order from the Mayors position right to left starting with Place 1, then 2 then the Mayor and rounding out in numerical order 3, 4 and 5 to the Mayor’s left. I already was keen to be seated next to Charles. He always knew the material and the logical questions to ask at the right times. Soon the answers were so clear to me, JUST VOTE like Charles does. This soon became obvious to the Mayor that I was “drafting” off Charles, more like a clone really. The Mayor liked verbal Roll Call voting and always started rolling up from Place 1 ending with Place 5. One night, the Mayor I guess decided enough was enough, and flipped the roll call vote starting with John White in place 5 rolling down ending with Place 1 my pal Charles. Before this shift, if I had a procedural question or needed a point of question/explanation I would gently nudge Bob and quietly ask my question. I always suspected Bob was ‘carrying’ or packing. I think it’s called “carrying” now days. This night I didn’t nudge Bob as typical, I elbowed the crap out of him all over his right rib cage. That didn’t work well at all. Best I recall, I fractured my elbow. I’m real sure Bob was carrying something at least the size of whatever it was Clint Eastwood used in “DIRTY HARRY.” I forget what it was, but it was big and heavy. I’m surprised the thing just didn’t discharge itself. All the while, I’m sitting in my chair, elbow writhing in pain, my pal in Place 1 leans in and speaks softly. Guess you didn’t know he was carrying that big thing, HUH? I muttered, “No, Charles. I didn’t. Not really.”
As he carefully patted his own breast pocket and said, ‘Don’t worry we’re covered.” The irony in this circus was I had a very good rapport with Place 5 John White, so no way was I likely to get caught just flat footed.
My respect for Charles only grew higher. He was a joy and a wizard at ciphering though the BS and false items we were so often presented with and most often just cut to the chase or the significant, salient point and we moved on.
These same traits were the same when I attended any Wimberley Water Supply Corp meeting where Charles was a Director.
Whatever Charles became involved in-work, politics or hobby-he gave it his best and was all in 100%.
Charles set a high standard and ascribed to it wholeheartedly. I liked and respected him. He was a joy to work with.
Mac McCullough
