Sep 13, 2009

Bronte maintains stability in tough economyBy Laurel L. ScottGoSanAngelo.com

Folklore has it that the town of Bronte was named after the author of “Wuthering Heights” when it was founded in the 1880s, but the community evokes another fictional location for newcomer Steve Stango.

“This is the ‘Andy Griffith’ town. It brings you back to before you had a car, you were 16 and you knew everybody,” he said.

Stango and his wife, Jennifer, bought Hometown Hardware in 2008, making the move from Connecticut, where they had worked for a real estate management company.

A family member who bought a hunting ranch near Robert Lee introduced Steve Stango to Bronte.

“We were looking for someplace to get out of Connecticut, away from the high taxes and liberals,” Stango said. “I chose to make a lot less doing this. It’s just nicer.”

That small-town stability is one of Bronte’s assets, says Mayor Gerald Sandusky and longtime City Secretary Pat Martindale.

“We’re not relying on one business or industry,” Sandusky said. “We’re staying stable. We haven’t been affected (by the recession) as much as a lot of places.”

Sandusky and Martindale said sales tax income has increased by 7 percent over 2008 and credited more people shopping locally because of higher gasoline prices. They also said property tax collections are staying steady.

The town is doing a lot right, according to the Texas Department of Agriculture, which recently gave Bronte its Hardworking Rural Community Award.

“Innovative community spirit, sound leadership, unrivaled dedication and hard work are having an impact on the future of rural Texas,” Ag Commissioner Todd Staples said in a news release.

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