Why
I’m running for Place #5 on the Council:
I’m seeking a seat on the Council because the incumbents on the City Council
have supported the dissolution of WD #10.
That one issue is enough to require some new balance on the Council.
However,
I have additional concerns with the Council’s performance and hope to be able
to influence
some changes to that performance when I’m elected to a seat on the Council.
I
object to the Council failing to require an
initial and formal “needs” analysis for projects and making that needs analysis
publically available for citizens to review.
The proposed “soccer field” is an example of a project that had no
formal needs analysis yet blundered ahead until the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality sent the Mayor a certified letter to stop the dirt dumping because the City had not obtained the proper permits for the construction site nor addressed other issues. The letter is a public record.
Note: After some personal research and analysis, I
wrote a justification (needs analysis with recommendation) for a soccer field
and gave that justification and recommendation to both the Mayor and the
Chairperson of Parks and Recreation. I’ll support some land being designated for a multipurpose field upon which soccer could be played. I'm not sold on the proposed location as the best site for such a recreational
area. If you want to see a copy of that analysis and recommendation, I can post it to this site. I believe it to be a general format that could be implemented by the City
for future projects.
I object
to the Council avoiding debating [in public] the merits or shortfalls of agenda
items.
I
object to the passive acceptance of excessive
personnel turnover without complaint from Council incumbents. Experienced employees are too valuable to be
treated like a commodity.
I
object to the Council failing to explain why
they concur with the analysis of qualifications used for hiring decisions. "Best qualified for the position because......."?
I
object to the Council allowing official
briefings to them by department heads, prospective vendors or contractors to be
of a quality easily surpassed by high school students.
I object to financial reports and budget data to be presented in formats that are difficult to comprehend (even for sophisticated consumers) and needing amendments when challenged for accuracy.
I
believe that as a private citizen I have insufficient status to influence City
Hall.
I’ve
made both public and private offers to help the City improve operations. I did NOT
ask for any compensation for my time.
Those offers to help have been rejected.
I
feel compelled to seek an elected public status that will help allow me to be
more effective in helping this City upgrade operational procedures and gain
more public trust through those changes.
