Hi folks,

I have heard some talk around town that there are no issues in Highland Village and therefore probably no reason to change Mayors.  I guess it is about time that I addressed some issues that I think exist and get feedback from you all as to whether you think these are real or imagined.  I think they are real and will pursue solutions with respect to all as your new Mayor.  

The first issue that I think deserves dialog in my next blog will be vision.  I plan to discuss how I think we will all have to work together to make the right things happen with respect to our future.  This will be a change from our current vision that has existed over the last 4 to 6 years that has really had a different focus.  Different times require different visions.  I have served as a council member through the last vision and now I want us to consider a different vision for the future.

Second issue that I think we need to address is our environment.  The Highland Village environment includes four components, physical, economic, concern for fellow citizens, and relationship with our City government.  I will address these in a series of blogs.

The final issue I believe needs discussion is associated with how the Highland Village government should run.  I believe that our charter creators desired our City to be a Council - City Manager government and oh by the way we have a Mayor to do things in time of emergency and to help run our meetings.  I will address in the blog on this subject how I think we have strayed from this original charter description of what our government should be to one that seems very autocratic and disrespectful to our citizens.

As always, I appreciate your comments and early voting begins in 9 days on the 28th of April.  Thanks for reading. 

Hi Folks,

 As we get down to the end of the campaign, activities will get more numerous and frantic.  There are always last minute appeals for votes through letters, ads, and personal contact.  The key to this part of the campaign is not name recognition with signs or even to a certain extent dissertations about what you have done for Highland Village in the past.  The  key is what do the candidates for Mayor plan to do for Highland Village in the future.  The past is key to what one should expect in the future.

 The credit for the development that we have in place, whether good or bad, really is due to the efforts of the last two Councils and our city staff.  This means that the whole Council and staff deserve the credit not just one or two persons.  I guess what I am appealing for is that you weigh the good and the bad with respect to the development that we now have and select the candidate for Place 1, Mayor,  based upon who you think will best speak to the preservation of our lake side environment and champion the development of the remaining areas on the east side of town with the welfare of the citizens in mind.  The almighty dollar should not necessarily drive every decision.  Keeping Highland Village as a quality place to live, work, and play should be what drives our choices.

As always, I welcome your comments and don't forget to vote starting April 28.  Thanks for reading.