Wow! It's been over 5 months since my last post, and a lot of things have changed. One of the biggest changes has been in the relationships among the commissioners. While we are not always in agreement on every issue (and why should we be?), we are united on the big goals for Smith County. We are all working together very well, and it is a welcome change. I'm not going to beat myself up over past mistakes, but I wish I had taken a different approach when I first took office. I respect each of the commissioners, and I am enjoying working with each of them on various projects.
We are currently focused on long-range planning for the future of Smith County, and our number one goal is to improve facilities. We are attempting to maximize the use of our current facilities, studying the purchase of some additional property to rehabilitate, and we are dedicated to finding a scaled down jail plan the community will support.
Expect better days ahead.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Saturday, February 2, 2008
What a WASTE!!!
I have been researching an issue regarding parking. This is the issue I referred to in the earlier post that Risa and Nancy helped me with. We have had an agreement with a "parking" company for many years to allow jurors to park in certain parking lots that were not owned by the county. The "parking" company allowed us to utilize these spaces at the rate of one dollar per car per day.
One of the parking lots was purchased when we purchased the Courthouse Annex building at 200 E. Ferguson in 2001. Well guess what? We have continued paying this company for parking on our own lot ever since!!! I'm livid! I have a copy of a letter that was mailed to the company on June 19, 2002 giving notice of our intent to terminate that portion of the lease effective July 24, 2002, but they continued to bill us -- and we continued to pay!
I'm not sure how much we've paid over the years, but I'll find out. I do know this: we paid a lot of money in recent months.
December 2007 - $942
November 2007 - $939
October 2007 - $1569
September 2007 - $624
August 2007 - $1359
July 2007 - $1138
This is just insane. Another interesting tidbit - the contract says that the company will maintain the parking lots. Yeah right! Have you seen the main juror parking lot? Until I asked Physical Plant about it, it had not been maintained. The lights didn't work. It had not been resurfaced or swept in years. You could barely see the stripes. Vines covered the chain link fences, and shrubs and trees were growing up through the fence in several locations.
Our Road & Bridge and Physical Plant Departments went the extra mile in December and January to clean up the lot, and it now looks great!
So, this issue is going to be addressed. I plan to have our legal counsel write a demand letter requesting a refund of all money that we've paid them since July 24, 2002 plus interest.
In researching this issue, I've discovered that it is hard to find good historical documentation of contracts and related revisions. This needs to be addressed. In fact, it was difficult to find documentation of our ownership of the parking lot in question.
Anyway, I know it is relatively small, but I feel good about wrapping up the week this way. I want to see them send us a $100,000 check (estimate only).
One of the parking lots was purchased when we purchased the Courthouse Annex building at 200 E. Ferguson in 2001. Well guess what? We have continued paying this company for parking on our own lot ever since!!! I'm livid! I have a copy of a letter that was mailed to the company on June 19, 2002 giving notice of our intent to terminate that portion of the lease effective July 24, 2002, but they continued to bill us -- and we continued to pay!
I'm not sure how much we've paid over the years, but I'll find out. I do know this: we paid a lot of money in recent months.
December 2007 - $942
November 2007 - $939
October 2007 - $1569
September 2007 - $624
August 2007 - $1359
July 2007 - $1138
This is just insane. Another interesting tidbit - the contract says that the company will maintain the parking lots. Yeah right! Have you seen the main juror parking lot? Until I asked Physical Plant about it, it had not been maintained. The lights didn't work. It had not been resurfaced or swept in years. You could barely see the stripes. Vines covered the chain link fences, and shrubs and trees were growing up through the fence in several locations.
Our Road & Bridge and Physical Plant Departments went the extra mile in December and January to clean up the lot, and it now looks great!
So, this issue is going to be addressed. I plan to have our legal counsel write a demand letter requesting a refund of all money that we've paid them since July 24, 2002 plus interest.
In researching this issue, I've discovered that it is hard to find good historical documentation of contracts and related revisions. This needs to be addressed. In fact, it was difficult to find documentation of our ownership of the parking lot in question.
Anyway, I know it is relatively small, but I feel good about wrapping up the week this way. I want to see them send us a $100,000 check (estimate only).
Another Week Behind Me
WHEW! What a week!
Monday: Commissioners Court in the morning. Counsel of Judges meeting at noon. Meeting with Commissioner Hampton and constituents regarding nuisance violations and problem subdivisions in Precinct 4. Follow-up meetings in the afternoon. Held hearings on mental commitments, and tried (but failed) to clear my desk.
Tuesday: Early day at the office. Left for Austin - Technology Meeting (TAC).
Wednesday: Early meeting at the Texas Turnpike Authority with NET-RMA officials and local TxDOT representatives regarding continued funding of projects... especially Loop 49. No good answers at this point. It is clear that we will have to find a way to encourage additional funding. We are competing with the metropolitan areas. Returned to Tyler.
Thursday: Worked on several projects related to facilities needs in the morning.
Attended East Texas Crisis Center's Board of Directors meeting.
Went to the lab for blood tests as directed by my doctor... dreading the results.
Then scrambled to make it to the the Tyler MPO Policy meeting.
Back to the office to finish up projects.
Took my oldest son to guitar lessons. When I got home, I was getting ready to play with the kids, and I heard the scream... nothing unusual in my house at all. Griff falls all the time, but I could tell he was really hurt. He was running to chase Coleman and slipped on the hardwood floors. I scooped him up and saw the blood under his chin. I realized it was more than a band-aid would fix so I ran him over to the Emergency Room for a few stitches. He was tough! He impressed all the doctors and nurses. He never cried at all, although he didn't like being wrapped like a mummy while they stitched him up. Just another day in the Baker home.
Friday: Finally received delivery of counsel tables for the courtroom. They look great! Prepared for interview with CBS 19 for their new program, Issues and Answers. Went to the CBS 19 offices for filming the second segment of this show which will air Saturday at 6pm and Sunday at 7am.
Met Commissioner Fleming, Doug Nicholson and Charley Miller at Craft's Corner in Flint to look at some problem areas in subdivisions and other Road & Bridge issues. It was nice to get out of the office to see some of the areas we talk about in Commissioners Court.
When I returned to the office, Risa, Nancy and I worked on some research regarding our juror parking lot. I will do a separate entry on this item later. Got home around 6:15, and decided to take the family out to eat. Why does it cost so much? Tucked everyone in around 8:30. Mel went to bed, but I tried to stay up and work.
As usual, I fell asleep on the couch, but I woke up at 1:00 a.m. and slipped into bed. I laid there and thought about our animal shelter problem, parking lots, precinct barns... anyway, I couldn't sleep -- thus the long blog entry you are reading now.
What's on tap for Saturday? I hope to focus on playing with the kids. We need to do some fun stuff together. We have two basketball games scheduled, but the kids missed their practices this week due illness (I forgot to write about that -- again: WHEW!) I brought a ton of stuff home from the office to work on. Hopefully, I can convince all the kids that naps are in order, so I can focus on work for a little while.
Sunday we have church in the morning, and we are going to watch the Superbowl at the Dunbar's place without kids!!! All the kids will be at our place with childcare, while we get to watch the game in peace. We won't know what to do with ourselves!
I forgot to mention the good stuff I listened to while traveling to and from Austin this week. I have just figured out how to use my iPod and iTunes for more than just music. I have subscribed to some free Podcasts of sermons from Rob Bell and Andy Stanley, and I learned some great stuff! Andy Stanley's sermon was about seeking guidance from others when you are making decisions. One of his quotes was this... and I love it: "Great leadership isn't about making decisions on your own. It's about owning the decisions that you make." Isn't that an awesome quote?
It is important to receive "wise counsel" in making important decisions, but you have to choose the right people.
1. Make sure you choose someone who has nothing to lose by telling you the truth.
2. Choose someone who is where you want to be in life, and ask to "borrow their map."
3. Ask more than one person.
4. Choose someone you know and someone you don't know.
5. You need to go into these conversations sensitive to the fact that God may speak to you! (But don't "frontload" it. You don't go to the person and say, "I've asked God to speak to me through you." Say a prayer. Ask God to give you the answers to important decisions. Stanley makes the point that you may not agree with what the person says, but it may become clear to you what steps you need to take after speaking to the person. Say a prayer like this: "God you know I have this decision to make and I need your help. Please just help me hear from you."
Finally, when you're talking to these folks, ask these questions:
1. Are any of the options I'm considering outside the boundaries of scripture?
2. What do you think the wise thing is for me to do?
3. What would you do if you were me?
Great stuff! Don't you think? Lord knows I needed to hear this a long time ago.
Monday: Commissioners Court in the morning. Counsel of Judges meeting at noon. Meeting with Commissioner Hampton and constituents regarding nuisance violations and problem subdivisions in Precinct 4. Follow-up meetings in the afternoon. Held hearings on mental commitments, and tried (but failed) to clear my desk.
Tuesday: Early day at the office. Left for Austin - Technology Meeting (TAC).
Wednesday: Early meeting at the Texas Turnpike Authority with NET-RMA officials and local TxDOT representatives regarding continued funding of projects... especially Loop 49. No good answers at this point. It is clear that we will have to find a way to encourage additional funding. We are competing with the metropolitan areas. Returned to Tyler.
Thursday: Worked on several projects related to facilities needs in the morning.
Attended East Texas Crisis Center's Board of Directors meeting.
Went to the lab for blood tests as directed by my doctor... dreading the results.
Then scrambled to make it to the the Tyler MPO Policy meeting.
Back to the office to finish up projects.
Took my oldest son to guitar lessons. When I got home, I was getting ready to play with the kids, and I heard the scream... nothing unusual in my house at all. Griff falls all the time, but I could tell he was really hurt. He was running to chase Coleman and slipped on the hardwood floors. I scooped him up and saw the blood under his chin. I realized it was more than a band-aid would fix so I ran him over to the Emergency Room for a few stitches. He was tough! He impressed all the doctors and nurses. He never cried at all, although he didn't like being wrapped like a mummy while they stitched him up. Just another day in the Baker home.
Friday: Finally received delivery of counsel tables for the courtroom. They look great! Prepared for interview with CBS 19 for their new program, Issues and Answers. Went to the CBS 19 offices for filming the second segment of this show which will air Saturday at 6pm and Sunday at 7am.
Met Commissioner Fleming, Doug Nicholson and Charley Miller at Craft's Corner in Flint to look at some problem areas in subdivisions and other Road & Bridge issues. It was nice to get out of the office to see some of the areas we talk about in Commissioners Court.
When I returned to the office, Risa, Nancy and I worked on some research regarding our juror parking lot. I will do a separate entry on this item later. Got home around 6:15, and decided to take the family out to eat. Why does it cost so much? Tucked everyone in around 8:30. Mel went to bed, but I tried to stay up and work.
As usual, I fell asleep on the couch, but I woke up at 1:00 a.m. and slipped into bed. I laid there and thought about our animal shelter problem, parking lots, precinct barns... anyway, I couldn't sleep -- thus the long blog entry you are reading now.
What's on tap for Saturday? I hope to focus on playing with the kids. We need to do some fun stuff together. We have two basketball games scheduled, but the kids missed their practices this week due illness (I forgot to write about that -- again: WHEW!) I brought a ton of stuff home from the office to work on. Hopefully, I can convince all the kids that naps are in order, so I can focus on work for a little while.
Sunday we have church in the morning, and we are going to watch the Superbowl at the Dunbar's place without kids!!! All the kids will be at our place with childcare, while we get to watch the game in peace. We won't know what to do with ourselves!
I forgot to mention the good stuff I listened to while traveling to and from Austin this week. I have just figured out how to use my iPod and iTunes for more than just music. I have subscribed to some free Podcasts of sermons from Rob Bell and Andy Stanley, and I learned some great stuff! Andy Stanley's sermon was about seeking guidance from others when you are making decisions. One of his quotes was this... and I love it: "Great leadership isn't about making decisions on your own. It's about owning the decisions that you make." Isn't that an awesome quote?
It is important to receive "wise counsel" in making important decisions, but you have to choose the right people.
1. Make sure you choose someone who has nothing to lose by telling you the truth.
2. Choose someone who is where you want to be in life, and ask to "borrow their map."
3. Ask more than one person.
4. Choose someone you know and someone you don't know.
5. You need to go into these conversations sensitive to the fact that God may speak to you! (But don't "frontload" it. You don't go to the person and say, "I've asked God to speak to me through you." Say a prayer. Ask God to give you the answers to important decisions. Stanley makes the point that you may not agree with what the person says, but it may become clear to you what steps you need to take after speaking to the person. Say a prayer like this: "God you know I have this decision to make and I need your help. Please just help me hear from you."
Finally, when you're talking to these folks, ask these questions:
1. Are any of the options I'm considering outside the boundaries of scripture?
2. What do you think the wise thing is for me to do?
3. What would you do if you were me?
Great stuff! Don't you think? Lord knows I needed to hear this a long time ago.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
The Week in Review
I have spent quite a bit of time this week discussing the future of the jail with community leaders. I am encouraged by what they had to say, and I am very optimistic we will be able to put this issue behind us and move forward.
It was a relatively short week with the MLK holiday on Monday, but it did NOT seem any shorter. I spent the week putting out small "fires." With my lovely wife going back to full-time employment, it is taking a little time to get adjusted to new schedules and responsibilities in keeping up with three kids!
We held probate court on Wednesday (instead of the normal Tuesday docket) due to some scheduling issues. I was able to assist one of our statutory county court judges with arraignment, and I always like learning something new. I was also asked to sign some arrest warrants. I have tried to make it known to all the local law enforcement officers that I am willing to take those types of calls anytime, and it is starting to work. We have had several late night phone calls from officers needing arrest warrants or search warrants in the middle of the night, and I have been more than happy to oblige.
I attended this week's TEDC Executive Committee meeting, and it is exciting to hear about all the good things that are going on in the community. I was also able to attend Perryman's Economic Forecast luncheon on Friday, and it was refreshing to hear his opinion that the national media has it wrong in predicting a recession. He says it is not going to happen.
We held a special meeting on a proposed interlocal agreement with the city of Tyler on Thursday. The interlocal agreement is related to Stormwater Discharge, and our main concern was the cost to the county. We were able to make some changes to the interlocal, and it was approved. I had some very productive planning meetings this week with department heads and other elected officials. Smith County needs a Strategic Plan, and I hope to have it implemented in the next budget.
I broke my own rule Friday by writing a letter to the editor of the Tyler newspaper. I hated to do it because of the precedent it sets, but I felt it was necessary to clarify my actions related to the salary plan after reading several letters to the editor this week. I always said I would not respond or write a letter myself because if you do it once it will always be expected. Anyway, I hope that is not the case. I don't like responding unless a person writes a letter directly to me. I hope the letter appears unedited in Sunday's paper. I just regret that this issue has taken the focus off of the good changes that are being made in county government.
Mel has to work Saturdays now, so I got to have the kids all to myself. I enjoyed seeing their improvements on the basketball court today. G-man stayed with Pops and Mamaw and took a two hour nap... thank goodness! It made the afternoon b-ball games a lot more enjoyable!
Well, it is time to kiss the kids goodnight and get things ready for church tomorrow. By the way, if you don't have a church home, please accept my invitation to join us at Marvin. We have an outstanding pastoral staff, and there is a place for everyone. Let me know if you want to sit by a big noisy family.
I hope everyone has a great week!
It was a relatively short week with the MLK holiday on Monday, but it did NOT seem any shorter. I spent the week putting out small "fires." With my lovely wife going back to full-time employment, it is taking a little time to get adjusted to new schedules and responsibilities in keeping up with three kids!
We held probate court on Wednesday (instead of the normal Tuesday docket) due to some scheduling issues. I was able to assist one of our statutory county court judges with arraignment, and I always like learning something new. I was also asked to sign some arrest warrants. I have tried to make it known to all the local law enforcement officers that I am willing to take those types of calls anytime, and it is starting to work. We have had several late night phone calls from officers needing arrest warrants or search warrants in the middle of the night, and I have been more than happy to oblige.
I attended this week's TEDC Executive Committee meeting, and it is exciting to hear about all the good things that are going on in the community. I was also able to attend Perryman's Economic Forecast luncheon on Friday, and it was refreshing to hear his opinion that the national media has it wrong in predicting a recession. He says it is not going to happen.
We held a special meeting on a proposed interlocal agreement with the city of Tyler on Thursday. The interlocal agreement is related to Stormwater Discharge, and our main concern was the cost to the county. We were able to make some changes to the interlocal, and it was approved. I had some very productive planning meetings this week with department heads and other elected officials. Smith County needs a Strategic Plan, and I hope to have it implemented in the next budget.
I broke my own rule Friday by writing a letter to the editor of the Tyler newspaper. I hated to do it because of the precedent it sets, but I felt it was necessary to clarify my actions related to the salary plan after reading several letters to the editor this week. I always said I would not respond or write a letter myself because if you do it once it will always be expected. Anyway, I hope that is not the case. I don't like responding unless a person writes a letter directly to me. I hope the letter appears unedited in Sunday's paper. I just regret that this issue has taken the focus off of the good changes that are being made in county government.
Mel has to work Saturdays now, so I got to have the kids all to myself. I enjoyed seeing their improvements on the basketball court today. G-man stayed with Pops and Mamaw and took a two hour nap... thank goodness! It made the afternoon b-ball games a lot more enjoyable!
Well, it is time to kiss the kids goodnight and get things ready for church tomorrow. By the way, if you don't have a church home, please accept my invitation to join us at Marvin. We have an outstanding pastoral staff, and there is a place for everyone. Let me know if you want to sit by a big noisy family.
I hope everyone has a great week!
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Salaries
Last May, a committee that had studied salaries for county employees and elected officials, came to the Commissioners Court with a recommendation for a three-year plan to bring salaries up to where they should be. In the past, the Commissioners Court had occasionally granted cost of living adjustments to employees and other elected officials but failed to grant those increases to themselves - probably out of political fear.
Anyway, the salary committee recommended the plan that called for increases across the board, including raises for the members of Commissioners Court. A motion was made and seconded, I called for discussion, and one member of Commissioners Court made their objections known for the first time. This person was a member and the chair of the salary committee. It was surprising to the members of the salary committee because they had left their final meeting with the understanding that they were united in the recommended plan. Members of the committee felt betrayed. I personally felt as if it were a planned political assault... not the first I'd experienced mind you. The vote was taken: 3 in favor, 1 against, and 1 abstaining.
What should have happened? The vote was the right one. The plan called for increases totalling almost $2 million dollars for many well-deserving county employees. However, in retrospect, I should have agreed to waive my entire salary increase until my second term. I got caught up in battling the political games being played by a fellow member of the court rather than focusing on doing the right thing personally. It was a big mistake. I have been labeled as greedy and self-consumed, rather than a "servant leader." This same member of the Commissioners Court apparently plans to run against me in a couple of years, so it is all working according to that person's plans.
I focused on all the justifications for the salary increases for the Commissioners Court, instead of realizing that I would be disappointed as a taxpayer about an elected official voting for his or her own salary increases. I want the salary to be what it should be... for me or the next person in office. But, I now understand how our actions may have appeared to the taxpaying citizens.
I feel compelled to digress... briefly. When I first considered running for the office, one major concern was the salary. I wanted to be sure that I could legally maintain my private law practice in order to supplement my income because I knew I needed to. I have three young kids, lots of student loan debt, a mortgage, a lot of bills, and only one income. The research and the experts indicated that I could, in fact, legally and ethically continue practicing law. What I didn't know at the time was that I could not continue practicing law as a practical matter. Contrary to popular belief, this is a full-time job, and I owe to the people who put me in office to give it all of my attention.
Back to the reason for this post, I learned about some proposed legislation from State Rep. Leo Berman related to the salary issue. Apparently, Rep. Berman is proposing legislation to limit Commissioners / County Judges ability to vote themselves raises by only allowing such raises to go into effect after the elected official has gone through one election cycle after the vote for raises.
First, it hacks me off that Rep. Berman, with whom I have always had a good working relationship, announced the proposed legislation without first giving me a heads up. We could have discussed good solutions to the problem of putting elected officials in the position of having to vote on their own salaries without further politicizing the issue locally. Furthermore, it is a knee jerk reaction to our situation here in Smith County. (As an aside, did you know that in 1908 the County Judge of Smith County made $1,500 per year? So I guess last May wasn't the first time the Smith County Commissioners Court voted for raises for the County Judge.) I am all for local control, which means that the state legislature needs to focus on its own business instead of trying to "take care" or handle the business of local government. I would much rather see Rep. Berman put an end to sending unfunded mandates to the county. If the legislature sends us a mandated program or service, then they need to provide the funding. The bottom line is this: a legislative solution to this issue, if deemed necessary / appropriate, should involve a proper discussion among county officials. We should all be at the same table. That didn't happen here, and the reason it didn't happen is because the intent was merely to win votes... not solve a problem.
After the disappointing results of the November jail bond election, it became apparent that one of the big reasons for the loss was the salary plan. After the bond election -- and after much thought and some soul-searching, I decided not to accept the salary increases contemplated in the remaining two years of the plan. If I can sell my commercial building and reduce the financial obligations of keeping my law office open, I'll pay back and stop accepting the increase received during year one.
I always want to do the right thing as county judge. I am not doing this for fame and fortune. Life was easier on me and my family, and money was better before I took office. It sometimes feels like I am under a microscope. Sometimes I will fall short of your expectations, and I expect you to let me know when I do. I hope that overall, my performance will be above average. We have intelligent and vocal citizens in this community, and they can solve local problems at the voting booth. We don't always need Austin to solve them for us.
Thanks for reading this LONG entry. Next time, I'll discuss some of the good things going on in the county, and I hope to touch on the lessons of the bond election process (including the status of jail planning).
Anyway, the salary committee recommended the plan that called for increases across the board, including raises for the members of Commissioners Court. A motion was made and seconded, I called for discussion, and one member of Commissioners Court made their objections known for the first time. This person was a member and the chair of the salary committee. It was surprising to the members of the salary committee because they had left their final meeting with the understanding that they were united in the recommended plan. Members of the committee felt betrayed. I personally felt as if it were a planned political assault... not the first I'd experienced mind you. The vote was taken: 3 in favor, 1 against, and 1 abstaining.
What should have happened? The vote was the right one. The plan called for increases totalling almost $2 million dollars for many well-deserving county employees. However, in retrospect, I should have agreed to waive my entire salary increase until my second term. I got caught up in battling the political games being played by a fellow member of the court rather than focusing on doing the right thing personally. It was a big mistake. I have been labeled as greedy and self-consumed, rather than a "servant leader." This same member of the Commissioners Court apparently plans to run against me in a couple of years, so it is all working according to that person's plans.
I focused on all the justifications for the salary increases for the Commissioners Court, instead of realizing that I would be disappointed as a taxpayer about an elected official voting for his or her own salary increases. I want the salary to be what it should be... for me or the next person in office. But, I now understand how our actions may have appeared to the taxpaying citizens.
I feel compelled to digress... briefly. When I first considered running for the office, one major concern was the salary. I wanted to be sure that I could legally maintain my private law practice in order to supplement my income because I knew I needed to. I have three young kids, lots of student loan debt, a mortgage, a lot of bills, and only one income. The research and the experts indicated that I could, in fact, legally and ethically continue practicing law. What I didn't know at the time was that I could not continue practicing law as a practical matter. Contrary to popular belief, this is a full-time job, and I owe to the people who put me in office to give it all of my attention.
Back to the reason for this post, I learned about some proposed legislation from State Rep. Leo Berman related to the salary issue. Apparently, Rep. Berman is proposing legislation to limit Commissioners / County Judges ability to vote themselves raises by only allowing such raises to go into effect after the elected official has gone through one election cycle after the vote for raises.
First, it hacks me off that Rep. Berman, with whom I have always had a good working relationship, announced the proposed legislation without first giving me a heads up. We could have discussed good solutions to the problem of putting elected officials in the position of having to vote on their own salaries without further politicizing the issue locally. Furthermore, it is a knee jerk reaction to our situation here in Smith County. (As an aside, did you know that in 1908 the County Judge of Smith County made $1,500 per year? So I guess last May wasn't the first time the Smith County Commissioners Court voted for raises for the County Judge.) I am all for local control, which means that the state legislature needs to focus on its own business instead of trying to "take care" or handle the business of local government. I would much rather see Rep. Berman put an end to sending unfunded mandates to the county. If the legislature sends us a mandated program or service, then they need to provide the funding. The bottom line is this: a legislative solution to this issue, if deemed necessary / appropriate, should involve a proper discussion among county officials. We should all be at the same table. That didn't happen here, and the reason it didn't happen is because the intent was merely to win votes... not solve a problem.
After the disappointing results of the November jail bond election, it became apparent that one of the big reasons for the loss was the salary plan. After the bond election -- and after much thought and some soul-searching, I decided not to accept the salary increases contemplated in the remaining two years of the plan. If I can sell my commercial building and reduce the financial obligations of keeping my law office open, I'll pay back and stop accepting the increase received during year one.
I always want to do the right thing as county judge. I am not doing this for fame and fortune. Life was easier on me and my family, and money was better before I took office. It sometimes feels like I am under a microscope. Sometimes I will fall short of your expectations, and I expect you to let me know when I do. I hope that overall, my performance will be above average. We have intelligent and vocal citizens in this community, and they can solve local problems at the voting booth. We don't always need Austin to solve them for us.
Thanks for reading this LONG entry. Next time, I'll discuss some of the good things going on in the county, and I hope to touch on the lessons of the bond election process (including the status of jail planning).
Saturday, January 19, 2008
In the Beginning
Well... we all have to start somewhere. Today I was dealing with a frustrating political issue and trying to figure out how to tell my side of the story, and I ran across a blog from a Texas legislator. He is a huge advocate of blogging for those holding political offices and suggests that it is a great way to communicate with constituents. So I thought I'd give it a try.
My days as a local elected official are spent dealing with everyone else's emergencies. I cannot seem to complete my own projects because I'm helping others complete theirs. Don't get me wrong. I do love the job, but there are days when I need a clone to stay in the office behind the desk to work on the mounds of paperwork and return phone calls and emails.
My bi-monthly newsletter is a bear to produce, and by the time I get it done it seems like old news. So the blog seems like a good solution. I'll keep working on it, and I'd appreciate your suggestions.
My days as a local elected official are spent dealing with everyone else's emergencies. I cannot seem to complete my own projects because I'm helping others complete theirs. Don't get me wrong. I do love the job, but there are days when I need a clone to stay in the office behind the desk to work on the mounds of paperwork and return phone calls and emails.
My bi-monthly newsletter is a bear to produce, and by the time I get it done it seems like old news. So the blog seems like a good solution. I'll keep working on it, and I'd appreciate your suggestions.
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