Commissioner's Decision Hurts County Employees

On January 23, 2018 the Wichita County Commissioners Court voted to end an almost 20 year program for some of the most dedicated county employees. The court voted 3-2 to stop paying a portion of healthcare benefits for employee dependents. This decision will lead to a pay cut of almost $7,000 per year for those employees whose whole family has coverage. There are currently only 27 county employees left in this grandfathered-in program.

As I sat in the meeting listening to our commissioners debate this issue, I was astonished at disregard from my opponent about what essentially invalidates a contract with employees. The very definition of “grandfathered-in” is to be guaranteed exemption from future changes. This decision not only de-values the employees and their family members who will be directly affected, it gives the impression that the Commissioners Court does not honor their commitments. At a time when they are already struggling to maintain employment in some vital positions, like in the jail, who will want to work for Wichita County?

I do not support the decision that was made. It falls on the Commissioners Court to balance the budget, and while I know that isn’t an easy job, there is no need to pull the rug from under loyal employees to cover the gaps in other areas. The yes vote from my opponent shows that he would rather make budget cuts that hurt other employees than to make any sacrifices of his own. Another option would have been to phase out the program over five years to soften the blow. Instead, my opponent was adamant about ending the program in one fell swoop. This was a program that could have been honored without hurting the budget because the money was already allocated for the purpose–especially as commissioners continue to spend thousands of dollars on brand new tractors, unnecessary projects in the courthouse, and personal mileage reimbursements for in-county travel.

Wichita County deserves better. As your county commissioner, I will work hard to achieve a balanced budget without taking away the hard earned, much needed benefits of the county employees. I will be transparent and open in my decision processes. I encourage you to contact your commissioner and let them know how you feel about this decision. You can find their contact information here: http://www.co.wichita.tx.us/Commissioner/

Partisan Politics Keep Us Uninformed

We’ve been eating a lie. A lie that makes our pockets lighter, our communities more divided, our children’s futures more bleak. For as long as I can remember we’ve been told that voting for the “other” means we are a traitor to our values, no matter how far down on the ballot the vote may be. But as I research candidates, and look into the issues that matter to me, I become more convinced that partisan politics do not make us better – they make us less informed.

When we divide ourselves into the RED and BLUE teams on a national level, we forget that what really matters to us happens a lot closer to home and has a lot less to do with the issues that divide us. The issues that matter to us most closely, we have the most control over – good schools, safe streets, economic opportunity. Those issues are most notably impacted by our local officials – and our local elections.

Our county is not getting better when we check the ALL DEMOCRAT or ALL REPUBLICAN boxes.

The men and women we elect in low ballot votes have enormous impact on how our county is run and how our tax dollars are spent. Just look at the County Commissioners. For an annual salary of $62,675 they are expected to “Set the yearly property tax rate and approve the budget and employment level for the county.” These men literally decide where our county tax dollars go. In conjunction with the County Judge, the county commissioners make up the Commissioner’s Court, which (according to the last organizational chart I could access on the court’s website) is responsible for TWENTY-ONE different county departments including:

• Veterans Service

• Indigent Health Care

• Child Welfare Board

• Child Protection Court

• Emergency Management

But how often are we looking closely at these local candidates? How are we holding them accountable? The County Commissioners spend our tax dollars, and so many people don’t even know what they do. What about all of the other local officials who impact our day to day life?

We MUST stop relying solely on our pre-established political pedestals when we vote in local elections. Our county is not getting better when we check the ALL DEMOCRAT or ALL REPUBLICAN boxes. Our duty to our community is to look at the individual running, ask questions of them, evaluate their platform and availability, and, if they are an incumbent, we need to ask ourselves if they're worth reelecting. Partisan politics does not make Wichita County better. Electing the right person for the job, no matter what team they represent, is what brings quality leadership in government.