Page 4 - May 5, 2017

Commentary
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THE COMMUNITY NEWS
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Supporting Julie Turner
Please join us in supporting Julie Turner for AISD school board Place 6.
I have had the pleasure of serving on the Aledo Education Foundation board with Julie for the last three years. In this role Julie has always acted with the inter- est of the district and students it serves as the priority. She has been a leader and on the foundation board drawing on her background as a school teacher to help evaluate grant requests and her experience as a small business owner to bal- ance the many needs the founda- tion works to ful ll with the funds it is entrusted to disburse.
As someone with a background in nance I can say Julie is s- cally responsible, ever mindful of the limited resources, the tasks at hand and accomplishing goals in the most value conscious manner.
My wife Kathryn has also been on several school and AEF commit- tees with Julie. She has seen Julie’s dedication and care for our district and its children rst hand. She has joined Julie in volunteering count- less hours for the district and rais- ing much needed funds. She also considers Julie a trusted advisor in learning about education, the dis- trict and how to be more engaged as a parent and volunteer.
Julie, having been a public school teacher, a successful small business owner, and having a prov- en track record of hard work and dedication, would bring an invalu- able skill set and perspective to the board of trustees. We are proud to endorse Julie Turner for AISD Board of Trustees Place 6 and hope
Rosealee Hoffman
rhoffman@community-news.com
The early voting numbers for Parker County are in, and appar- ently things are just perfect in Parker County.
I say they’re perfect because only 2,195 people in all of Parker County have shown enough con- cern about their community’s future to go vote. That’s less than three percent of registered voters
Dickerson, who was in her 90s. All ages and all walks of life, including students coming to us from our Center of Hope, who don’t believe they belong there and you see them become belon- gers. I think we are doing those kinds of things well and we are growing
in the elds that will lead students directly into jobs. My grandson is in CAD leading him into a gun-smithing school. We’re doing all of that well.
We are de nitely managing our money well because our resources
are limited. Our tax rate is low and our appropriations continue to drop. Public schools are going up and we are going down.
I know the school so well it’s hard to criticize it. But I believe there’s room for improvement in our board working more cooperatively. There have been an inordinate number of closed meetings that leave us in the dark. We don’t know what going on.
The other biggest picture is that our limited resources are keeping us from doing some of the things we need to do. We’ve been fortunate to have
a board and foundation that manage our resources very well, so we didn’t have to have bond issues. But bond issues are needed. Aledo is spending bond issue money wisely and well, and necessarily.
Several
brought up in this election which should be addressed. One has been that he was a renter. First, renters are citizens also, especially when your landlord is your daughter whom you are helping to establish credit. In the meantime, he and his wife have bought the house so his daughter can buy a home nearer to her work. Being a good father is a not a fault but an asset.
The second issue concerns con- tributions from developers. The real issue here is trust. The devel- opers have the largest investment in Willow Park. In order for pos- itive growth to occur there needs to be a smooth process. Doyle Moss is someone who will give a straight forward answer and ensure a smooth development pro- cess which protects the citizens of Willow Park and those wishing to invest in our city.
The city has worked hard the last few years to prevent time delays which cost money to both individuals and developers who cannot afford the unnecessary time or expense. The mayor must be trustworthy and his integrity to keep his word is paramount.
In Doyle’s business, customer service is key to acquisition and retention. The city is like a service business: it provides services that citizens cannot provide for them- selves. Doyle understands the city’s needs, issues and is the person to lead Willow Park in the next years. I am sure he would be as successful in the city’s business as he is in his own.
- Richard Neverdousky Mayor, Willow Park
your water is too expensive - that’s local leadership, folks.
Those are the people who have worked their rear ends off – in volunteer positions – to either run things well or poorly. I hear all the time from citizens, “no one listens to me. I just want to be heard.”
There’s a very simple way to make your voice heard. It’s called a ballot box, and ballot boxes are available county-wide May 6.
There’s a famous saying I’ve always loved that has been attribut- ed to English philosopher Edmund Burke: “the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men should do nothing.”
Those who are running for of ce locally all have one universal thing in common – they believe they
those buildings as well with generous donations.
We have lowered taxes in the past. I think everyone knows once you lower the tax rate, it’s an uphill battle to get it back up. Our tax rate is low. The thing that worries me that I’ve heard as we are developing the budget is that faculty and staff will have a pos- sible two percent raise, which won’t cover their hospitalization costs. And that breaks my heart.
Education is changing very quickly. What does the college need to do to maintain exibility to keep up with the times?
I think it’s communication. Let the family know when big decisions like Wise County, or building a new build- ing are happening. We built an allied health building, and allied health peo- ple need to be with their students. We put the faculty of ces anywhere but that building. Had there been better communication I don’t think it would have happened that way.
Do you think Wise County should have representation on the board?
My position has been since day one when we rst started talking about it that they should. I don’t understand some of the arguments against. I real- ize – again – that we have not been privy to all the information. But that is a growing institution and it’s ourish- ing. And we should be supportive.
I do not think it’s unreasonable
May 5, 2017
THE COMMUNITY NEWS
www.community-news.com
Supporting Julie Turner
It was with full con dence that I cast my vote for Aledo ISD school board Place 6 trustee, Julie Turner, during early voting last week!
If you have not yet voted, you still have the opportunity to cast your ballot on May 6. This is an extremely important local election for our school board. I have person- ally served on committees (Project 2025 and the Aledo Education Foundation) with BOTH candi- dates running for this position and I can say, without a doubt, Julie is the most quali ed candidate and has the district’s best interest at heart.
Julie understands that growth is coming and portable buildings are not the solution. Julie supports public schools and our teachers and will work hard to nd solutions for our district. Julie will listen to par- ent’s concerns, not answer to lob- byists and PACs out of Austin. Julie Turner has received the endorse- ment of the Aledo’s UEA (United Educators Association).
Every vote counts! Please take the time to go to the polls and vote on May 6. Please vote for Julie Turner for Place 6 Trustee with the Aledo Independent School District!
- Diane Taylor, Owner Reading Friends of Aledo
can do some good. They’ve spent countless hours working towards that goal.
The very least the rest of us can do is go vote for the candidate we believe can do the most good.
Or we can look on and do noth- ing.
for them to ask. Their tax rate is low because their institution is smaller. I think it should be more about than Wise County people pay taxes, it’s their campus, and as far as I’m aware, they send their money to us and we charge them more in these indirect costs. They don’t have anybody sitting on the board when budgets are made.
I think they should have a voting member. They’ve said they wouldn’t vote on things that don’t have to do with Wise County, and I think that’s reasonable.
tastic. They are dif cult, but we have super results on the state exams in nursing, radiation technology, phlebot- omy, sonography, and some vocational type nursing programs.
Our general education is doing well. In the spring semester, we had approximately 5,600 students, which is the highest we’ve ever had in the spring.
Another thing that’s really boom- ing is dual credit, where high school kids, when they take English, can take it through Weatherford College and earn college credit at the same time. We had young lady last year who got her A.A. degree two weeks before she graduated high school. It’s really pick-
Your Views
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
you will join us in supporting her.
- Matt and Kathryn Carter Aledo
Supporting Doyle Moss
I would like to indicate my sup- port and recommendations to Doyle Moss for Mayor of Willow Park. As a former mayor of Willow Park I had the opportunity to meet with Mr. Moss and discuss his interest in the city and our community for its growth. He is a resident of the city and is very interested in doing what he feels is best for us. He is a loyal supporter of our community and East Parker County and I am con dent that in this position he will work very hard to do a great job for all of us. He is a good family man and I feel sure that when he is elected he will make us all proud of the man we have put into of ce to lead our great City.
- Marvin Glasgow Willow Park
Supporting Doyle Moss
Please join me in giving your support in the Willow Park Mayor’s race to Doyle Moss. Doyle is the best choice because of his experi- ence as a small business owner and as a servant leader throughout East Parker County. His experience and ability to get things done on a tight budget is invaluable.
Many organizations have been the recipient of Doyle’s ser- vice. East Parker Chamber of Commerce, Weatherford Regional Medical Center, Aledo Education Foundation, CASA, Weatherford College Foundation, Center of Hope and United Way have all bene ted from Doyle’s service.
in our county. I nd it dif cult to believe that everyone else is waiting until May 6.
So I gure it’s safe to assume that the rest of y’all think things are just perfect, and don’t have a pref- erence on who runs things locally.
Well, I do. Local leadership matters deeply. These are the peo- ple who control the roads, the water, the parks...and perhaps most importantly, your local taxes.
Yes, I’m talking about some- thing that directly affects your pocketbook. Do I have everyone’s attention yet?
If you’ve complained about that pothole at the end of your street that the city never xes, or you think the school is spending their money the wrong way, or you feel
I wish we could offer more pro- grams but we can’t because of money issues. Another thing we aren’t doing well because of money issues – we are not paying our faculty, our adjunct faculty and our staff people as well as we could if we had more resources.
I don’t see much waste anywhere on the college. Every time I worked on the budget, we pinched it as much as we could. And then we got called to pinch it some more.
How does Weatherford College keep tuition affordable in an era of rising expenses and decreasing revenue from the state?
In my experience it’s been nearly impossible to create more resources without bond issues. I know they’re not all that popular, but they’re a necessity sometimes. We have a won- derful foundation that’s ourishing but their money is mainly directed toward student development and scholarships. Some of the candidates say we need to work directly with the legislature, but I follow the legislature and they way they do business.
The headlines were about the universities. They get money for build- ings. They don’t give us money for buildings. Now our board has always managed our money so well that we’ve had reserves and over the years those reserves have been carefully mani- cured and kept so we’ve been able
to build buildings with that. And we have people who have contributed to
issues
have been
SOUND OFF
Send letters to The Community News, P.O. Box 1031, Aledo, TX 76008 or e-mail to news@communi- ty-news.com.
Bouquet of Rose
Missing: voters in Parker County
POLLING SITES
are open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday, May 6. East Parker County voters can visit either the Willow Park Municipal Building at 516 Ranch House Road or the Aledo ISD Administration Building at 1008 Bailey Ranch Road in Aledo.
COODY
from page three
MARTIN
from page three
Turn to MARTIN-2, page A4