Why I’m Committed To Running for Re-election in 2022
My daughter put me on the spot to answer a question that had been rolling around in my head for months.
“Dad, are you running for office again?”
Those words sprang from my daughter’s lips, out of the blue, as we enjoyed lunch at Reata in Fort Worth in August.
I told her that I was, but before I could provide a more thorough answer, she had more questions to get out of her head.
“What do you enjoy about being on council?”
A lot, I said. We have a great group of council people, all committed to doing good things for the city; a great staff that makes sure the city is well-run and residents are happy; and, we do a lot of important things: lower taxes, add green space, ensure development is in line with the city’s goals [I explained more here] and listening to the needs of the community.
Plus, you get to meet, know and work with a lot of great people. I always say, “Running for office allows you to get to know the community in an enviable way. You meet people you wouldn’t come into contact with otherwise, and you get to know the community in ways it’s impossible to describe.”
“That’s cool. Would you be upset if you lost? I mean, I know you wouldn’t be happy…, but would it be a big deal for you?”
Yes, it would.
“Why? Why does it mean that much to you? And, I guess, why would not winning be such a big deal?”
Whew! You’re putting me on the spot. I’ll answer, but it’s going to take some time.
I’ll sum up why losing would be a big deal—other than it sucks to lose at anything—in one word: vengeance. I know there are people who don’t want to see me re-elected—.
She interrupted: “But don’t people like you?”
The vast majority of the community likes the job that I’ve done and generally thinks fondly of me. There are, however, people who don’t like me, have said really hurtful, untrue things about me, and they will try to make sure I’m not re-elected.
You know how I always say, ‘Villains inspire me’? Well, I’m inspired. So, vengeance is 5% of why I want to run again.
Another huge part of why I’ll run again is to finish what I started. I’ve lost 18 months of my time on council, because of COVID-19. I had a lot of projects and initiatives in the works for rolling out in Spring of 2020; those all got put on hold when the virus curtailed gatherings and altered the business landscape. Now, though, as things get back to normal, those plans are moving ahead and I want to see them come to fruition and—pardon the pun—bear fruit over the next three-plus years.
Deep down, if I’m honest, there is an even more important reason I am running: That’s you and Arden and my future grandbabies.
Southlake will always be your home. When people ask you where you’re from, you’ll say Southlake, because that’s where you were raised. And when you bring your friends home from college or have your future husband come to meet us, they’ll be coming to Southlake to do so. My goal is that they take one look and say, “Wow! You grew up in an amazing place.”
Most important, though, one day my grandbabies will walk down the hall near the executive conference room in Town Hall. On the walls, they’ll see their pawpaw in the council pictures we take each spring. I want them to see me and feel a sense of pride that their grandfather had a hand in keeping the place where you and your sister grew up special. That matters a great deal to me. Candidly, that’s why I ran in 2019 and why I’m running again in 2022.
Does that make sense?
“Yes, it does,” she said.