By Thomas Warren III, Editor-in-Chief

In 2020, Amarillo voters dealt the establishment two big blows. First, with the defeat of establishment swamp dweller Josh Winegarner, Amarillo voters backed the grassroots and elected Ronny Jackson in the Republican primary runoff for U.S. House District 13. Next up, Amarillo voters defeated the $275 million downtown bond and Ginger Nelson’s push for term extensions on the November ballot.

Those wins were beautiful and helped put Amarillo Matters and the establishment down for count twice last year. However, Amarillo voters cannot be complacent, as they are once again needed to defeat the establishment.

In May 2021, Amarillo voters will elect the city’s mayor and four city council members for the next two years. After suffering a defeat at the hands of angry voters in 2015, the Amarillo establishment has poured money into local races for two consecutive cycles, shutting the door on grassroots candidates claiming victory. It should be widely expected that the same playbook will be run in May. But the story doesn’t have to be the same.

Right now, two candidates have already emerged for an open City Council seat and three incumbents have already drawn challengers. What is notable about that is only one incumbent has actually declared that they will run for another term. This means Amarillo voters already have new choices coming out to run before the incumbents even signal what they intend to do.

This is great news, as I am a believer that more choices always serve voters well on the ballot. However, throughout the multitude of choices likely to appear on the May ballots, I hope voters will once again embrace the grassroots and reject the establishment in 2021.

In order for local citizens to reclaim Amarillo’s government from the power brokers who have tried to run our government and buy power for so many years, voters must stand up and demand better. It’s looking like we will have some new choices, but change can only happen if voters show up and demand it this May.

Don’t be fooled by the TV spots and flyers showing certain candidates smiling, going to church, walking in parks, and sitting with their wonderful families. At the end of the day, personality is not what decides the future of our city — policy is. Look at the candidates platforms and their backgrounds and you will see a clear divide between the establishment and the grassroots. And based on the past four years at City Hall, the establishment prescription isn’t working.

Amarillo, you did it twice in 2020. Let’s do it again in 2021. Defeat the establishment in May and let’s take back our city government.