Amarillo Matters/Logo by Amarillo Matters PAC
By Thomas Warren III, Editor-in-Chief
When voters head to the polls this May, they will be faced with a number of candidates who are promising all kinds of things in the event they are elected. For the incumbents on the Amarillo City Council, their promises all boil down to two things: higher taxes and bigger government.
Amarillo Mayor Ginger Nelson and City Council members Freda Powell, Eddy Sauer, and Howard Smith are all seeking re-election this November. It is to be expected the incumbents will once again benefit from heavy backing by the Amarillo establishment and its campaign arm, Amarillo Matters PAC. Amarillo Matters PAC has proven that its values are not in-line with the values of those in the Texas Panhandle.
Whereas Amarillo Matters supports candidates who want to raise taxes, most local taxpayers have been begging for property tax relief. Whereas Amarillo Matters supports candidates who want to continue using tax dollars to pay the salaries of high-dollar Austin lobbyists, local voters have supported items to eliminate taxpayer-funded lobbying. And this doesn’t even mention Amarillo Matters’ all-out assault on Ronny Jackson’s military service last year when they were attempting to push lobbyist Josh Winegarner for election to the U.S. House of Representatives. This group thought so little of Jackson’s military service they used it as their target to draw attention away from Winegarner’s flip-flopping lobbyist record.
So, it's clear Amarillo Matters is not a group that represents Amarillo citizens as a whole. The Jackson race showed this group views nothing as sacred, with Amarillo Matters showing a willingness to stoop so low as to attack a person’s service to this nation in hopes of winning an election. I would bet Amarillo citizens as a whole have more respect for the sacrifices of military service than this group.
While Amarillo Matters has shown its true colors, local voters need to understand this group will not stop in its quest to keep the establishment firmly entrenched in power. Amarillo Matters will once again go on the attack this year, trashing anything and everything they can in hopes of vanquishing candidates who are running on the basis of having servant hearts. They will continue to fight to defeat candidates who want better things for our community, as they pitch their pro-high taxes, pro-big government candidates as the answers to your problems.
Amarillo Matters will make it clear again this May: nothing is valued except keeping a select few people in power. Those with servant hearts who want to give back to this community will simply be collateral damage in their quest for power.
All of this needs to be brought up so citizens understand who will be trying to buy their votes this year. Amarillo Matters doesn’t care about this community and only cares about keeping a few individuals’ hands in the cookie jar. The Amarillo Matters candidates’ agenda is clear: more taxes, more spending, more government. Amarillo Matters will work hard to distract you this year, pointing you to loose flaws they create about the candidates who stand against their agenda. But, in all things this year, voters must remember, a vote for the Amarillo Matters candidates is a vote for higher taxes and a less accountable government.
Amarillo can do better, but voters must first reject Amarillo Matters this May and choose a new path forward. Don’t let Amarillo Matters and its pro-tax increase, pro-big government agenda buy your vote. Pick the right candidates on May 1 and let’s put this city back on the right track.