By Thomas Warren III, Editor-in-Chief

It is my belief that the past four years at City Hall have been a disaster on many fronts. Multiple tax increases, combined with the growth of government and a general disdain for local taxpayers and constituents, have highlighted the problems loud and clear.

However, running negative won’t fix the problems at City Hall. Voters want someone they can count on to bring positive change to City Hall, with big ideas to tackle the problems facing this community. They are not looking for someone who is just promising to burn the house down.

This is the key distinction being a perennial also-ran and a person who can actually deliver change for the voters.

In order for candidates to win this year, they will have to bring forward a vision for positive change instead of simply promising to go in, guns ablaze, without any real road map for how to deliver on their promises and the needs of the constituents.

Candidates will also have to make clear their visions for conservative change are actually within reach. Arguing on Facebook about the alleged unconstitutionality of voters being unable to cast ballots in a municipality where they don’t live is not going to convince anyone that conservative change can actually be achieved.

Instead, the candidates will have to make it clear that the promises of change they are bringing forward are practical, good for the entire community, and can be accomplished.

Stopping annual tax increases, limiting the growth of government, ending taxpayer-funded lobbying, and delivering on the need for reforms at Animal Management & Welfare are practical changes that can be accomplished for the good of the entire city. And they can be done by a conservative City Council, committed to change, that leaves ego at the door.

The biggest thing about this election is the importance to discern between candidates with practical visions for positive change, candidates with visions to perpetuate the same problems we currently have at City Hall, and candidates with no vision other than to run for sake of ego.

And, voters must be especially careful this year, as candidates of all three stripes are on the ballot, alongside the incumbents who have created more problems in this community than can be counted.

Personally, I have been impressed with the visions put forward by candidates like mayoral contender Michael Hunt and City Council candidates Hobert Brown, Jason Foglesong, and Tom Scherlen regarding the positive changes they want to see in this community. These four candidates have put forward big ideas that are worth considering to solve the problems this city faces. And, best of all, their platforms have been rooted in the ideas of bringing people together to rally around positive reforms, instead of picking political fights or continuing the same bad policies of the past four years.

However, I wouldn’t be doing the other candidates justice if I didn’t mention that I have also appreciated the willingness of candidates like Cole Stanley, Jason Tillery, Joe West, and Ali Ramos to have discussions about the problems facing this city. I think the big conversations are necessary for the future of this city and I have been pleased to see candidates like this reaching out to people to have those conversations.

I have also been impressed by the civility of candidates Brown, Stanley, and Tillery as they oppose one another for the Amarillo City Council Place 1 seat. Bringing people together is necessary for positive change, so it is nice to see these three candidates trying to work on unity rather than division. That is more than we can say for candidates in some other races.

Overall, Amarillo has choices for positive change this year, but we also have options for stagnation and the status quo. In order to deliver positive change, voters must get out and cast ballots this year for candidates who are committed to bringing practical, common sense change forward in this community.

So, please join me in voting for pragmatic conservative change on May 1. We need to put this city back on the right track, but we can only do it if we are serious about the issues facing our city.