From left: Ginger Nelson, Michael Hunt
Photos by City of Amarillo and Michael Hunt Campaign
By Thomas Warren III, Editor-in-Chief
When voters cast their ballots starting next Monday, 16 choices will face them as hopefuls to claim seats on the Amarillo City Council. Among these 16 will be the four incumbents put forward by Amarillo Matters PAC, a local political group that has established itself as the campaign arm of the local establishment. Leading the ticket for Amarillo Matters is Ginger Nelson, the incumbent mayor and establishment favorite, who is seeking her third term in office.
Nelson’s third term is not a given, as she has three challengers on the ballot this year, each with unique points of view. However, given her large war chest and unwavering backing from the establishment, it will be no cake walk stopping her from claiming another two years in office.
Luckily, voters do have one option who can stop Nelson from claiming another two years of power.
Businessman Michael Hunt has positioned himself as the business-savvy alternative to the entrenched mayor and her bad political record. Hunt has put forward a pragmatic agenda of fiscally conservative reforms and has made it clear that he will work toward delivering results while also striving for unity across Amarillo.
Hunt has the agenda for big reforms and big results, but perhaps the most important element of his platform is that of unity. Nelson has been a divider and the rest of the field, with the exception of Hunt and architect Carl Karas, is made up on candidates that will be more dedicated to division than unity.
Skewing division away from favoring Nelson’s special interests in favor of another person’s special interests is not what Amarillo needs right now.
In order to solve the problems facing neighborhoods across Amarillo, it will be crucial that our next mayor can deliver results while being a unifying force. And Michael Hunt has shown that he is the only candidate on the ballot who can both deliver results and unify Amarillo taxpayers around his goals.
Hunt is the exact opposite of Nelson and other dividers on the ballot. With Hunt, voters will not have to worry about continued cronyism, special interests running the show, or petty battles on social media. Michael Hunt will deliver results for Amarillo, just like he has been delivering results as a business and education leader throughout his career.
So, if voters are serious about stopping Ginger Nelson’s third term, they have one option who can get the job done — Michael Hunt. However, having an option isn’t enough if voters don’t show up.
If you are serious about change in Amarillo, make sure you get out and vote beginning April 19. Michael Hunt needs your vote.