FROM LEFT: Michael Hunt, Hobert “Gunny” Brown, Tom Scherlen, Jason Foglesong/Photos by Campaigns
By Thomas Warren III, Editor-in-Chief
Well, Amarillo, we did it. We finally made it to Election Day.
On Saturday, the voters in Amarillo will set the direction for our city for the next two years. Our community will have its final say in whether the 2021-2023 term of the Amarillo City Council will once again be dominated by cronyism and establishment politicos or if we will choose a better path forward.
I believe that for the first time in many election cycles, the voters of Amarillo have been given a true choice in nearly every contest. This year, voters have the option of not just voting against the incumbents, but voting for good, qualified candidates.
There is a lot to like about this year’s slate of candidates. Let’s run down a few of them.
Businessman Michael Hunt has positioned himself as the ideal candidate Amarillo needs at this moment to lead our city as Mayor. Hunt is the only challenger running who holds any true business leadership experience, and in combination with his education leadership and community service, Hunt knows Amarillo better than perhaps any other candidate running. Hunt has a focus on addressing the issues important to our city and will deliver results in a unifying, citizen-focused manner that Amarillo has been lacking at City Hall.
City Council candidates Hobert Brown, Jason Foglesong, and Tom Scherlen are also dedicated and experienced individuals who will help lead our city in the right direction. These three men come from different backgrounds — military, education, and business — but, all three hold the same belief that Amarillo taxpayers should be put first in important discussions about the future of our city. Brown, Foglesong, and Scherlen are all dedicated to addressing the issues facing our city from their first days in office and will be solid representatives that our city can count on to do the right thing.
The team of Hunt, Brown, Foglesong, and Scherlen is the right team for Amarillo at this moment. They will be the results makers, team builders, and hardworking representatives that our city deserves at this critical moment.
As the yard signs say, they can save Amarillo from higher taxes and big government. But, they can’t do it alone.
Hunt, Brown, Foglesong, and Scherlen need your votes on May 1 to ensure that our city is placed on the right track. This is the moment when Amarillo voters must come together and ensure that our voices are heard.
If that’s not enough, consider the past four years and the direction our city has taken. We have experienced four consecutive years of tax increases. Our tax dollars have continued to pour into the pockets of wealthy Austin lobbyists. Our current Mayor and City Council tried to pass the largest tax increase in Amarillo history and a measure to extend their own terms in the middle of a pandemic.
Think about that for a second. While your friends, family members, neighbors, classmates, church family, and co-workers were losing their jobs and while businesses across our city were shutting their doors, our current City Council decided that was the time to push a record tax increase and a measure to ensure their job security.
We got lucky when Amarillo voters stepped up and won that round. But, the fight isn’t over. If the voters in our city either choose to remain complacent with the direction Amarillo Matters PAC and Build Amarillo PAC have chosen for our city, or if they simply don’t show up and vote, then we will be subjected to even more power grabs, tax increases, and attempts to grow our city’s government over the next two years. They might even try to extend their terms again.
The stakes of this election are too high. This is not the time to stay home. This is the time to come out, make your voice heard, and put our city back on the right track. This is the moment when you will have your one and only chance to have a say in where our city goes and whether we will fall willingly into the pit of big government or whether we will choose a better direction.
Simply put, this is the time for choosing in Amarillo. Where will we go? Shall we accept two more years of the City Council and Amarillo Matters PAC raising taxes and growing government or will we choose to come together and save our city?
I’m here to tell you that this is the moment and this is the time. Now is the time for us to save Amarillo together.
Enough of the Facebook battles and whining in social clubs and on the internet about the direction of our city. If voters are ready to reclaim City Hall, they can do it by simply showing up and voting for the Save Amarillo Team on Saturday.
Let’s get out and vote for the Save Amarillo Team — Michael Hunt, Hobert “Gunny” Brown, Jason Foglesong, and Tom Scherlen — and let’s save our city together.
Polls will be open from 7AM until 7PM on Election Day. Let’s get this done and save our city.