Elisha Demerson and Randy Burkett/Photos by KFDA-TV and City of Amarillo
By Thomas Warren III, Editor-in-Chief
The 2015 Amarillo City Council era had a lot of problems. We all know this to be the case. Mayor Paul Harpole picked seemingly constant fights with other members of the City Council, a group of establishment-funded liberal milennials were trying to disrupt politics, our city was at war over the ballpark, and failed journalist-turned-liberal columnist Jon Mark Beilue still thought he was something really special.
There were many issues, but I think something that gets missed often is that we had two of the best members of the Amarillo City Council in our city’s recent history. Throughout all of the fights our city’s taxpayers have had with our lying Mayor Ginger Nelson and her tax-raising City Council, I think we have forgotten about two of the best City Councilmembers our city has ever had and we have forgotten just how good these guys were for Amarillo.
Elisha Demerson and Randy Burkett were elected with majorities in the 2015 Amarillo City Council election and immediately got to work shaking things up. Both men were instrumental in placing the ballpark referendum on the ballot, a move our city desperately needed for unity and healing in our city. They both scrutinized major expenditures by our city’s government and made bureaucrats answer questions about why things were the way they were at City Hall.
Both of these guys stuck to their guns until the very end and provided our taxpayers with powerful voices for change in our city. They both were eventually joined by Mark Nair on the City Council, who gave them the third voice they needed to get some important changes made in our city.
Our establishment couldn’t stand Demerson and Burkett and, unfortunately, they successfully showed both men the door in the 2017 election. Burkett retired after a single term in office, while Amarillo Matters PAC pushed failed congressional candidate and tax-raising financial planner Elaine Hays as their pick to replace Demerson.
Things are bad at City Hall right now. Bureaucrats are running wild, our Mayor tells lies every time she needs to get out of a jam, and Amarillo Matters has essentially taken over City Hall. But just a few years ago, we had two very powerful voices on our City Council that our city desperately needed. I’m very grateful that Demerson and Burkett served on our City Council and I hope that at some point, we might see one or both of these guys return to City Hall to represent the taxpayers once again.