It’s election time again and we are once again faced with groups telling us how to vote and who to vote for. Only this time, we have some out-of-town groups attempting to exert influence over our school board elections.

As many of you know, school board elections have become the hottest race on any given ballot over the past few years. Concerned parents, teachers, and voters have piled into the voting booths to make their voices heard, and while this is great, it has also led us to have some less-than-stellar candidates elected to these important positions.

This year, the Amarillo ISD elections have become one of the hottest topics on the ballot, and there are a few candidates’ names that are being shared non-stop by voters. Candidates like Connie Brown, Robin Leeah, Kimberly Anderson, and Steve Trafton are all the rage to talk about right now. And in the case of Trafton, he seems to have gotten some special love from conservatives, despite his connections to some of the area’s most fiscally liberal and financially irresponsible groups.

As we discussed in an editorial last month, Trafton is a board member for Amarillo Matters PAC, the organization that is responsible for our current City Council and that was formed, in part, to support liberal Sen. Kel Seliger’s re-election to the Texas Senate.

Trafton’s group has never been one all that concerned with keeping taxes low, as they have been happy to support candidates who want to spend money like it’s going out of style. As we noted in the aforementioned editorial, elected officials supported by Amarillo Matters have placed more than $360 million in bonds on the ballot since 2019, and have rammed through many more millions of dollars in debt without voter approval.

Yet, despite this fact and despite Trafton’s position with Amarillo Matters, the more than $12,000 in donations he has made to the group, and his distinction as being one of the PAC’s earliest donors, some voters still seem to believe that he is one of them — just a hardworking guy concerned about the future of education and our tax bills.

While Trafton might be greatly concerned about education, his group hasn’t been concerned about the way our tax money is being spent. Trafton has donated to the group again and again and again, even as Ginger Nelson — the elected official at the top of the Amarillo Matters ticket — supported property tax increases, debt issuances, and even gun control measures.

Simply put, Trafton’s own record shows that he is not a fiscal conservative. In fact, his contributions and involvement with Amarillo Matters tell quite a different story.

So, with this in mind, why is Trafton all of a sudden the darling of conservatives and area groups that advocate for conservative reforms in education? I couldn’t even begin to explain it. But what I can say is that voters who are being convinced by these groups of Trafton’s fiscal credentials are being bamboozled, or even worse, possibly lied to by those who should know better.

It seems fairly likely to me that Trafton is probably going to win a spot on the school board, and good for him. But I just want Amarillo voters to remember that when Trafton has the chance to vote to raise your taxes or place another bond on the ballot, if he votes to do it, those out-of-town groups won’t be paying your tax bill. You will.

If you’re willing to roll the dice on Trafton and the likelihood that he’s going to be another tax-and-spender, then go ahead and gamble away. But just make sure that you remember that you will ultimately be the one paying for those decisions your candidate makes when they are in office. It won’t be those out-of-town groups paying your bill. It will be you.

As my old friend Bill Sumerford used to say, “Vote in haste and repent in leisure.”

Vote wisely, Amarillo. And just remember, your vote and the tax bill you will pay as a result of your vote are yours and yours alone.