Please note: Over the next few days, the Amarillo Pioneer’s Editorial Board will be publishing recommendations for various local races. In some races where multiple seats are up for grabs, recommendations may be spread out over several days. Please stay tuned to our website for recommendations and for a final list, which will be published next week.
Tom Scherlen/Photo by Campaign
By Amarillo Pioneer Editorial Board
In the race for Amarillo City Council Place 3, three candidates have thrown their hats into the ring in hopes of replacing retiring incumbent Eddy Sauer. Retired business executive Tom Scherlen, advertising account executive Katt Massey, and retired dirt bike racer John Adair are each hoping to earn the nod from voters to take Sauer’s seat this year.
All three candidates are great people and deserve to be commended for stepping up to run. However, our Editorial Board feels that one candidate stands head and shoulders above the competition as the person who needs to be on the City Council for the next two years.
Tom Scherlen has spent his career in business leadership, preparing himself for a role like the one he is now running for. During Scherlen’s time as CEO of Austin House, the businessman oversaw the operations of the company across five locations spread out across two different states. Scherlen worked his way up from the bottom of the company to the top and spent his career growing Austin Hose into the powerhouse company it is today. This gave Scherlen the kind of hands-on business experience needed to understand the complex operations of an organization with a multi-million-dollar budget, like the City of Amarillo.
In addition to this experience, Scherlen also has significant board and non-profit leadership experience, such as his work on the boards of directors of the Amarillo Senior Citizens Association and the 100 Club of the Texas Panhandle. From executive experience to collaborative board experience, Scherlen’s experience speaks for itself as the kind of solid foundation that prepares a candidate to thrive as a taxpayer champion on the City Council.
While Scherlen’s experience stands out, his grasp of the issues facing Amarillo is also worth noting. Scherlen understands the issues facing Amarillo — ranging from trash collection to infrastructure to public safety — and is prepared to deal with those issues from his first day in office. It is clear that Scherlen has done his homework and is ready to hit the ground running on the City Council.
In particular, Scherlen’s chops on public safety are so strong that he has earned dual endorsements from both the Amarillo Police Officers Association and the Amarillo Professional Firefighters Local 542. In addition, Scherlen has earned nearly unanimous support from local conservative organizations, like Young Conservatives of Texas and Conservative Patriots for Texas, signaling that he is trusted on issues like taxes and spending. Beyond just this endorsement, Scherlen also earned the endorsement of the Republican Party of Texas itself, which is a rare seal of approval for a local candidate running anywhere in the state.
Scherlen’s opponents, Massey and Adair, both have good ideas and deserve praise for stepping up to serve Amarillo. However, in this election, Scherlen’s record, resume, and knowledge of the issues, combined with a lengthy list of endorsements, set him apart as the man Amarillo needs this year.
We recommend Tom Scherlen for Amarillo City Council, Place 3.
Election Day is May 6. Early voting begins on April 24.
Please note: An editorial board recommendation does not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the Amarillo Pioneer’s advertisers or staff. A recommendation of one candidate does not represent a criticism of other candidates running unless otherwise stated. Recommendations may be offered in additional races.