Editorial: Don Collins' Ideas Deserve Place in City Debate

Don Collins/Screenshot by Inspire Amarillo

This year, six candidates are running for mayor. Among this group is Don Collins, a former Elkhart City Councilman and CVS Pharmacy manager, who is running an under-the-radar campaign to replace outgoing Mayor Ginger Nelson.

Throughout the campaign, Collins has been outspent and outraised by two very well-known and politically savvy opponents. Still, while Collins’ campaign remains an uphill battle, his platform is one that few other candidates have addressed — and is also one that needs to remain in the conversation about the future of Amarillo.

Collins has made his campaign all about Amarillo’s senior citizen community. According to Collins, Amarillo’s senior citizens need to be a focus of the policy goals of the City of Amarillo, after having been displaced thanks to the shuttering of the Amarillo Senior Citizens Association’s campus in downtown Amarillo.

The things Collins has discussed on the campaign trail — like putting handicap railing on the steps of the Amarillo Civic Center Auditorium — are not issues that most voters would find all that sexy. However, they are important issues that need to be addressed by the next City Council. And for the most part, Collins has been the force leading that discussion when it comes to our upcoming local election.

Collins has made it clear that he feels that Amarillo’s senior citizen community has been left behind. And when you think about it, Collins has a point. More time, effort, and money has been put toward passing pet projects and tax incentive agreements to reward campaign donors than has been spent on ensuring that Amarillo’s most important stakeholders — like our senior citizens — have been heard.

When you look at the City of Amarillo’s list of current boards and commissions, there is one board listed that deals with senior services — the 21st Century Senior Services Development Advisory Board. The only problem is that the board has been inactive since adjourning its last meeting nearly five years ago. And it doesn’t look like it’s coming back anytime soon.

Just this simple fact alone shows that the issue that Collins is addressing is one that has gone overlooked by the current City of Amarillo leadership. And it is one that will hopefully be addressed by our next City Council.

If Collins is not successful in this year’s campaign, voters should hope that the City Council finds a place for Collins to address these issues within our city government. And voters should also hope that they see Collins’ name again on the ballot in 2025, as his ideas are ones that need to be a part of the debate over the city’s future going forward.