I am announcing my intention to run for Mayor of Kyle.
When I first decided to run for City Council, I ran on a set of principles that, though important to me, I realized might change after actually experiencing serving on the council. Today the country appears to have changed in many ways. We now know the extent of the financial crisis is much worse than we first thought and our country, along with the state of Texas, is in a recession. With these changes in our world many people might expect my goals for Kyle to have changed. But I now find that the principles I ran on in the summer of 2008 are more important than ever.
“Kyle needs a vision for future growth that retains its individual appeal to stay competitive during a period of widespread economic instability.” This was the first line from my campaign brochure of 2008. Sometimes politicians seem to change their message once they have been in office or experienced a particularly difficult budget season, but I continue to stand by this message. I still believe Kyle needs economic diversity. Remaining competitive is more important than ever for Kyle.
The City of Kyle is making progress even in these difficult times. Hays County passed a $200 million road bond package that will substantially change the way our citizens will get to work every day. A new hospital now serves Kyle, bringing medical care and jobs to our community. Businesses are still opening in our town. But there is much work left to do.
During my time on the City Council, my expectations were greatly tested. I tried hard to stand up for budget cuts because I felt the City Council had an opportunity to reduce unnecessary spending items from the budget to avoid raising taxes as much as proposed by city staff. As mayor I will pledge to continue to work to insure fiscal responsibility with the people’s money. I feel a responsibility to the people of this town to keep challenging myself, and the entire City Council, to find better solutions for the city’s future.
I hope the citizens of Kyle give me the opportunity to continue to serve them as Mayor. Please do not hesitate to contact me at 262-0452 or at Lucy_Johnson@mac.com. It is important for me to know your concerns.
