Why The Mesquite City Council Runoff Is So Important

I have worked in many campaigns over the years and was a candidate for public office twice--but I didn't win! :) Never has an election been more important for the future of Mesquite. I am going to try to really explain here why I believe it is so important that we elect Gary Ward to be our next city councilman.

We face unparalleled times economically and socially. Our city's life blood, retail, is not what it once was when people were spending and times were good. We work and labor continuously to bring in manufacturing and companies who will bring in revenue and jobs--but like the rest of America--companies are not investing a lot these days. Although nationally, I think we are slowly turning a corner. Pockets of our city's youth lack guidance and the mentoring they need to not just be successful, but to not become a drain on our community. Section 8 housing has put a real burden on neighborhoods. (Not all section 8 residents, but enough are not working to be contributing citizens to make things tough). We have a wonderful police department that requires the highest standards of its officers--and they are doing great work--but crime is such that they surely have their work cut out for them. Our neighborhoods need strong and efficient crime watch programs back in place to partner with the police. We have out of state slum landlords who don't take care of their properties or don't hold their tenants accountable. And these slumlords give a bad name to many of our local business owners who own rental properties who do play by the rules.

These are but a few of the many opportunities and challenges our city faces. Never has their been a time when strong leadership, experience and a track record of accomplishments for the community been more paramount than now!

I have heard a handful of very well meaning friends say they want to see more youth on the city council. I value that statement. When I was 19, my best friend ran for city council and I mangaged his campaign. When I was 29, I ran for a seat in the Texas Legislature. No one better appreciates such statements as me. However, while youthful vigor and energy are important--even youthful city council candidates need to have at least some civic involvement and leadership experience. When I ran for State Representative, I had served on the City Planning and Zoning Commission, Historic Mesquite Inc., was active in the Chamber of Commerce, served on a PTA board and managed a multi-million dollar business. I was young, but I had a track record of doing what I said I would do. Youth and new blood is wonderful! But we don't just turn the keys to city hall over to someone who happens to be young and one day just decides they want to be a councilman!

Leaders need to have been tested. Leaders need to have done something productive and useful for the community besides just having made money. Leaders need to have a track record of being consistent and steadfast. We need to know something about their record, what they stand for, how they might conduct themselves as an elected official.

I don't doubt that Brian Hutcheson is a well meaning young man. But the challenges Mesquite faces requires MUCH more than some good intentions and a fresh face. The only civic involvement or track record Mr. Hutcheson has--was a fairly recent appointment to the Mesquite Board of Adjustment--a very important decision making board that affects things like carport extensions and such. Mr. Hutcheson attended one meeting--and then resigned?

There are other legitimate concerns about Mr. Hutcheson that have been raised such as a Texas Driver's License that reflects a City of Dallas address? But honestly, my greatest concern is simply--what has he done and what record do we have to look at?

Gary Ward, whether you like him or not personally--has given and served his nation and our city faithfully for over 40 years! When his nation called him to go serve in a very unpopular and painful war in Vietnam, Gary did not hesitate to go serve. And serve he did as a Combat Engineer with the 101st Airborne Division. Gary saw friends lose their lives and struggled because he did not have the skills to help them stay alive. He vowed then that one day he would do work that allowed him to help save people's lives. So when he came home, after doing some construction work for a short period, he went to work for the Mesquite Fire Department. And for almost 37 years Gary rode ambulances and fire engines and dealt with every kind of difficult and unimaginable situation we can imagine--all to protect Mesquite families and save lives. He certainly did not do it for the money. For many years, both our firefighters and police officers had to work second jobs just to take care of their families. Gary's hard work to bring about better working standards and pay for our public safety employees has changed all that today.

In the 1990s, Gary served a term on the MISD Board of Trustees. Some of his fellow trustees and some staff who were opposed to Gary then politically. The first few years I was involved in local politics, I was opposed to Gary politically and there were some hard fought battles. But what I learned back then and what some of those school leaders learned--was that whether you agree with Gary or not--you really can't question that he is passionate about doing what is right for the people of Mesquite. Today, myself and some of those retired school trustees and staff are working hard to elect Gary--because we know he cares deeply about Mesquite and that even if we sometimes disagree with him--we can dialogue with him and have a discussion about what is best--and often compromise and unite to do what needs to be done! Gary is supported by five former Mesquite Mayors--most of whom at one time or another was in a heated battle politically with Gary in the old days. But all of them like me, know there is no better man to have in your corner and who you can work with to get needed things done for Mesquite. Mesquite has no better man to be in our corner than Gary Ward!

Gary is accessible and open to the people. I hosted three different events for Gary recently--where average voters could just ask him any questions they have--including some tough questions--and Gary not only answered their questions--but he really listened to them and took their ideas and suggestions about how to better our community! WE NEED LEADERS WHO WILL ACTUALLY LISTEN TO US!

You don't have time to read all the many accomplishments I could list of what Gary has done to benefit Mesquite over the last 30 plus years. But I encourage you to ask questions. Look at his record. Look into your heart and see who really has shown their love for our great city and who decided recently they'd like to be elected to public office. Gary could have easily jumped into the fun and relaxed life of retirement--he certainly had earned it. But instead, he loves our city and is willing to go back to work again--FOR FREE! He has had his name dragged through the mud over and over--had awful lies and cruel things said about him. He has endured things most of us would never want to have to go through--for a job that doesn't pay a salary. But he is still standing, fighting for a better tomorrow for our city. Lets honor his service and his love for Mesquite--and elect Gary Ward our next city councilman!

Bruce Archer

FOR OUR VETERANS

In 1953, my dad was drafted into the United States Army. He was very much afraid he would either freeze to death or be shot in Korea. But by the grace of God, while dad was in basic training at Ft. Bliss, President Eisenhower signed the armistice that for the most part ended that very painful and difficult war. My dad went on to serve at Ft. Monroe, Virginia as an air defense radar operator. His primary job was to make sure no aircraft got within a certain range of Washington. Dad actually received an accomodation for saving a commercial airliner from being shot down at the last second one day. When dad passed away, President Clinton sent us a very nice letter thanking my dad for his service, which I cherish greatly.

There are so many others who have paid the cost of freedom on our behalf--some gave limb and flesh, some gave a few years of their life, and many paid the ultimate price. This blog is dedicated to all those who have served our nation in uniform since the Revolutionary War.

For the patriots who served at places like Saratoga and Bunker Hill during the American Revolution--thank you.

For the U.S. Marines and Navy men who fought galliantly against middle eastern pirates on the Barbary Coast to protect our shipping--thank you.

For the soldiers who fought at places like Baltimore, Lake Detroit, and New Orleans during the War of 1812--thank you.

For the U.S. Marines and Army troops who smashed through the walls of Montezuma in Mexico City and fought at places like Vera Cruz during the War with Mexico--thank you.

For the soldiers who fought at places like Bull Run and Chatanooga when our nation was almost torn apart forever--and the commander in chief who ultimately gave his life saving our nation in that desperate war called the Civil War--thank you.

For the sailors who gave their lives aboard the U.S.S. Maine and the soldiers TR led up San Juan Hill during the War with Spain--thank you!

For the Army soldiers who fought at places like Chateau-Thierry and Belleau Wood in World War One--thank you.

For the Soldiers, Sailors, Airman, and Marines who fought at places like Pearl Harbor, Sicily, Midway, New Guinea, North Africa, Iwo Jima, and Paris during World War II--thank you.

For those Americans who fought at places like Seoul and Inchon during the Korean War--thank you.

For those Americans who fought at places like Saigon, Hue, and Dak To during the Vietnam War--thank you.

For those Americans who fought and died at places like the Iranian Desert during the Iran-Hostage Crises, the marine barracks in Lebanon, Grenada, Panama, The Mediterranean Sea, Kuwait, Somalia, and Bosnia--thank you.

For those Americans who have and are still fighting and dying in places like Baghdad, Fallujah, and Kabul--thank you so much!

For all those men and women who have worn the uniform of the United States Military, who have stood a post, cleaned latrines and the head, who have dug trenches, who have worked in military hospitals, who have served in peace time, and who served period--thank you so much!

May the Lord bless all those who have and who continue to serve. May HE bless our great nation--and may we be a nation worthy of HIS blessing!

Happy Memorial Day veterans!

DIFFERENT SEASONS FOR DIFFERENT KINDS OF LEADERSHIP

I just finished the book "Presidential Courage" by Michael Beschloss. It was very interesting to look at how various presidents offered different kinds of leadership at just the right times. Some who might be opposed ideologically to those presidents might not view leadership the way Bschloss does. However, I think his book makes a real case for the fact that our nation needs different leaders of different political viewpoints at certain times and seasons of our nation's life.

For example, as much as my heart is more aligned with the Jeffersonians of the early Republic--Washington showed great courage and leadership in sticking with the authors of the Jay Treaty which helped us keep out of war with Britain--at a time when we really could not afford such a war so soon after achieving our Independence.

However, a few years later when Jefferson became president--it was time for new leadership and new thinking that moved away from too much focus on business interests and pro-Britain thinking--and a greater support for the common man--which would surface again when Andrew Jackson became president.

When Franklin Roosevelt became president in 1933--he did not really come in with policies that just remedied and fixed all our economic problems. NO PRESIDENT CAN REALLY DO THAT! What FDR offered was an invigorating and enthusiastic flavor of rallying the people--letting them know that we could indeed get through the difficult times. The people needed some more liberal monetary policies--even if those policies would be costly later--sometimes we do what needs to be done to survive the moment. My dad once taught me that politically in our nation--that anytime the pendulum swings too far one way--it has to swing back some the other day. Thats why I am so adamant that extremism be it either liberal or conservative--is very harmful for our nation. Thats why I get concerned when I see more and more moderate politicians being pushed out for either ultra liberal or ultra conservative.

And yet--when Ronald Reagan became president--after many years of the follow up of FDR's legacy with Truman, JFK, LBJ, and Jimmy Carter--it was time for new more conservative leadership. It was time for hard hitting foreign policy--against a most formidable Soviet Union. It was a time for more conservative economic policy to create some real activity in the markets. Whats interesting though--is that FDR and Reagan both had a leadership style in common--they both knew how to communicate with the people to reassure them that better times were ahead. If a leader can simply do that--that can often make the difference!

We need leaders who can look beyond what the polls say--who can really see what the nation needs long term. Be they Republican or Democrat--we need leaders who are willing to make tough decisions. Sometimes making a decision--even if it does not turn out to work that well--is better than doing nothing!

I am convinced that in every crises and situation our nation has faced--one style of leadership and political views and ideology--has never been a "one size fits all."

I hope that in our classrooms all over the nation today--we are building up future Republicans, Democrats and Independents who can one day lead this nation--or just plain good men and women who will be good citizens and make a difference for their communities and their nation.

What do you think? Lets have a conversation.

SAD DAY IN AMERICAN POLITICS

Well, in about seven months we will be saying goodbye to Senator Arlen Spector--at least politically speaking--unless of course the President gives him a job. Ole Arlen has come along way from his days of being a Junior Counsel for the Warren Commission!

I am sad about Spector's defeat. Not that I don't think Sestak doesn't have something to offer--he is a former 3 star admiral. I honestly don't know a lot about Pat Toomey. And honestly, my concern is not that Sestak or Toomey would either make a bad senator. My sadness and concern--is that the old lions of both parties--who were moderate and flexible--are slowly being pushed out more and more.

I did not always like Spector's votes, but he could be counted on to often at least be reasonable. He was a Republican for many years--but not an ultra die hard zealous one. And as a Democrat, he was not an ultra liberal. He typically voted for what was good for Pennsylvania and he could at times be a bridge builder between opposing sides.

Some might think that being a moderate politician who can sometimes go either way means they are unprincipled. I disagree, I think it is more unprincipled to be one who always refuses to compromise and that they are right and everyone else is just wrong. Don't get me wrong, there are times to stand up for beliefs and not waver. But there are many times where we need politicians to pursue compromise and get part of something good done--instead of nothing good done!

Some may say we need all fresh and new faces--and maybe that has some merit. But we also need veteran lawmakers who can work with other members of both parties and actually accomplish things for the people. Its hard to do that when everyone is so polarlized and they are either very liberal Democrats or very conservative Republicans.

So maybe all of us non-elected citizens should get more involved and make a difference! You don't have to be an elected official to get something done!

Lets have a conversation!

Presidential Leadership

I have been listening to the Michael Beschloss (presidential historian) audio book about Presidential Leadership. I was listening today about the very difficult and almost unnavigatable waters FDR had to go through in the 3 to 4 years leading up to the eventual U.S. entrance into WWII.

With Isolationist Republicans in Congress and around the nation hitting him on one side and Democrats like Joe Kennedy, FDR's ambassador to Great Britain prior to our entrance on the other side--Roosevelt really had a difficult time trying to comfort and assure the American people that he was not trying to shove their boys into a war in Europe--while also having the burden to know that our nation HAD to be preparing for that day that would come! Whether it was Lend Lease or back door channels and little deals between himself and Winston Churchill, Roosevelt knew that America would not be able to avoid the war indefinitely.

Year after year in the late 30s and into 1941, all the major polls showed that the people's greatest concern was staying out of the war. Roosevelt could have done what was politically easy by going by the polls. But presidential leadership is not being led by polls--but instead--leading the people regardless of the polls!

Lets have a conversation.

Why So Many Labels And Requirements Just To Make A Better Country?

I am not a Tea Party, Green Party, Republican Party, Reform Party, Democratic Party, or any other kind of party kind of person when it comes to my citizenship as an American. I find that for the most part, the two party system works--but there have been times where a third party needed to shake things up some.

I began my adventure in politics in the Republican Party because I thought being a Republican was about the kind of politics practiced by men like Dwight Eisenhower, Bob Dole, Gerald Ford, and George H.W. Bush (who I cast my first vote for when I had just turned 18). I thought Republican politics were about being strong on defense, conservative with the people's money--but not uncompassionate or greedy, and practical and some basic Christian moral values--without forcing religious views on people.

Later I found myself more active in the Democratic Party--and ran two races for public office--as a "Conservative Democrat" in the mold of men like Scoop Jackson, Sam Nunn, Sam Rayburn, Lloyd Bentsen and others. I thought then that being a Democrat primarily meant that you were more liberal on economic issues--but not reckless, looking for ways to make sure the poor and working class Americans got a shot at the American dream, strong foreign policy but not starting fights, not allowing the corporate gurus and fat cats to control everything and get out of hand with excesses, and using the government to solve some of our basic problems--while recognizing that government can't fix everything. I probably had a utopian idea that one could be supportive somewhat of some of the New Deal/Great Society kinds of programs--but still be supportive of some of the moral fabric that keeps our country stable.

In my experiences in both parties I discovered a few things. I discovered that there are some wonderful people in both parties who truly want to do something good and make a difference. I discovered that there are people in both parties who are only about benefitting themselves and who have no agenda other than their own selfish motives. I discovered that so often--good and well meaning candidates of both parties who I will call "MODERATE" often get passed over in primaries for the more "EXTREMIST" candidates who often go on to create havoc, chaos, gridlock, and a greater sense of hate and a very uncivil tone in Washington and all the state capitals around the nation.

And so I find myself often not fitting into either party. I often find myself without a home when it comes to politics. Which is fine, because ultimately my home is not in this world--Heaven is my home! But while I am in this world, I like being a good citizen. In fact, I think the Bible encourages us to "Render Unto Caesar" if you will and submit to authority.

I get so frustrated that we have to all fit into these "boxes" and labels if you will? Its like you can't support things like universal health care or regulating excessive and out of control corporate structures without being looked at as a wild eyed crazy communist liberal! Its like you can't stand by your religious moral principles when it comes to certain social issues--without being called a "Jesus Freak." And then again, there are so many who may share my convictions when it comes to "Christian Values" but who express them and attack those who don't agree with such "UnChristlikeness!" I absolutely love and appreciate people like Governor Mike Huckabee. He and I don't agree on a number of economic and other types of domestic issues--but he is a Christian who can really disagree with political opponents in a loving and respectful--Christlike way. I once watched him interview Bill Maher--who is one of those ultras on the left side--and even when Maher was hateful and disrespectful--Huckabee kept on being kind. That really impressed me!!

And its like you can't just be an "Independent." There are so many labels and requirements. And because of this--so many important issues that could be worked out, compromised on, and something good and useful for the people be done--GET LEFT UNRESOLVED!

We have to find a way to start having more conversations in this country--where we really listen to each other. We have to find a way to start recognizing that nothing will ever be our way 100 percent! We have to find a way to start finding what we can agree on as opposed to looking for what we disagree on! THE VOLUME IS TOO HIGH!!! We need to all settle down just a little and turn down the hate and anger a little. We need to empathize some and look at things from the other guy's point of view. And then talk a little more and listen a little more. Who knows, we might actually accomplish some great things for our communities and nation!

We need more leaders like Teddy Roosevelt who can look beyond partisanship and really get something done to last for generations!

Just some thoughts. Lets have a conversation!

WHERE TO VOTE IN MESQUITE TOMORROW

Whoever you choose to vote for--I encourage all Mesquite voters to go vote tomorrow--the polls will be open from 7-7. Here are all the Mesquite polling places:


DALLAS COUNTY PRECINCTS LOCATED WITHIN MESQUITE’S CITY LIMITS
• Precinct Nos. 2323, 2324, 2325 and 2326 – MESQUITE HIGH SCHOOL, 300 East Davis, Mesquite,
Texas.
• Precinct Nos. 2327 and 2328 – PIRRUNG ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, 1500 Creek Valley, Mesquite,
Texas.
• Precinct Nos. 2329, 2330 and 3902 – HORN HIGH SCHOOL, 3300 East Cartwright Road,
Mesquite, Texas.
• Precinct Nos. 2319, 2320, 2321 and 2322 – GALLOWAY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, 2329
Candleberry, Mesquite, Texas.
• Precinct Nos. 2315, 2316, 2317 and 2318 – WILKINSON MIDDLE SCHOOL, 2100 Crest Park,
Mesquite, Texas.
• Precinct Nos. 2303, 2307, 2309, 2310 and 2312 – TOSCH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, 2424
Larchmont, Mesquite, Texas.
• Precinct Nos. 2300, 2301, 2302, 2308, 2332 and 2333 – FLORENCE PARK COMMUNITY CENTER,
2501 Whitson Way, Mesquite, Texas.
• Precinct Nos. 2304, 2305, 2306, 2313 and 2314 – SCOTT DUNFORD COMMUNITY CENTER, 1015
Green Canyon, Mesquite, Texas.
• Precinct No. 2141* – O’BANION MIDDLE SCHOOL, 700 Birchwood Drive, Garland, Texas.
• Precinct Nos. 2142* and 2147* – TOLER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, 3520 Guthrie Road, Garland,
Texas.