POLITICS fective progress for the community.
a few. I will reach out to each mem-
Q What qualities do you think TRIPP: Yes it is very important we ber individually and also see if we can
make an effective mayor?
HERTEL: Valuing honesty, radical transparency, building unity, being an impartial umpire to both council and community, and placing our city's welfare first. ISLAS: A good mayor must stay impartial during tough times and always make decisions with the city's best interests in mind. Remaining calm under pressure and considering all sides before moving forward with a solution is critical for an effective leader. Jarrell needs a mayor who can bring balance and thoughtful decision-making to the table. TRIPP: I think an effective mayor should have great communication skills with people from all walks of life, can make good decisions for their community, and a good negotiator.
form relationships and collaborative projects with our neighbors and bigger towns near us. We also need to hear the voices of our people who live in Sonterra, as most cannot vote in Jarrell but they do pay taxes and their children attend the Jarrell public schools. We need to find a way to hear their voices to assess their needs and accommodate them in our community. I personally believe Sonterra will become it's own community at some point. We need to be careful of how much we are taxing and who we are taxing and where our money goes. I plan to have out reach to all the places you listed above and more.
Q
How will you work with the Jarrell Economic Development Corporation (EDC) to assist its efforts to bring jobs to Jarrell?
meet collectively. Hoping we can all be on the same agenda.
Q
If elected, what your top three priorities? HERTEL: Business growth and retention. We need to grow our revenue without burdening our residents with increased property taxes Infrastructure, our roads have been neglected, we haven't honored agreements to provide water and wastewater to the Ronald Reagan business area. These issues need to be addressed and resolved. Quality of life, we need parks and activities for our youth. We need to stop allowing developers to not provide parks for residents, and identity land we can acquire for neighborhood parks and green space.
ISLAS: If elected, my top three priorQ Do you feel it is important to HERTEL: The relationship between ities will be promoting transparency
collaborate with entities that impact the financial future and growth of Jarrell (i.e. Sonterra MUD, Jarrell ISD, Williamson County, etc.)? And how would you do so? HERTEL: When one of us wins, we all win together. The major issues facing Jarrell, are shared across our various partner entities. Building strong inter-local relationships provides access to expertise and resources we otherwise would miss out on. I would make time develop and grow these relationships and look for opportunities to work together for all our betterment. ISLAS: Absolutely. Collaborating with key entities like Sonterra MUD, Jarrell ISD, and Williamson County is essential to our city’s growth. Trying to accomplish everything on our own can be costly and inefficient. By working together, we can share resources and expertise, leading to faster, more ef-
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the city and EDC needs to be solidified and made fully functional. The EDC has a strong Board of Directors and Executive Director, and the City needs to allow them to lead the efforts in their areas of expertise. I would work with council codify and independent EDC that is an equal partner with the city.
ISLAS: I will actively encourage businesses to invest in Jarrell through the EDC, including partnering with our schools to bring in industries like electric vehicle companies that can provide job training for students. Any company that can help Jarrell residents gain new skills and better job opportunities is a valuable partner in our future. TRIPP: I hope to form a good working relationship with them and meet with them often so we can make sure Jarrell is growing in the direction representing the needs and wants of it's people, not the needs and wants of
O C TO B E R 2024 M Y J A R R E L L M O N T H LY
in local government, ensuring a balanced division of power across city entities, and bringing full-time jobs and businesses to Jarrell to make it a more permanent home for residents. TRIPP: If I am elected, I want to really focus on some quality of life for us such as our roads and the famous potholes, our roads are lacking. They were never designed to bear the weight of all the heavy construction vehicles and machinery. We need to figure out long term planning of our roads and in short term how we want to repair them. Right now the fixes are band aid type fixes and we can all see that doesn't last or work. The second goal is a viable, nice size library as we can definitely support one and see if we can have our city fund it instead of it being private. Although having both would be awesome. My last big priority is learning the needs of our community.