Mayor Ward has run Hurst into Nearly $100,000,000 of Debt!

Mayor Ward has run Hurst into Nearly $100,000,000 of Debt!

By

James Scott Trimm

One of the principles of conservatism is that limited government should live within its means, and this generally means living within a balanced budget. As Ronald Reagan once said:

Balancing the budget is a little like protecting your virtue:

You just have to learn to say “no.”

(Remarks at Kansas State University at the Alfred M. Landon Lecture Series on Public Issues (September 9, 1982))

Yet our tax, borrow and spend City Council, under the leadership of Mayor Richard Ward has run Hurst up into nearly one hundred million dollars in debt!  That’s:  100,000,000 !.

Once City Councilman recently claimed “The outstanding debt principal totals $66.6 million. It is not $94.5 million as has been stated in some political posts.” While $66.6 Million (interesting number) is the principle, our city has no plan to pay the 66 million principle as a lump sum this year.  94.5 million dollars is what we will owe back when you include the interest.  Therefore 94.5 million is the real number.

Unfortunately the word “no” does not seem to be in the vocabulary of our Hurst City Council.   

Now I doubt that most Hurst citizens truly understand how mind boggling this number really is, so I thought I would illustrate for you just how much money the City of Hurst would have to have…. Before it would only be broke, and not actually in the hole.

To pay off this massive debt, 3,500 average Hurst citizens would have to contribute their entire income for an entire year! (That’s almost 10% of our residents, including children!)

Lets illustrate home much money we are talking about in physical cash. If you laid the bills from end to end, they would reach from Hurst City Hall to the International Space Station… and back… forty one times!

If you laid it out end to end the Hurst debt would reach from Los Angeles to New York… and back… TWICE!  Or from Hurst to London… and back again!

Folks, the tax borrow and spend machine at city hall must learn to say “no”. If they keep expanding this massive debt, the math will eventually crush us with interest! Even now, substantially reducing this debt could take many years.

It is time for a change at City Hall.  We need a mayor who will promote fiscal responsibility!  That candidate is Joel Downs. 

Mr. Downs is not the establishment candidate.  He offers positive change.   It is time for change, for new blood, and for a course correction toward conservative values that reflect those of the majority of the residents of our city.  And that is why I am supporting Joel Downs for Mayor.  I hope that you will join me.

You can Visit Joel Down's Campaign Website at http://www.downsforhurst.com