Why I am Supporting Joel Downs for Hurst City Council
By
James Scott Trimm
I have lived my entire life (nearly half a century) in
Hurst, and I have been a registered voter in Hurst for my entire adult
life. My entire family was very
politically involved, and I was raised a conservative. I want to say that I am a conservative
first, and a Republican second. My
conservatism is non-partisan. Before
the Reagan Revolution I was a conservative Democrat, I have been a conservative
Republican, and I stand ready to abandon the Republican party as well, if it
too rejects conservative principles.
As a conservative I have a core set of values and beliefs
about the limited role of government, and personal liberty, which serve as my
guide. These principles are applicable
on every level of government, including municipal government. These are values that I do not believe Henry
Wilson shares.
One of those core values is that government must live within
its means. If possible, government (on
all levels) should avoid borrowing, and even establish a “rainy day fund” for
future lean years. However, the City of
Hurst has been borrowing at an alarming rate, despite having a healthy tax
base. The city is now nearly 100
million dollars in debt! We must not
let this trend continue. We have seen
what has happened to cities that have run themselves into heavy debt. And what have we gotten for this debt? Well in the case of the recent renovation of
the Hurst Library, I cannot tell that anything I recognize as a “library” was
actually expanded. From what I can
tell, no new shelf space for actual books has been added, much of the new space
is a large, grand, lofty hallway that must now be heated and air conditioned.
Joel Downs wants to begin the process of reining in this
debt, and this definitely resonates with my conservative values.
But Downs is hardly a one issue candidate, he is running on
a number of issues that resonate with my conservative values of limited
government, transparent government, personal liberty and self determination.
One issue is the red light cameras in Hurst. I am convinced that the majority of
residents in Hurst do not want these cameras.
I do not believe that a properly limited government should press these
red light cameras upon citizens that do not want them. To me, this is offensive to my values of
freedom and self-determination of the people of our city.
Joel also emphasizes personal liberty and encourages
capitalism. These are also core
conservative values which go hand in hand with limited government, and would do
much to encourage new business growth in areas of Hurst that definitely need
it.
By contrast Joel’s opponent, Henry Wilson has been no friend
of limited government, personal freedom and property rights. Indeed he was a
key part of a most vile disregard for property rights in our city.
Back in 1997 Henry Wilson was on our city council
as a key figure responsible for one of the most egregious abuses of the eminent
domain power in the history of the United States. At that time the City of
Hurst forced 127 families from their homes, not for a new school or fire house, but to expand the mall and build an
adjacent shopping center!
The Institute of Justice’s Castle Coalition listed this as
one of “the 10 most egregious uses of eminent domain for private purposes” and
writes: of these events:
A Texas trial judge refused to stay the condemnations while
the suit was ongoing, so the residents lost their homes. Leonard Prohs had to
move while his wife was in the hospital with brain cancer. She died only five
days after their house was demolished. Phyllis Duval’s husband also was in the
hospital with cancer at the time they were required to move. He died one month
after the demolition. Of the ten couples, three spouses died and four others
suffered heart attacks during the dispute and litigation. In court, the owners
presented evidence that the land surveyor who designed the roads for the mall
had been told to change the path of one road to run through eight of the houses
of the owners challenging the condemnations.
(Government Theft: The Top 10 Abuses of Eminent Domain;
March 2002; page 11)
Wilson was cold and unsympathetic about this blatant
disregard for property rights saying at the time “We’re doing something neat
for all of the citizens of Hurst.” (Dallas Morning News; April 13, 1997)
Moreover Henry Wilson is no friend of transparency in
government. In 2010 Henry Wilson joined
fourteen other city council members from various Texas cities and sued the
state of Texas in a failed effort to have the Texas Open Meetings Act thrown
out.
“Open, transparent government is fundamental to our democratic system of government. Today’s decision ensures that the Texas Open Meetings Act will continue holding elected officials accountable to conduct the taxpayers’ business in the light of day and in a manner that informs the public about government decision-making,”
Henry Wilson is running on his experience, he has been on
the city council since 1985. Now I have
nothing against Mr. Wilson personally.
He seems to be a very nice person, who has been very community minded
over the years. But that does not mean
that Mr. Wilson reflects my values. Mr.
Wilson is the establishment candidate, the status quo.
I make a challenge to my fellow Hurstonians. Drive down Pipeline Road all the way through
south Hurst. After you cross Precinct
Line Road (going east towards Bedford), start looking at what this area of
Hurst looks like today, and ask yourself, is Hurst better off today than it was
in 1985? How many head shops were in
Hurst in 1985? How many head shops are
in Hurst today?
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 City Council. I hope that you will join me.
You can Visit Joel Down's Campaign Website at
http://www.downsforhurst.com
