HomeAnn Marie LudlowPrimary 2018 Vote: On Leadership

Primary 2018 Vote: On Leadership

With early voting for the 2018 Primaries underway and nominations/elections just days away, the publishers and staff wish to address our Texas and County leadership.

There is no question Texas is unique in the Union for its history and personality. Williamson County, in particular, is a melting pot of the principles of independence and conservatism that saw its people through recession time after time.

At election time, we have an opportunity to look at the kind of people we have in office, those who aspire to be, and our responsibility to make informed choices.

Our best leaders take the shots; they absorb the issues and concerns of our County because to reflect them is to put the problems on others.

When DA Shawn Dick talks about the unfortunate number of murders we’ve had in Williamson County in 2018, he does not tear down law enforcement or our justice courts. Instead he talks about the professionalism, transparency and integrity he promised and is maintaining in his own office to make sure we know what he’s up against.

He constantly praises our police and deputies for diligence, and prosecutors and judges for maintaining the reputation we have for making sure, if you want to commit a crime in Texas, you’re going to want to leave Williamson County to do it.

D.A. Dick has made a point of endorsing Judge Bill Gravell in this election in all types of media. “I can not do my job without a County Judge committed to those same principles. Bill Gravell listens to people; no one voter is more important than any other.”

Fortunately, D.A. Dick is not the only elected official leading the troops on the political battlefield.

This county is fortunate to have a Sheriff who is so well liked, he won a majority vote in a five-man race. Our social media Sheriff shows his character every day when he posts, for the world to see, all the good—and bad—news in his department.

Sheriff Chody has led the way with proactivity and programs. He says the things we’d all like to say but don’t, either because we don’t have the audience or we can’t risk the blowback. But if you follow his social media, you know no one threatens his people or his county without him having something to say about it and the willingness to step outside the box to fix it.

He is also outspoken about Judge Gravell; “It’s not just me supporting Bill Gravell; all the Williamson County public safety associations that are making endorsements; every one of them is endorsing Bill Gravell.”

Constable Pct. 1 Vinnie Cherrone is also not afraid to climb on top of the trench and blow the whistle for the troops; “How much money has our Commissioner’s Court cost you? If Bill Gravell is not elected to be the next County Judge, it’s status quo or worse. When the Sheriff asked for 35 people and he got one detective and one research analyst, there’s a problem…The County is growing and Bill wants to do it the people’s way. We need to unify and in order to do that, we have to elect great people.”   

Judge Gravell spoke last week in Round Rock about the financial burdens in our County, but also the problem of unification of the party and leadership in general. “Two years ago our county paid off almost $800,000 in fees to an attorney representing the county in a law suit because some on the Commissioners Court asked illegal questions. The Court recently voted 3-1 to spend almost $400,000 for a house for a park employee to live in, in order to maintain the property. The people of Williamson County did not have a say in either of those things and, as leaders, we have to be smarter in how we spend your money.”

Constable Pct. 3 Kevin Stofle added, “I work hand-in-hand with Judge Gravell and every day, every week, he has the hardest working staff and is the hardest working official in the County. I can personally dispel the false rumors that he is spending more time on ‘junkets’ than working in his office serving the people. He is a man of compassion and integrity and I am proud to put my name beside his.”

On the principle of leadership, Gravell says; “Part of leadership is not tearing down other people but reminding people that together we can bring out the best in one another. I have worked hard in this campaign to honor our Lord and the people of Williamson County. I would rather lose an election because I keep my integrity by not tearing down others than to tear down others and win. I will always be a man of integrity that builds up other people.”

We wish to thank our leaders who are willing to go into political no-man’s-land first.

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