Sheriff David Greene joins the GOP!

On behalf of the Republican Party of Milam County, I would like to welcome Sheriff David Greene and thank him for his valued leadership in making the decision to be a part of the conservative movement in Milam County.

A movement built on the beliefs and values held by the people of Milam County and not simply to an ideology formed by a state or federal party.

We honor Sheriff Greene’s principal goal of serving the citizens of Milam County while representing his true conservative beliefs and we are proud of his decision to change his party affiliation to the Republican Party of Milam County.

Welcome Sheriff Greene,
Bill

Milam County Redistricting!

Milam County Redistricting is almost complete and in what is looking like a record time compared to those counties around us. Kudos to our County Judge and Commissioners for their hard work and dedication to getting this done in a timely and transparent manner. If you haven’t seen the redistricting maps then head on over to the county website and take a look (www.milamcounty.net). By the way, the county website is up and has received very nice reviews from those who have used it.

The redistricting meetings were well received and all those in attendance were generally happy with the outcome of the redistricting maps. Many were very thankful for the actual opportunity to have an open and public forum to review the maps and question the members of the commissioners’ court about their reasoning for making the changes.

By getting the preliminary maps out on the county website, Milam County citizens were able to view the maps and give their feedback to the commissioners and Judge Barkemeyer thereby allowing changes to be made that meet the needs of Milam County Voters. Problems addressed, concerns tackled and suggestions acted on; all concepts of working with the public that is allowing our County Government to act swifter, work harder, and become more efficient.

Thanks for a job well done!!
Bill

State Redistricting 2011 – Strike One

Well the first set of redistricting maps came out for the Texas House of Representatives last week and I have to say I for one was not very exciting. It’s proposed that Milam County move from House District 20 to a new House District 149. This all sounds non-threatening until you read a little more and find out that it takes Milam County out of the District served by Rep. Charles Schwertner (whom we elected) and includes us in an open district with a sprinkling of Williamson County and all of Burnet County – Yes, Burnet County.

This new district has been called many things including “Dumbo Ears with a Chinstrap.” What it has not been called by anyone in Milam County was logical, smart, pragmatic, nor has it been referred to as desirable. My first phone calls to our elected officials suggested that this is not a very realistic plan and I asked for some sort of explanation, no one wanted to take credit for it.

So Sunday afternoon, Judge Dave Barkemeyer accompanied by a concerned citizen headed to Austin to speak at the open forum for this committee. His testimony was favorably received and in speaking with one state legislature this morning I was told that the House redistricting map is about 85% complete, which is down some from the 95% complete I was quoted last week. I was also told that we should expect to be in the 15% to be changed as even the House Committee is perplexed and does not think this map in its current form will stand the scrutiny of Department of Justice approval. But they had to start somewhere.

Just like with the budget plans and other legislation, these initial maps are far from the final version; however, unlike in other aspects of American politics, this committee seems to be addressing the redistricting fairly and is working together to improve this map and avoid a repeat of the House Democrat Exodus to Oklahoma of 2003.

As the Chair of the Milam County Republican Party I would like to see Milam County remain in as close to the same District 20 as we can manage; however, if not then I would prefer to see Milam County move to a more rural district such as District 17 currently represented by Tim Kleinschmidt (R-Lexington).

This redistricting plan is far from complete I would recommend you contact your State Representative with your thoughts. With the legislature in session, if you feel strong enough, head to Austin in person and let them know your feelings.

Thanks,
Bill

The Website is Up!!

During the 2010 Election, transparency in county government was an issue we in the Milam County GOP took very serious. Our former County Judge said a county website was too expensive and would take too much time to maintain. Due to those expenses we could not justify setting up a new website for the County. Cost figures from $20,000 to $40,000 were thrown out when questions on this subject arose. Guess what; it didn’t cost much after all!

Maybe it wasn’t the cost of the website but the cost of making access to information too easy, but I digress.

In the end, the web service the county uses to host their emails was used to host the website for no additional cost to the county. So thanks to the hard work and dedication of Mike Brown and others, Milam County now has a website that is both user friendly and user helpful.

All the county departments are listed and you can find contact information for them all. Forms that have required a visit to the county offices in the past are now available online. You want a copy of the County Budget, click on it and print it on your printer. That’s right; no longer must you make a trip to the County Clerk’s office at a cost of $1.00 a page (costing as much as $75.00 for the whole budget).

Want to see where the money is spent and what bills are paid by the county – it’s on there. You want access to the County Appraisal District Database – it’s on there. You want to see the agenda or minutes from a Commissioner’s Court Meeting – it’s on there. Lots of the information that many people have wanted access to is also on there, just like in most other counties in Texas.

Some information is not there yet, but it’s on the way. Soon there will be maps for the county, court docket lists, a user feedback section to tell the county what you want to see as well as other parcels of information many people have wanted to see for some time now.

Another nice function of this website and its professional appearance is that people and businesses looking to do commerce here now have a central county website that they can look at. That way they can find the information they desire about the county as well as links to county departments and other websites in the county such as chambers of commerce and municipal websites.

Having been to many conferences on economic development, many business people tell me a strong county website is invaluable in attracting business. Being in an oilfield service business I can tell you that a solid county website make a huge difference when I am making plans for the future of my business.

So take a few seconds and go to www.milamcounty.net and check out the new county website. I think you’ll be quite impressed by the quality and quantity of the information.

Thanks for all the hard work,
Bill

Thanks for the Support, the Website’s on the Way!!

I have been very grateful for the kind words and congratulatory sentiments we have received since the election and for the newfound openness and availability to the elected officials here in Milam County. The folks I have spoken to around the county have been thankful and pleasantly surprised with the openness and availability they have had with Judge Barkemeyer and the rest of the public officials here in Milam County and in the State House. Many folks said they noticed a feeling of a fresh new start for Milam County.

I spoke with one of our incumbent Democrats and they reported that it is much easier to approach our Commissioners’ Court and to discuss the issues that are affecting their ability to adequately conduct business in the office they hold. They informed me that we might have had some rough spots at the start, but there is a movement to conduct business in a manner that supports a correct, ethical, and fair manner of doing business that can and will benefit all the citizens of Milam County. As we have all seen by the revelations made since January 1st, there is a better more open way of doing business that will allow the public to have a better idea of how their county government is operating.

The candidates of the Republican Party of Milam County ran for election based on a plan aimed at Getting Milam County back to Work. That plan began with making Milam County Government better by making it more efficient and less expensive; that is the part of the process that is being worked on currently. I could go into the reasons for how difficult this process is, but that would mean finger-pointing and accusations that don’t do any good. What is needed now is to get to work to recover lost revenues from unpaid past-due fines and penalties, eliminate and/or replace out-of-date technologies, and to begin the process or running county government as it is required to be run based on state guidelines and laws.

The next project that will be readily visible to the public will be to bring an official Milam County website online in the next few months. A site that will give important information such as contact information for all the government departments of Milam County, burn ban notifications, emergency notifications, and give access to Milam county business documents like the county budget, checkbook and important notices just to name a few. This is generally the first contact a perspective business has with a county prior to considering doing business in a county and is such a basic piece of information technology that most businesses deem a county backwards if it is without a website. Now we all know Milam County is not a backward by any means, but without a decent official website to provide the county’s basic information, how is a perspective employer to know the difference.

Well that’s going to have to suffice for today. I need to get outside and enjoy a little snow time with the kids. Hope you all have had a wonderful wintery day. Be safe and hopefully we’ll see you all at the Republican Women’s Fundraiser celebrating President Reagan’s Birthday and the Birth of the Republic of Texas, at 6:00 pm next Thursday, February 10th, at the VFW in Cameron. If you need tickets you can ask any of the members of the Republican Women of Milam County or any of the Executive Committee of the Republican Party of Milam County. All their contact information can be found at www.milamgop.org.

Be Careful Out There,
Bill

Time to get to work!!!

Hello Everyone,

Well I thought we could take a little time off following the election and this month’s swearing in, but I guess not. In the last month we have been hit by a full force offensive in the blogosphere. Our Democrat friends are at it whole-heartedly writing on the internet. They are also working hard to raise money and “awareness” to get their message out prior to the 2012 election. I know that seems like it is far off, but in reality, it is just a little over ten months before people start filing for office again.

As reported in the January 10th County Commissioner’s Meeting, Milam County suffered a $700,000.00 deficit for 2010 and based on the budget passed by the Democrats last year Milam County will be strapped with a deficit that could be anywhere from $1.5 to $1.1 million in 2011. So much for that $1.1 million dollar reserve fund Judge Summers was boasting about during last year’s election. We need leadership in Milam County – Conservative Leadership. This is why we must get out and support organizations like the Republican Women of Milam County.

We need everyone’s help – your help. Please make plans to attend the February 10th Reagan Day Dinner and Texas Independence Celebration with guest speaker Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson. This will be the Republican Women of Milam County’s Fundraiser for 2011. Last year’s Dinner at 44 Farms raised nearly $15,000.00 that was used to fund our advertising and to provide the Republican Candidates with the money they needed to succeed.

Much was made of where the money the Republican Women raised came from; however, unlike the Democrat’s attack ads claimed, most of the money came from right here in Milam County. It was the hard work of the Republican Women and the generosity of Milam County residents who made the election successes of 2010 possible. Now we need to repeat that feat!

Please take the time to secure your tickets for the February 10th Dinner and let’s get the word out to our friends, family, and neighbors. We have shown that you can be a proud Republican in Milam County. It’s up to each of us to continue our conservative movement to make Milam County Government an open book run by public servants who are truly working to make Milam County a better, more prosperous home for us and our children.

To purchase your tickets for February 10th, just send me an email at williamwhitmire@yahoo.com and I will get them to you or have one of the individuals selling tickets get in touch with you.

See Ya’ February 10th,
Bill

Our Foot is in the Door!

On April 9th of 2009 we Milam County Republicans had a meeting in the Cameron Chamber of Commerce that really got everyone charged and ready for the 2010 election. I remember that night because it made me realize that I could be a part of something special and that we could make a difference here in Milam County. Saturday Morning was not only New Years Day, but it was also a New Day for Milam County as the first four elected Republicans were sworn into office. So now we celebrate for a week or so and then we get back to work.

First up is the annual fundraiser for the Republican Women of Milam County; that wonderful group that was so rudely attacked by the Democrats in the November election. The Republican Women of Milam County is an organization that works for the betterment of their community through the promotion of Conservative Ideals, Patriotic Education, and Republican Candidates.

While they gave money to the Candidates, they also paid for unfunded educational material that was used to teach our Milam County school children about the U. S. Constitution during the mandated Constitution Day in the schools. The Republican Women also help to raise awareness of Federal, State, and Local Issues through guest speakers at their monthly meetings.

For all this they were vehemently attacked by the Democrats during the campaign for raising money from outside Milam County and for being elitists. Well, let’s just look at those points.

First, let’s address the money issue. Most of the money raised by the Republican Women came from Milam County Residents. Last year’s Fundraiser Event took in the majority of the money that was used in the 2010 election. Later, state and federal candidates worked with our local candidates to raise matching funds for the purpose of sending out mailers, creating block-walking brochures, and for advertising on the radio and in newspapers. Some money was also donated from the Republican Parties of Burleson and Williamson Counties, but it was not much of the total.

Second, let’s look at the membership. The Republican Women of Milam County is made up of a diverse group of women and men (yes, men are members also). The Republican Women are made up of business owner’s, retirees, teachers, housewives (or househusbands), business employees, and public employees. There are members of the Country Club sure, but they’re also members of the American Legion and VFW, the Lions and the Rotary Club, the Masonic lodge and Knights of Columbus, Longhorns and Bears (OK maybe my wife and I are the only Bears) and Aggies; people of all walks of life, of all religions and of all ethnic groups. The membership is made up of Conservatives who believe in making our world a better place to live. Elitists – Now; Realists – Yes!

Now it is time to help this wonderful group out by attending their yearly fundraiser. This year we will be celebrating the 100th birthday of President Ronald Reagan and the 175th anniversary of the Republic of Texas. The celebration will be held on February 10th at the Cameron VFW Hall. The evening will start with a mixer at 6:00 pm, followed by dinner at 7:00, with speakers during dinner and to follow.

Joining us this night as our guest speaker will be the Chairman of the Texas Veteran’s Land Board, Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson. Commissioner Patterson is one of the most dynamic speakers you will have a chance to hear. I have been fortunate enough to be in his company several times both in my job and as a veteran and I would recommend you mark you calendars and plan on being with us for this special night.

Many times during last year’s fundraiser I heard many folks remark about how surprised they were at who was there. People who had known each other for years were pleasantly surprised at who is a Republican. Wonder who we’ll see this year? Come out and support this group that is helping to lead Milam County out of the liberal Democrat wilderness and into the light of Conservative Republican Leadership.

For tickets, call me or email me and I will be happy to get you set up.

See Ya’ There!!
Bill

williamwhitmire@yahoo.com