Newly elected Mayor Eric Hogue was officially sworn in on Friday night, May 16th, 2008. His family stood by him as Judge Terry Douglas did the honors. Also sworn in for their second term each, Carter Porter and Rick White.
Photos courtesy and copyright 2008 Earl Newsom
Well, City Councilman David Goss called it as the above picture was being taken by Anne Hiney of Troy Aikman and I on Wednesday evening. “There’s the lead-in picture for the Wylie Today story!”
Turns out he was right. I’m sure you will see plenty of pictures of this event in the next week or so as I couldn’t count the amount of cameras on-hand. I have a few from the event that I will post below, and I might just add a gallery here in the near future. But to lead-in, yeah, that’s me and Hall of Fame quarterback, 3 time Super Bowl Champion, the greatest Fox Sports NFL analyst and former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman. I like to mix it up.
City of Wylie Mayor John Mondy was completely jubilant this evening and with good reason. The people involved have been working on this deal for over a year and tonight was another step towards $600,000 in additional sales tax revenue for the city. It was another step towards a thousand newly created jobs in the city. It was another step towards keeping the citizens of Wylie shopping in Wylie. I’m really surprised we didn’t see Mayor Mondy break out some Riverdance moves.
Major kudos go out to Wylie’s Public Information Officer, Craig Kelly. Aside from seeing him run around picking up yoga flyers someone had left on the tables, the event went on without a hitch. Hundreds of people were in attendance for the groundbreaking ceremony and Dickey’s BBQ.
On hand to speak at the event was Wylie Economic Development Corporation’s Sam Satterwhite, Texas State Representative Jodie Laubenberg, Direct Development Sr. VP Don Bouvier, City of Wylie Mayor John Mondy and Troy Aikman.
Mr. Bouvier related the event to an Oscar speech as he mentioned so many people involved from the beginning that required accolades. He spoke further about four legs of a table and if one breaks or can’t support the weight, the table fails. He spoke very highly of the City of Wylie staff and administration and said they delivered on everything they said they would do. Now it was Direct Development’s turn to deliver on their promises.
Super Target Summer of 2009!
Some other players that need mentioning are the City of Murphy and the City of Sachse. Murphy made a small plot of land available to Wylie that was required for the development at the corner of 544 and McCreary. Sachse agreed to build a road to connect the back end of the development to Hwy 78. As Mayor Mondy said, “This has truly been a community effort”.
Troy Aikman talked about the special place in his heart for Wylie. You see, his wife was born in Wylie, though she didn’t stay very long. “I’m pretty sure if there had been a Super Target here, she would have stayed a bit longer.” he mused continuing on to talk about credit card statements and things I am so completely familiar with. He went on to talk about how great Direct Development is and how proud he is to be a part of such a great team. He knows that Direct Development isn’t a build and run type of company. They plan, build and maintain. Their developments are works to be proud of and that is why he chose them.
Overall, the event was a huge success and we can expect to see bulldozers out in the fields within a few weeks as road construction begins. This thing is moving forward quickly, people. And a ton of people were involved to make it happen. This is a fantastic day for the Great City of Wylie.
Look for more images soon and the small images above are clickable, leading to a larger image.
Below is the video from the Meet the Candidate Forum held on April 24th. It is separated into two parts to make sure no one passes out from excitement. The lighting is a little dark in the beginning, but that was fixed during the second question, I believe. One answer from mayoral candidate Eric Hogue was missed as I had to switch out tapes. Sorry!
I hope you enjoy the show and I hope this helps you decide for whom to cast your vote anytime this week, next week, or May 10th.
Part 1
My family has lived in Wylie for almost 5 years and have become well- acquainted with the Wylie Political arena. In the 2005 election, I set out on the mission to be an informed voter in our new town. I met with a couple of the candidates and saw first hand how Rick White handled himself in light of many untrue statements and accusations being made about him from the then-incumbent candidate.
Rick encouraged me to inquire and ask lots of questions and find out for myself what the truth was, and in the end, Rick got my vote…and my trust in the 2005 election season. That spoke volumes to me about Rick’s character, integrity, and openness as a person and as a future councilman. Rick White truly is a “what you see is what you get” guy and I can appreciate that in the political arena.
Regrettably during election season, voters get more smoke blown their way or too much rhetoric spoken with no real substance, promise or plan. I do not find that to be the case with Rick. His vision and track record while on council proves over and over he is for the future of Wylie with the best interest of the citizens in mind. I’m honored to call Rick White a personal friend that I would trust without question. He listens, he cares, and has always responded to my questions or concerns regarding our great City. I strongly encourage our citizens to ask questions of ALL the candidates in order to cast an informed vote. As an informed citizen, I will be casting my vote for incumbent Rick White and mayoral candidate Eric Hogue…for the Future of Wylie!
H. Glenn Bolton,
Wylie, TX
First of all, I want to apologize. I took video of this event, but have run into technical difficulties getting the video downloaded. Old software, new computer. :/ I’m going to be away from the “machines” for the weekend, but I will get it resolved and get it uploaded for your viewing enjoyment. That is, if you are into an hour and eighteen minutes worth of talking.
As a quick recap slash opinion, here is what I liked about each candidate’s performance or values.
Rick White
City Councilman Rick White did a fantastic job communicating with the audience about his passion, drive, motivation and proven experience with success. He was cordial and concise and seemed very comfortable speaking to the group. His direct involvement with the Fire and Police Departments let me know that he is in tune with everything happening in the community.
Chris Trout
I like the fact that Chris Trout is a community friend and a dedicated parent. His daily interaction with people in the community is a great asset. From personal conversations, I believe he is quite the intelligent man.
Carter Porter
City Councilman Carter Porter also did an excellent job speaking to the group. He is available to the community whenever the need is present and has been open and honest about his first three years on City Council. He is an elected member to the NCTCOG and while I don’t know exactly how that has benefited us to this point, I’m sure it couldn’t hurt going forward.
Bennie Jones
Bennie Jones has a definite message and goal. I believe that he believes in what he is saying. He seems frank and honest , speaking from the heart about his vision. He spends time interacting with the teenagers in the City of Wylie, providing a positive adult presence.
John Mondy
Mayor Mondy has a certain swagger about him that makes me feel confident he can get anything done. While he did leave the military long ago, I’m not sure if the military ever left him. He is proud of his accomplishments and is confident in a future vision of Wylie that is larger than anyone could expect. I think he has put a lot of time and effort into city affairs over the last decade. His knowledge and experience is certainly valuable.
Eric Hogue
As I mentioned before, Eric Hogue is a natural public speaker. I believe in his ability to make and secure contacts at any level. His desire and enthusiasm to serve the community is unrivaled. His past tenure on the City Council is valuable in terms of experience and knowledge of city affairs.
Everyone did an excellent job last night and whenever you get a minute, you should let these guys know you appreciate what they are doing for us. Let them know you support them and what their families are enduring right now. Their email addresses can be found on the Wylie Today Voter Guide.
Don’t forget about the Meet the Candidates Forum tomorrow night! I hope to see you all there.The Wylie News is hosting the 2008 Meet the Candidates Forum on Thursday, April 24th at 7pm. The event will be held at the Bart Peddicord Community Center on 100 W. Oak street in downtown Wylie. All City Council candidates have been invited to attend.
The forum will be moderated by the League of Women Voters. The public is invited to attend and questions will be accepted for the candidates to answer.
For more information, contact news@wylienews.com or call 972.442.5515 x29.
Download this flyer and pass it out to your friends and neighbors!
The Wylie News is hosting the 2008 Meet the Candidates Forum on Thursday, April 24th at 7pm. The event will be held at the Bart Peddicord Community Center on 100 W. Oak street in downtown Wylie. All City Council candidates have been invited to attend.
The forum will be moderated by the League of Women Voters. The public is invited to attend and questions will be accepted for the candidates to answer.
For more information, contact news@wylienews.com or call 972.442.5515 x29.
Download this flyer and pass it out to your friends and neighbors!
City Council Place 6 incumbent Carter Porter filed his “30 Days Before Election Day Campaign Finance Report” today. Mr. Porter lists $250 in campaign contributions from the Texas Association of Realtors. He lists campaign expenditures of $1,143 for campaign signs and hardware. Mr. Porter still has $240 in contribution balance.
Next campaign finance reports are due 7 days before the election.
City Council Place 5 candidate Chris Trout filed his “30 Days Before Election Day Campaign Finance Report” on April 16th. I’m not sure why it was filed so late considering total political contributions and total political expenditures were both marked as $0. To me, it seems like that would have been just as easy to do last week.
The real issue I have with this report is I’m quite positive I have seen Chris Trout signs everywhere. I remember those signs cost me a lot of money and every other candidate so far has their primary expense listed as “political signs”.
Maybe those signs were a gift and he had nothing to do with them. Maybe someone else had them made and plopped them in fields and yards all over town as a good gesture. I don’t really know because I haven’t spoken to Mr. Trout about this yet. I hope he returns my message this evening when he is done with his work day. There must be a reasonable explanation for this.
City Council Place 6 incumbent Carter Porter is the only remaining City Council candidate who has not filed a report.
The Barbara Bush Republican Women’s League hosted a “Meet the Candidate” forum on Monday night, April 14th. All City Council candidates as well as 5 of the 6 School Board Trustee candidates were in attendance. School Board Trustee Baron Cook was not present due to a scheduling conflict. Also on hand to witness the event were approximately 45 citizens and supporters.
Mayor John Mondy had the right idea though after being cut off during one of his answers as he told the audience, “You can read these answers on Wylie Today”. Bravo, John, bravo.
City Council candidates went first and the questions were very basic. The questions were:
Questions 2 and 3 are pretty difficult to answer because as Mr. Mondy stated, “the major planning for the next 5 years for Wylie has been completed, but there is always opportunity for refining”. So basically, all the candidates told the audience about the road construction and building construction and the bond packages. They stated what is already known by a lot of people and didn’t really delve into their unique “vision”, except for Place 6 candidate Bennie Jones.
Mr. Jones stated that his vision is to see a safer city for our youth and to be a regional leader providing “clean air, clean water, parks in all the communities, children receiving quality education without disruption from gangs and making sure everyone is taken care of.” He wants to implement progress reports for the citizens to view and to make sure they “always know what we’re working on.”
Mr. Jones continually stated that he is “approachable”, a “voice for the teenagers” and a “voice for the community”.
His opponent, incumbent Carter Porter, stated that he is past the learning curve that requires 1 or 2 years of being on City Council to understand. Mr. Porter focused on his ability to be available to the city whenever needed due to his flexible work schedule. He also discussed his election to the Executive Board of the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG). NCTCOG brings an intergovernmental relationship with the leaders of the region’s 16 counties representing over 230 member governments and is represented by 13 locally elected officials.
Easily the best performance of the night was delivered by Mayoral candidate Eric Hogue. Mr. Hogue is just made to be a public speaker. He exudes confidence, gestures in a friendly manner, speaks clearly and shows no hesitation through any of his speaking opportunities.
Mr. Hogue said, “A lot of things have to happen to make sure we stay on path” in reference to completing the 2005 Bond packages and road construction. He mentioned his numerous contacts with county, state and federal officials as a key asset to making sure no stray trails develop. He is for a more open and pro-active government when working with the citizens.
Mr. Hogue wants to move to bring in another big box retail store and professional business corridors that could bring in higher numbers for lunch traffic. This in turn would make Wylie more attractive towards sit-down restaurants like Chili’s. Mr. Hogue also wants to change the image of Wylie. He calls Wylie “the forgotten city of
Mr. Hogue believes the WEDC and the city staff has done a great job and they will need to continue to do so to fulfill the future of Wylie. In closing, Mr. Hogue mentioned that he realizes not everyone agrees with him on all the issues, but they support him because they believe he is the right man for the job.
City of
“Wylie is the 8th fastest growing city and I’m the Mayor of that city. I have been for 10 years. We created this vision and we delivered.” He stated that our Fire ISO top Rating, our low crime rate and our superior water system didn’t happen by themselves. “The people wanted this and they demand a high level of service. We’ve delivered.”
Mayor Mondy also said the key to success has been in hiring the right staff to get the job done. He hopes to provide better communication between the city and officials, though he does feel they have been pro-active in the past few years. He also stated they were re-engineering their already useful and valuable city website.
In closing, Mr. Mondy said “We have to work together to accomplish our goals because at the end of the day, we all go home here. We all live in this city. Sometimes we agree to disagree, but we still have to work together.”
In the next installment, I will recap the School Board Trustee candidates.