In support of Jody Smith

I am writing in support of the re-election of Jody Smith for mayor. The reasons are many, but here are a few:

· Jody has presided over getting a hospital into Flower Mound, despite the fanatical objections of many selfish neighborhood HOA and environmental groups. This hospital may save you or your child’s life someday by not requiring the long trip to Lewisville, Denton, or Grapevine during the critical “first 48 minutes” of a severe injury, stroke, or heart attack.
 
· Jody is a friend of the Police and Fire Departments. She was instrumental in creating the Crime and Fire districts, which guarantee a dedicated portion of our local Sales Tax goes directly to the departments. This allows them to plan for the future with confidence.

· The Crime District has resulted directly in preventing crime in Flower Mound from getting a foothold despite our rapid growth, and allows more police presence in West Flower Mound through the creation of more manpower and “beats” to which officers are dedicated, to reduce response times in West Flower Mound.

· The Fire District Jody created has resulted in two new Fire Stations being built, one in the Bridalwood area and one in the Lakeside industrial park area, which will help keep your family safer and homeowners’ insurance down in West Flower Mound. The station in South Flower Mound will attract businesses to the Lakeside area who look closely at things like fire and ambulance response times for the protection of their facilities and workers. 

· Jody has worked closely with Chief Brooker to make citizen volunteers a reality at the police department. The benefits go FAR beyond saving money, which the volunteers also do – It is a “force multiplier”, increasing the number of eyes and ears in direct contact with the PD dispatch system, while still having only licensed officers respond to calls. This has directly resulted in a good number of DWI arrests, faster first arrival to traffic hazards and sick or injured persons, as well as reporting suspicious circumstances before they likely would have turned into a crime.

· The citizen police volunteers that Jody fostered have also increased the bonds between the police department and the citizens who they serve, which ultimately will prevent tensions that growing cities normally experience between the police and citizens – If only Dallas and Oak Cliff had done something like that thirty years ago. They see the light now, though, and have started similar programs as well as the ultimate of all volunteer programs, Police Reserves.

So when you are standing at the ballot box thinking about the other one-issue, “NFL” anti-gas candidates, also remember that the one issue they’re running on will be hurting your neighbors who are fortunate enough to have gas under their property.

Think how you would feel if they took an equivalent amount of money from you, and search your soul for how you feel about America’s need for clean, affordable energy. The very unpatriotic “not in my backyard” hysteria, pseudo-science, and pack mentality of the HOA’s have no credibility with me.

One local HOA has even proven how unpatriotic and selfish they are by opposing solar cells on your roof to help the country out of its foreign dependence on energy. This all matters, folks – “Not In My Backyard” will be the death of this country if it gets much worse.

I think Jody and her team will continue to protect mineral rights of our residents, while making sure it is done safely – the recent air quality tests conducted by the State have proven that the hysterical voices of the various HOA and environmental groups simply have no clue as to what the heck they’re even talking about.

Charlie Barrett
Flower Mound, TX