I am Doug Tobe and I want to go to work for the citizens of the Town of Bartonville. I am running for the high office of Mayor to restore citizen confidence in the leadership of our Town Council, and to maintain our revered rural environment and favorable tax rate.
After considering the near-unanimous and impassioned support for maintaining our local Police Department – not to mention their voluntary willingness to pay additional taxes to expand to 24/7 coverage – at the Public Forum on Tuesday, March 4, 2014, it is incumbent upon me as a credible candidate for the office of Mayor to address the poor judgment and unethical stewardship/governance exercised by those council members and candidates who favor dissolving our local Police Department and/or merging it with the Double Oak Police Department.
It is poor judgment and unethical stewardship/governance to disregard the substantive pleads expressed by our concerned citizen in favor of our local Police Department at the Public Forum and to misinterpret these results of the 2013 Citizen Satisfaction Survey (http://www.townofbartonville.com/objects/Bartonville_Final_Report_1.pdf) independently conducted by the University of Texas at Arlington regarding Public Safety that indicate overwhelming satisfaction with our local Public Safety – “specifically in regards to the Police Department:”
• 95.0% rate Safety During the Day as Just Right, Slightly Safe or Very Safe;
• 95.0% rate Safety At Night as Just Right, Slightly Safe or Very Safe;
• 87.% rate Emergency Medical Response as Good or Excellent;
• 73.0% rate the Overall Impression of the Police Department as Good or Excellent;
• 45.0% rate the Size of the Police Department as Just Right or Too Small – though based on the single question “Please rate the size of the Town of Bartonville Police Department” with no additional questions to disclose which specific measures of size (vehicles, officers, coverage hours, operating budget, office/garage space, etc.);
• 40.0% rate the Rate of Growth of the Police Department as Just Right or Slightly Slow or Far Too Slow – though based on the single question “Please rate the speed of growth [of the Police Department] over the last two years” with no additional questions to disclose which specific measures of the speed of growth (vehicles, officers, coverage hours, operating budget, office/garage space, etc.).
Accordingly, it is my firm belief that good judgment and ethical stewardship/governance is necessary to properly assess the real intrinsic value of our local Police Department to the Town of Bartonville, its property owners and its citizens by exercising proper due diligence and giving just consideration to how dissolving our local Police Department and/or merging it with the Double Oak Police Department will really increase or decrease our:
• Public Safety measures, as used in the 2013 Citizen Satisfaction Survey (“Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs tells us that safety is the second greatest need of citizens” as noted in the Survey report);
• Operating Budget;
• Tax Rate;
• Crime Rate;
• Response Time;
• Quality of Life;
• Property Values.
I also firmly believe that good judgment and ethical stewardship/governance are vital to:
• Uphold our Code of Ordinances
• Maintain our Tax Rate and Balanced Budget
• Maintain our Police Department and Administrative Staff
• Maintain our Roads and Rural Environment
• Shape our Land Use and Zoning
It is imperative that the Town of Bartonville be supported by leadership, services, ordinances, and communication appropriate to sustaining the rural environment of the Town of Bartonville, its quality of life, and its superior property values – the unique common objectives desired and enjoyed by all our citizens.
To that end, I am ready, willing, and able to serve as your Mayor.
If our Town motto is to remain: “Preserving the Past, Preparing for the Future,” your good judgment and ethical vote are needed to help make it so.
If it is to be, vote Tobe for Mayor on May 10, 2014. Thank you for your consideration.
Doug Tobe
Bartonville, TX
