Flower Mound is at a crossroads. Either we will continue to prosper and maintain our vitality, or we allow our town to grow without vision and without strong leadership. If we grow without a careful vision, we will be just another “what could have been”, over-developed, traffic-congested, hodgepodge of retail and multifamily apartments.
Flower Mound needs a Town Council with the drive and commitment to research critical development projects and the ability to work together to ensure positive long-term impact. Flower Mound needs a Town Council Place 5 who is not cowed or intimidated by people or corporations who don’t have our town’s best interest in mind. I am that that person.
As a former officer and combat veteran of the Israel Defense Force, I have earned the right to say I am experienced. I put my life in the line of fire to protect the counties I love: The United States of America and Israel.
Growing up in Israel, I witnessed terror attacks on regular basis. These attacks targeted women and children on buses, clubs, malls and markets. However, I remember the day of September 11, 2001 as if it was yesterday. I was in advanced training in the Israeli Defense Force – Army Special Forces. Around 4PM, the base sirens went off and we were ordered to stop all training and met in the base auditorium.
My entire unit was sitting down without anyone knowing what happened except for rumors of a big terror attack. Live news coverage from New York showed smoke coming from one of the towers. Then we saw the second plane crash into the second tower. Shock. Time seemed to stand still. The United States was no longer safe from Islamic Extremists, and we needed to help. As a critical ally of the United States in the Middle East, we knew orders would be coming soon to do just that.
My unit was a ground force that specialized in undercover work. Our overall goal was to penetrate terrorist groups in urban environments. Urban warfare takes place in highly dense cities where terrorists hide behind innocent civilians. These operations required special skills to minimize the innocent casualties while at the same time capture the terrorists. Skills that at that time most military units around the world were not trained in. However, this type of warfare was my unit’s specialty.
Therefore, shortly after the 9/11 attacks, I had the great honor to serve my home country and train American Soldiers to help better prepare them in our war against terror. U.S. Military units such as the Rangers, Green Berets, Navy Seals, and others came to my unit in Israel for training. Together we stood for freedom. Together we were willing to put our lives at risk to protect the values and way of life that our counties stand for: life, liberty, freedom and justice.
My experience in the military has made me a strong leader. My qualifications include:
• Perseverance, Consistency, Willpower
• Self Confidence
• Humanity
• Self-control
• Long-term vision stamina
• Devotion to duty and the pursuit of victory
• Responsibility
• Reliability
• Professionalism
• Discipline
• Ability to lead by example
• Integrity
I have experience where experience matters. Today, I want to leverage my experience, skills, and integrity for the benefit of my home and community for whom I care so much and have chosen to raise a family – Flower Mound, Texas.
I have the drive and commitment to research critical development projects and the ability to work with others to ensure positive long-term impact for Flower Mound. Because I am not cowed or intimidated by people or corporations that don’t have our town’s best interest at heart, I bring much needed integrity to Flower Mound Town Council Place 5. My name is Itamar Gelbman. I thank you for your support at the polls this Saturday, 5/9/15.
Itamar Gelbman
Flower Mound, TX
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