Please let me state for the record that I am in no way associated with any candidate or Keep Bartonville Country. Frankly, I didn’t even know anyone that was associated with KBC until after the meeting referenced below. I am writing this letter for two reasons.
The first being the behavior of the current mayor of Bartonville, Bill Scherer. Bill has had a “Scorched Earth Agenda” on his way out of office. At his “Meeting with the Mayor” on 4/25, I asked Bill what type of Mayor system that the town of Bartonville employed and what role he has. He had no idea what type of Mayor system that the town of Bartonville has and stated he was like the CEO of the town. This surprised me. Bartonville has a weak Mayor system and the mayor’s position is mostly symbolic with only a few administrative duties. In business terms, the Town Administrator is the CEO and the Town Council is the Board of Directors. No employees report directly to the mayor or singular Council member. The mayor actually has less power than a town council member because they only vote in case of a tie, which is almost never. He also, in my opinion and based on his own statements, may have crossed the line with some of his actions regarding the Equestrian Center (which directly affected him) and negotiating deals without approval from the town council. Again, he is not the CEO, POTUS or Governor! His writings in this newspaper have been frankly disgusting. He said it was done as a private citizen but always mentioned something about being the mayor. As I told him in the meeting, he needs to leave office with “Grace.” I would say in the end, all we have is Integrity, Trust and Respect (ITR). So, Bill please show some ITR if you have any left. Use the example set by the Highland Village Mayor for whom the citizens are throwing a farewell reception.
Secondly, I want to address the current mayoral race. I didn’t know much about this race until the Meet the Candidate’s Forum hosted by this newspaper. I listened to the candidates and found some statements made by Bridget Melson to be a little unsettling. One being “I want to bring a little bit more spirit to Bartonville.” I wondered just what that meant. The other statement was that she voted against the town attorney’s advice. I was able to personally ask her on 4/25 at the above-mentioned meeting. The answer frankly was even more disturbing. She stated she voted with her heart. This action, if passed, would have put children’s lives in danger in the case of a fire. That might work for your own personal life, but as a council member you could put lives and the town at risk and liability. Then when I read her statement in her letter to the editor, she stated “So called Attorney,” referring to the town attorney. I ask myself; does she have a law degree? The answer is No! Statements like those led me to do my own research on her. And what I found was quite disturbing. She also has Bill’s same view of what the mayor’s role should be. She has a bit of a questionable history in California. While I may agree with her view on taxes, her tactics are outrageous. Her bigoted views are a little too much for a mayor of a small town. I asked my daughter who lived in Pleasanton, CA during the same time frame that Bridget did, what she knew about Bridget. She stated “she is a scary person” and I can’t believe that any town in Texas would elect her for any position. This daughter is very apolitical but still knew about her tactics. She was well known by the police departments in that area. This information came from two different police officers and from two different cities in the area.
Additional information I found was an interview that Bridget did with NPR on 2/18/2022, where she stated “People used to come up to me and say, ‘Don’t California my Texas.’ But we’re the damn cavalry! We’re here to save you.” Bartonville doesn’t need the California Cavalry! Or frankly to be saved. It is one of the most conservative towns in the United States. Think long and hard about her statement.
My last point, while doing this research, my employee asked what all of this was about. She read a feed from Pleasanton, CA and said to me, “people like her are exactly why I have soured on Christianity.” This hurt more than any of the above.
I just can’t imagine why someone would spend the amount of personal money Bridget has to be elected to an unpaid position with very little power. Bridget, this isn’t Riverside California or NYC where they have a strong Mayor system. Bill has it wrong and I think you might have it wrong also.
Do your own research and Vote for why you Love Bartonville. As for me, I don’t believe Bartonville needs Bridget’s tactics like “But we’re the damn cavalry! We’re here to save you” or “to bring a bit more spirit” as she stated during the forum and the NPR interview.
Phil Rodgers
Land owner in Bartonville, TX
