KARL ROVE SPEAKS AT ANNUAL REAGAN DINNER pB1 FEBRUARY 23, 2017
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Better Know Your Representative: Terry Wilson
In an homage to Steven Colbert's "Better
Know a Congressman" take on building relationships with elected leaders, The Advocate sat down with Texas Representative District 20 Terry Wilson to talk about his thoughts on his new office, his plans and a little about himself. Rep. Wilson has made a commitment to his constituency to be in contact and communicate as often as he reasonably can so voters and citizens will get to know Terry Wilson, the man, a little better. In what kind of personal space do you find yourself in this new career? I love people and I look for the ones with light, even in the darkest places. The camaraderie [at the Capitol] is great. Naturally, there are all sorts of characters and some egos, but those who thrive on conflict are few and far between. I know I, and everyone, will get more done if we can place our egos on the shelf for a moment and work within the dual spheres of kindness and humility. I had 32 years in the military to cultivate a means to break down emotions that can cloud a positive discussion, and when I sit across from them I am the most kind, courteous, respectful, principled, loyal and patriotic version of myself. But, what’s most important is that people don’t confuse that
humble kindness with weakness. I will be all of those things, but at the end of the day, I have seen how bad things can be. I have been fortunate to have leaders who have mentored me, molded me and, while I may not be in a third-world country anymore, when there is something that can affect our district or our state in a negative way, that’s when you will see Colonel Wilson come out. That is my temperament, and what truly defines me. How do you feel about your transition from military to government life? When I left the military I felt like I was moving away from family. It’s like a deployment when you miss your family. They’re still “there” but they aren’t at the dinner table because you’re a continent away, so it’s a bit of a state of mourning. The DoD still reaches out to me occasionally because the taxpayers have earned
In cooperation with the State Department and the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, the Georgetown Police Department hosted a delegation of ten senior Federal Police Officers from Mexico on February 21. During the visit, Police Chief Nero and staff provided a tour of the Safety Center and discussed police training and municipal police operations. Mayor Dale Ross also stopped by to offer a warm Georgetown welcome.
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my experience and I owe it to them. While in the military, I got to see the other side of the government and how they spend money. I transitioned between jobs where billions of dollars were spent on soldiers deployed, to research and development companies at home. It was my responsibility to empower our industrial base and small businesses. Without diminishing the critical nature of the latter, I feel very confident in my ability to transition from military war fighting budgets that forecast military needs for up to 30 years to our state’s two- to five-year funds and supplemental budget. It’s not a simple thing, but it is much less complex; I am comfortable knowing that I can be helpful to our taxpayers in helping shape our priorities. What are some of the issues about which you are most passionate? I am so pleased to be able to help fix education finance reform. I want to send a clear message; let’s protect our current public school system. On my first day, as I came back to my office after having been sworn in, I received a call that one of our school districts was going to be closed. I immediately asked to see the data used to determine this. Data only told me students weren’t meeting the standards, but I needed to have the intelligence to really understand the situation. I was soon on the ground talking to parents about what they need and to gauge their enthusiasm for the future of the district. Schools are a very emotional thing for a community and I needed to know if they still had hope. It turned out the parents had long since realized the situation was bad and they had accepted responsibility. The problem was they had significant turnover
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in the school board and city council and they had no choice but to wait for two election cycles so they could vote in new leadership. So, while there was disappointment in the data, the community knew they could do better, went to a new level of participation, and they are building a plan to not go there again. The district has been there since the 1890s and, once again, the will of the people will make their leaders accountable. Hearing that teachers came out of retirement and worked for practically nothing was so encouraging. They brought their skills to the table because they understood the plight. I think the good Lord drove me there. You just have to place yourself on the ground, analyze those environmental factors, and how much parents, teachers and local business care. I heard the answer about why these schools are so valuable even with a small population. I realized when a teacher stood up and defined this school, she said; "I’m not from here, but I have been here for many years and what makes this school unique is that it is a small school. People are paying good money to go to small private schools in other places so kids will be in class sizes like ours. Here, the tenth graders know the first graders and they are all engaged. This school deserves the one thing they are asking for, so just let us get the next set of benchmarks." I was pleased that [Texas Education] Commissioner Morath took my call and shared his first hand account. He literally got on the ground in Milam and drove the county. He drove the distance of the buses if he were to close the school. I was very impressed with him and believe Governor Abbott made a good choice. I'm also impressed with [SBOE Dist 10] Tom Maynard. He also took the time to talk to me about it and realized we shared the same values in terms of public education. That is the value of small rural schools.
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