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PEOPLE Best Chiropractor Dr. Jerry L. Casebolt Best Dentist Dr. Michelle West West Family Dentistry Best Orthodontist Dr. Scot O’Donnell Liberty Hill Orthodontics Best Eye Doctor Dr. Jim Hannigan Liberty Hill Eye Associates Best Dental Hygienist Audra Allen Flake West Family Dentistry Best Doctor Dr. Walter Chesshir Liberty Hill Physican Associates Best Nurse Kaela Thurman Care First Walk-In Clinic Best Physical Therapist Texas Physical Therapy Specialists
THE BEST OF LIBERTY HILL 2019
Best Real Estate Agent Shelley Clawson / Mallach and Company Adrienne Hughes / Hughes & Company Real Estate Kelly James / JP & Associates Realtors Best Lawyer Law Office of Jamie Etzkorn, PLLC
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Best Carpenter Art Rodriguez Giraffe Enterprise Services Best Hair Stylist Jaime Amezquita Indigo Salon Best Esthetician Dani Luckey Luckey Looks Skincare Best Nail Technician Ket Voravong Absolute Nails by Ket Best Personal Trainer Maranda Basey Flock Fitness Best Mechanic JD Davis Davis Tire & Auto Best Contractor MYWH Construction
Best place to go for a Medical Emergency Care First Walk-In Clinic
Best Plumber Jake Basey Basey Plumbing
Best Boss Jaime Amezquita Indigo Salon
Best Principal Jonathan Bever Liberty Hill High School
Friendliest Employee Abbie Amsler Mojo Coffee Best Volunteer Mary Lyn Jones
Jeff Walker Marsha Hood
Best Coach Liberty Hill High School Best Teacher Liberty Hill Elementary School
Best Community Event Liberty Hill Independence Day Spectacular
Best City Employee Barbara Zwernemann Liberty Hill City Secretary
Best Financial Advisor Jason Stanley Oak Crest Financial
Best Police Officer Liberty Hill Police Chief Maverick Campbell
Best Insurance Agent Daniel Duckworth Duckworth Insurance Agency
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Best Firefighter Charles Johnson Liberty Hill Fire Department Best School Secretary Shannon Price Bill Burden Elementary School Best Restaurant Server Cesar Narzaez Jardin Corona
BUSINESSES Best Air Conditioning Company ACA Appliance & Air Conditioning, LLC Best Auto Parts Store A-Line Auto Parts Best Home Builder Hollywood Custom Homes Best Auto Repair Davis Tire & Auto Best Bakery Sweet Texas Bakery Best Bank Prosperity Bank Best Beauty Salon Salon 29 Best Nail Salon Absolute Nails by Ket Best Car Dealership Benny Boyd Best Childcare Happy Trails Learning Center Best Dry Cleaners Ivory Cleaners Best Computer Repair HK Computers See LIST Continued on Page 6
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LIST Continued from Page 5 Best Hardware Store Winkley’s
FEBRUARY 28, 2019
Best Landscaping Company Whittlesey Landscape & Supplies
Best Portable Buildings Moore Liberty Buildings
Best Home Design & Décor Simply Home Décor & More
Best Mortgage Company Janet Widmer/Supreme Lending
Best Pest Control Research Pest Control
Best Gift Shop The Blue Door Gift Store
Best Title Company Independence Title
Best Pharmacy Liberty Hill Pharmacy & Compounding Center
Best Fitness Center Flock Fitness
Best Oil Change Jiffy Lube, Leander
Best Plumbing Company Basey Plumbing
Best Insurance Company McCoy Farmers Insurance
Best Place to Buy a Panther T-Shirt Two Brand It
Best Pool Company Paradise Pools & Spas
Best Real Estate Company RE/MAX Town & Country / Shane T. White
Best Tire Dealer Davis Tire & Auto
Best Storage Facility Liberty Hill Storage
Best Jewelry Store The Blue Door Gift Store
Best Outdoor/Hunting Supplies Winkley’s
Best Towing Company Liberty Hill Towing
Best Children’s Activity Liberty Hill Public Library
Best Market Parker’s Market
Best Veterinary Clinic Comanche Trail Veterinary Center See FOOD Continued on Page 7
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FOOD Continued from Page 6 Best Church Fellowship Church
Best Mexican Food Jardin Corona
Best Neighborhood Santa Rita Ranch Rosemont
Best Fried Chicken Chicken Express
Best Funeral Home Beck Funeral Home Best Website Liberty Hill Independent Liberty Hill Orthodontics
FOOD Best All-Around Restaurant Dahlia Cafe Best Fast Food Restaurant Dairy Queen Major’s Burger Company
Best Seafood Malted Grains Best Barbecue Smokey Mo’s Best Breakfast Dahlia Cafe Best Chicken Fried Steak Dahlia Cafe Best Coffee Mojo Coffee Best Salsa Jardin Corona
Best Taco Boomer’s Taqueria Boomers Convenience Store Best Burger Major’s Burger Company
Best Italian Liberty Hill Beer Market Best Pizza Liberty Hill Beer Market
Best Sandwich Malted Grains
Best Salad Dahlia Cafe
Best Fries Major’s Burger Company
Best Food Truck Waffle Love
Best Beer Liberty Hill Beer Market
Best Place for Girls’ Night Out Liberty Hill Beer Market
Best Margarita Jardin Corona
Best Place for Date Night Dahlia Cafe Malted Grains
Best Desserts Dahlia Cafe
Best Winery Thirsty Mule Winery & Vineyard
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FEBRUARY 28, 2019
In true spirit of ‘The Best’, LHISD winners thankful to be part of something better By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor In a school district with 640 employees, being one of four singled out for special recognition might seem like something extra special, but in Liberty Hill ISD, this year’s winners of the Best of the Best voting simply see themselves as a fortunate name in a community of great people.
“It warms my heart that these people have been recognized, and I’m sure you got a lot of great nominations, and this staff so far in what I’ve seen is amazing,” said Superintendent Steve Snell. “But when you look at who won those awards, those are some special people.” Best Principal: Jonathan Bever, LH High School
It hasn’t taken Jonathan Bever long to make an impact on his staff and in the community as the new principal of Liberty Hill High School. Bever was named interim principal early last summer and was officially named to the position a few months later. He is proud of the strides made so far and of the team that he is surrounded by.
“There’s no way I could do this by myself,” Bever said. “I don’t do it by myself, so the fact that my staff and the support I have is from people who love doing it as well is a big deal. It is great that the people around me love what they do and have the same desire to serve kids and make sure they succeed.” Seeing students grow and
teachers and staff embrace what’s happening at the high school is a key sign of success. “He has come on in his first year as principal and morale and employee satisfaction is way up,” Snell said. “He has established himself as a very collaborative leader, very interested in hearing what his staff has to say and supporting them in any way he can.”
Bever said he doesn’t always have all the answers, but an honor like this one reminds him that there is faith and trust in his efforts. “The award is great and I think it’s cool, but it just tells me that we’re going in the right direction,” he said. “I think we’re doing good
See LHISD, Page 19
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BEST VOLUNTEER - MaryLyn Jones
Jones proud to be one of many Liberty Hill volunteers By MIKE EDDLEMAN Managing Editor There was no doubt that retirement would mean more time to give for MaryLyn Jones. The former educator and coach can be found donating time and energy to nearly every cause in the community, but she doesn’t see herself as any different than anyone else who gives of themselves. “There are so many people that volunteer and that’s what I love about Liberty Hill,” Jones said. “Everyone supports the town and if I can just represent everyone that supports the town that’s awesome, but there are so many people.” In a crowded field of local volunteers, Jones was voted
Best Volunteer for the first-ever Best of the Best in Liberty Hill awards. “It’s an honor to represent everyone who volunteers in our awesome community,” she said of the honor, adding that sharing the spot with Operation Liberty Hill CEO Susan Baker was something special. While she dedicates her time and energy to those most in need in the community, Baker holds a paid position with Operation Liberty Hill and preferred to focus the attention on Jones’ work. Jones serves as Chair of Liberty Hill Parks & Recreation Board, as a member of the Liberty Hill Development Foundation Board, and works with other programs mentor-
ing children in local schools. That focus on school children stems from her years of teaching and coaching. “The one thing I’m really passionate about is the mentoring program with (Justice of the Peace) Edna Staudt,” she said. “The last 10 years of my career I was the dropout prevention coordinator for Leander ISD. So I would file cases in Judge Staudt’s court and I’d ask for mentors for my kids and so she said ‘When you retire, you need to come back.’” In her time working to curb dropout rates, Jones learned that there was a direct connection between those numbers and reading literacy. “What goes along with that is when I found out these students were dropping out, it
was based on that they were probably not reading by third grade,” she said. “That led me into Education Connection, and what that is is we’ve set up to have Literacy Partners on all three of our elementary campuses in Liberty Hill.” Education Connection is something she is proud to be a part of in Liberty Hill, and something she said is an easy way to give some time for anyone. “I get volunteers to read to and listen to the students read one day a week and so I’m really proud of that program we’ve started that has helped the students,” she said. “There’s a high correlation between the students MaryLyn Jones volunteers in multiple capacities, including in the Williamson County Sheriff ’s Office as a Victim Assistance volunSee VOLUNTEER, Page 14 teer. (Courtesy Photo)
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that don’t read by third grade and dropping out.” After benefiting from the assistance of those ready to respond to those in grief and crisis, Jones found yet another way to volunteer as well. “I volunteer with Williamson County for Victims Assistance, and that’s because I’ve been
on the other side of one of those death notifications,” she said. And how does she find all the time to be so involved? “I’m retired,” she said, laughing. “So that helps. I just stay busy. All this volunteer work is kind of my therapy. I can either sit at home and be
defeated, or get out and do something about it. It is really good therapy.” Meeting the need for volunteers is always an uphill battle, but Jones said in a giving community like Liberty Hill it can be easy and takes as little as 15-30 minutes per week. “I just want to encourage
people to get involved,” she said. “That’s the thing is Liberty Hill is such a caring community that there are so many other people besides me. It is nice to represent that, but there are so many people that are also very deserving.”
FEBRUARY 28, 2019
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LIBERTY HILL’S BEST
Meet the community’s BEST public servants
BY DANIEL JONES Staff Writer Liberty Hill is full of people dedicated to serving the public, but three have been recognized by the community as going above and beyond the call of duty and been named
Best of Liberty Hill winners. To them, public service is more than just a job -- it’s a privilege and a calling to be able to work toward something bigger than themselves. They are everyday heroes who live what it means
to “make a difference in the community.”
Best City Employee: City Secretary Barbara Zwernemann Liberty Hill City Secretary Barbara Zwernemann finds
immense purpose in the work she does, although she has a strong conviction that it’s not at all about her. “We are here to serve, we are here to help the community by performing the duties or by providing the services
that people in the community need,” she said about herself, the staff at City Hall and about the many public servants in Liberty Hill. “No matter what the task is, it needs to be geared toward servicing the public -- for one
because we’re paid with their money.” She believes in servant leadership, and implements the philosophy into every ounce of work she does.
See PUBLIC, Page 22
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Continued from Page 8
things and making good decisions and it makes me feel better as a principal and leader to know that we’ve got support.” The award is humbling to Bever, and he is grateful that parents and the community believe in him for doing what he said is the most important thing. “My love for these kids is extremely important,” he said. “My desire to see them succeed in whatever it may be is important to me. I’ve been preparing for and waiting for this moment my whole career and my desire to take care of these children is the key. ” Best Coach: Jeff Walker, LH High School Fresh off a trip to the state title game in football, and in the midst of another historic year for all high school sports in Liberty Hill, Coach Jeff Walker said being named the
Best Coach in the school district has very little to do with what he has accomplished himself. “It means I have good kids. That’s what it means,” Walker said. “It’s also an honor for people in the community to think I can coach, because I like to think I can a little bit. But as I’ve said, great assistant coaches and great players make great coaches, and that’s the bottom line.” The community selected Walker for the honor, but to him, it is an award to be shared by many people. “This program is not about me and as long as I am here will not be about me and I think that a lot of these awards you get should really be coaching staff and kids,” he said. “It should be a program award because we’re only as good as our kids and the people around us.” Athletics in Liberty Hill have
piled up the district champion and playoff hardware once again this year across all sports, and Snell said that’s one of the most impressive things about Walker’s accomplishments as an athletic director. “The focus for him in the public has been on football, but if you could see what I see with what he does across all 17 sports, his leadership is pretty amazing,” Snell said. Walker said the athletic programs at Liberty Hill will do things the way they always have, no matter what good or bad comes their way, and he’s grateful for the opportunity to be invited into the lives of his student athletes and the community. “The community is what makes this place special,” he said. “You have to have a great community to have a great program as you can see, from top to bottom, and
it speaks volumes about the type of people we have in this community, how they allow us to work with their kids and push them and demand excellence. I am where I am at because of the support of this community. Without them none of this would be possible.” Best Teacher: Marsha Hood, LH Elementary Kindergarten teacher Marsha Hood believes there isn’t much more important she could do every day that teach children in Liberty Hill, but she said she is just one of a bunch of teachers on every campus who could have been named Best Teacher. “I was completely shocked to be quite honest, and (the number of great teachers in Liberty Hill) is really the reason why,” Hood said. “I have worked with and been mentored by some of the best
teachers in this district, so for me to be chosen was just an incredible honor. I do know the quality of teachers we have here, and on any given day it could be one of many many names that could be chosen. I was surprised and very humbled by being chosen.” The choice of Hood by voters was no surprise throughout the district. “I haven’t been in her class, but I’ve heard great things,” Snell said. “Once you announced the awards, people started saying things like my son had her as a teacher and she’s amazing, and they talk about the caring environment she creates in her classroom.” Knowing her students’ parents and other supporters selected her for this honor is special to Hood. “I feel like because this was a community award, rather
than something that came from the school district, that’s another thing that makes it really important to me is because it is the voice of the parents and volunteers, especially the ones we have here at Liberty Hill Elementary,” she said. “They are an amazing group that really helps, supports and respects what we do every day.” The goal is to make an impact in many different parts of her young students’ lives. That’s critical to Hood, and she doesn’t believe anyone can do so without loving what they do. “My job is to educate, but my job is so much more than that,” she said. “When they leave my room, I want them to be better citizens. I want them to be respectful, to be better students than when I got them. It is so much more
See SCHOOLS, Page 21
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than just academics especially at this age. “I think it is very obvious when people do or don’t love teaching,” she said. “Let’s be honest, we don’t do it for the money or the fame. It really is one of those things that you get out of it what you pour into it and your kids know that. Kids know when you love them and when you genuinely care about them, and so do the parents, and I don’t think it works unless you have a heart for your kids.” While grateful for the award, Hood’s biggest thanks goes to the trust parents put in her every day. “I feel like they bring their most precious gift to me and they trust me with the safety and the education of what is most important to them,” she said. Best School Secretary: Shannon Price, Bill Burden
Elementary Being named Best School Secretary in Liberty Hill ISD is special for Shannon Price – who serves as the principal’s secretary at Bill Burden Elementary – is a special honor because she feels it is based on her effort every day to treat people well. “It is a real honor,” Price said. “I’m very touched and moved by it. I always try to do unto others as you would have them do unto you, so I just believe in treating people the way I want to be treated. It is nice to hear back that it sounds like I’m doing that and people are recognizing it.” Having people on staff ready to greet visitors and parents with a smile and personal attention is an important part of LHISD for Snell. “Think about it, that receptionist is one of the first impressions when you walk on
a campus,” he said. “I’ve been over there a half dozen times, she’s always friendly, always has parents in the office, and it’s part of that customer service that’s so important for us.” Price has been in Liberty Hill since 2001, and has worked for the school district for five years she said have been amazing. “I’m hoping I am making a difference here at the school and just being a positive joyful person here at the school,” she said. “I love being in the district, I love this area and the people here are fantastic, so just the chance to give back to them – I hope – a little bit of what I feel we’ve gotten over the past 18 years here is my goal.” As with the others honored in the school district, Price said it is easy to strive to be the best for everyone else in
STACY COALE PHOTO
In the Best of Liberty Hill survey, voters selected, from left, Coach Jeff Walker, Bill Burden Secretary Shannon Price, Liberty Hill Elementary Teacher Marsha Hood and Liberty Hill High School Principal Jonathan Bever as the best Liberty Hill school district employees. a place like Liberty Hill. “As a parent as well as an employee in the district, I just think our community is just
fabulous,” she said. “There’s just a lot of caring and people looking out for others. It makes it so easy to just be
joyful and give back because I just feel it gets returned 10fold to you.”
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It comes from a place of wanting to help people, “by serving and trying to help somebody from the community with whatever they need, whatever it is. That’s why we’re here: to help them succeed.” A Georgetown resident, she has an associates degree in Business Administration/Accounting from Tyler Commercial College. She has spent most of her adult life working for nonprofits, and before her current position as City Secretary, she served as vice president of the Georgetown Healthcare System. City Administrator Greg Boatright said Zwernemann, who has held this position since January 2014, “is an integral part of what our city is about” and a major player in the balancing and handling of Liberty Hill’s government operations. “She really brought a level of professionalism to the city secretary position that we hadn’t had, I think, prior to her hiring,” he said, “just from the standpoint of being active and keeping accurate records.” Zwernemann’s responsibil-
ities include preparing and coordinating the agenda for the City Council; working to provide council members the necessary information to help them make informed decisions. She notifies the public whenever there are open meetings, oversees city elections and handles public information requests -- and that’s barely the tip of the iceberg. She said “it’s fun stuff,” and when she is not answering questions from the public or busy being the glue that holds Liberty Hill’s City Hall together, she enjoys meeting and engaging with community members at events such as “Movies in the Park.” And like any strong leader and public servant who puts others above themselves, Zwernemann isn’t one to talk about herself for any length of time. Not only does she ignore any attention that comes her way, she makes sure that others receive their fair share. She said most of the people she works with are volunteers, those who serve on the board and city council; people who don’t have to do what they
do, but want to give of their time and expertise to build up the community. They could volunteer for any community, “but they chose to volunteer at the City of Liberty Hill,” she said. “So it’s an honor for us to have them here. And they need to be treated that way, as if it is an honor. Because they’re doing the city and the community a favor. They work a lot of hours and they don’t get paid for it.” Best Police Officer: Chief of Police Maverick Campbell An early encounter with a policeman ignited Liberty Hill Chief of Police Maverick Campbell’s quest to be in law enforcement. He wasn’t raised with much, so when someone broke into the family home and stole the TV, of course it was devastating. “Because that’s all we had,” he said. But even more distressing and impressionable on the young Campbell was the behavior of the police officer called to their house. “He just didn’t seem to care,” Campbell said. “He was just in
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a hurry to get in and out and take the report. That stuck with me forever. And I so really wanted to make a difference in how people were treated by law enforcement.” Born in California and raised in West Virginia, Campbell, 42, enlisted in the Air Force in 1994 and was honorably discharged in 2000; he was reactivated after 9/11 and served an additional two years before embarking on his childhood dream of working law enforcement. He has served communities as a member of police departments in California and Kansas, and before taking his current position in June 2016, Campbell, whose wife and five children wanted to live in Texas, was Chief of Police in Ellsworth, Kansas. He is tasked with providing direct oversight to all police department operations, which include field and support services. But he’s not one to sit in an office all day. He likes to get out, interact with the community, and he still goes on patrol from time to time. City Administrator Greg Boatright said Campbell is “great for the community,” mostly due to his approach to community policing. “We want our officers out, visual, interacting with our community and just having a positive appearance in the city,” Boatright said. “Maverick’s really about that, because that’s what we need -- for our community members to know that their presence makes our community a great place and a great place to live.” Campbell calls this philosophy “proactive policing,” because it seeks to reduce, solve and prevent crimes by first talking to community members to find out what the community’s problems are and then coming up with solutions to those problems. He said it comes down to law enforcement being per-
FEBRUARY 28, 2019
sonable and approachable and “humanizing the badge, because law enforcement has gotten a bad rap over several years and has been villainized. And that’s not what law enforcement is about. Law enforcement professionals want to help people.” The police department hosts “Donuts with the Chief” monthly where Liberty Hill citizens have a casual opportunity to get to know him and his officers. Best Firefighter: Lt. Charles Johnson As a first responder, Lt. Charles Johnson, 38, has one of the most demanding jobs in Liberty Hill. He and the other firefighters who serve Williamson County Emergency Service District No. 4 work 48-hour shifts (this after 96 hours off, or four consecutive days) and respond to calls during all hours of the day. They are the closest thing there is to being a true-to-life superhero, many times putting their lives on the line to save a community member in peril. Johnson, who has resided in Liberty Hill with his wife and two children for five years, said the hardest part of being a firefighter is putting the tough calls behind him and not dwelling on all the bad stuff that he has seen. While he said he wishes the fire department got calls to attend happy, fun-filled events like birthday parties, he and his fellow firefighters have no choice but to accept that most of the calls they get are from community members who are in dangerous, frightening and often life-threatening situations. “And when someone looks you in the eye and tells you, ‘I’m glad you showed up; I thought I was going to die,’ it makes you feel good,” he said. “It’s just part of our job. We train for these situations. But to them, it’s honestly a
life-changing event.” Liberty Hill Fire Chief Anthony Lincoln said he hires topnotch firefighters who are qualified and who are driven to help people. He said that Johnson “is very energetic and enjoys taking on various projects” and is a leader among the other Liberty Hill firefighters. Johnson was born and raised in Leander; he was a superintendent at a construction company before he became a firefighter at the age of 28. He served the Copperas Cove fire department for several years before choosing to serve the community in which he lived. He enjoys the brotherhood of being part of a fire department, but more so he takes pride in just being able to help out Liberty Hill in a positive way. “I love helping people in my own community,” he said, “and also being a role model for the kids looking for a career where they can get satisfaction. Anything we can do to set that example is worth doing.” He and his team members often visit the schools in Liberty Hill and have lunch with students, whether just to make casual and social appearances or to conduct trainings and fire-prevention demonstrations. Positive interactions with the community’s youth, he said, help to motivate him to forget some of the stresses that comes with the job. “When we go to these schools or when we go to public events and see kids looking up to us,” he said, “that is always in the back of my mind when I’m having a bad day. It helps to often remind myself that somebody out there needs us. All I need to do is put a smile on a kid’s face and basically I feel like I’ve done my job.”
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