Consistent. Principled. Action.

Friends, I do not often respond directly to attacks, but the latest flyer and web site by our opponent is a scurillous attack that contains nothing but falsehoods and innuendo. I will respond quickly this evening, and more broadly over time.

My expenses for my one night trip to Florida were $203.31. The other $19,800 in expenses were spent by other elected officials and appointed officials. I had every opportunity to throw the other elected officials under the bus during that TV ambush, but did not.

I didn’t even have a rental car on this trip – the staff picked me up at the airport and dropped me off.

I had none of the recited expenses, lobster, valet parking, room service, etc. I will release my travel voucher as soon as possible.

In this mailer, my opponent references a democrat blog as a source of his information; a blog whose democratic author ran for commissioner 4 years ago.

In 2009, I traveled to Austin more than any commissioner during the legislative session. An excerpt from my blog of January 11, Keeping Discretionary Spending Down:

“In FY09, the county judge budget for the same three line items was $19,358.

I spent $6,921 in FY09, which included more travel to Austin to testify before the legislature. That works out to less than 36% of the authorized budget.”

Now, let me tell you what this is really about. Democrats who have fought to defeat Sam Johnson through the years have aligned themselves with my opponent. They have hosted a fundraiser for him, they have introduced him around, they are working hard to defeat me. We cannot let this group of tax and spenders win the leadership of the county with outright lies.

Stay the course with me. The truth will come out. We will fight every lie, every half-truth, and every innuendo, and we will fight vigorously.

If you have questions, please call me. I am at the Republican fundraiser, Lincoln Day Dinner, this evening, but I am available to you when you call after this evening.

I need you to pass this email to as many Republican voters as you can.

This is a call to arms. Join me on the front lines.

Sincerely,
Keith

Supporters,

We had a good week on the campaign trail.

As previously reported, we received the endorsement of the Collin County Association of Realtors.

Friday, we received the endorsement of the Empower Texans, the political arm of Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, led by Michael Quinn Sullivan.

Mr. Sullivan states, "Your leadership in government transparency and accountability makes you an indispensible resource for the people of Collin County and all of Texas. As I have said about you in many places, "Keith Self has put into practice the conservative principles too many people simply talk about. Collin County, and all Texans, are fortunate to have him at the helm of one of the state’s fast growing counties.""

The web site for Texans for Fiscal Responsibility states, "Empower Texans exists to create and sustain a system of strong fiscal stewardship within all levels of Texas government."

I thank Michael Quinn Sullivan and Empower Texans for their support for our re-election campaign.

I am grateful that our transparency and fiscal policy efforts are gaining national and state-wide attention, first by the Governor during his State of the State address to the legislature (available on the lower right side of the web site at www.KeithSelf.com), then by recognition by Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), and now by Empower Texans.

We have two great forums coming up on Monday and Tuesday. Monday is at the McKinney campus of Collin College, Tuesday is at the Spring Creek campus of the college. Check out the details at www.KeithSelf.com . See you there!

Sincerely,
Keith

Concerned citizens,

The Collin County Association of Realtors has endorsed me for re-election.

I am very grateful for their support.

Realtors are very sensitive to the economic climate. Uncertainty, unemployment, and job loss translate directly to their bottom line if our citizens struggle with their mortgages. Realtors have every reason to support low tax, business friendly policies. They realize that the best way for us to weather the economic storm is to maintain our low tax policies and reduce the growth of government, exactly as we did over the past three years since I took office.

Collin County maintained a steady unemployment rate in December while the State ticked up slightly. Collin County continues to do well when measured against other places in the State and nation; and our unemployment rate is now 10% better than the State.

The realtors will help us carry our pro-taxpayer message across the county.

Thank you for your support as we continue this experiment in open government.

I said that I would stand with the taxpayer, and I did.

Sincerely,
Keith

Supporters,

Dick Winters is the central officer character in "Band of Brothers", the World War II story of Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment. Winters was a tremendous leader during the parachute assault on D-Day and throughout the drive across Northern Germany. He made a very telling comment to another officer, "Never put yourself in a position to take anything from these men (the men he led)."

I believe that principle applies to all leaders. I draw my salary, which has been frozen throughout my first term in office, and I receive reimbursement for travel and expenses. However, in Fiscal Year 2008, I spent less than 22% of my discretionary budget; in FY2009, I spent less than 36% during a legislative session. I'll explain.

Beyond the recent homestead exemption and tax cuts by the Commissioners Court, I believe there is another measure of how prudently an elected official spends taxpayer dollars, and that is how the public servant spends the tax dollars entrusted to that official to do his or her own job, the tax dollars under the elected official's personal control.

In my case, the primary budget lines over which I exercise personal control are travel, education and conference, and business meals for the office of the county judge. I am the only person covered by the county judge account.

Let's examine the last two years, Fiscal Year 2008 (FY08) that did not include a legislative session and FY09 which did include a legislative session. When there is a legislative session, I travel to Austin more to testify and work with our legislators. These are the only two full fiscal years I have been in office.

Business meals include the food for the citizen breakfasts that I hold every two months with citizens randomly selected by county staff.

In FY08, the county judge budget for travel, education and conference, and business meals was $19,611. The general amount of these line items pre-dates my tenure, so I cannot give you the original justification for that amount.

I spent $4,259 in all three lines in FY08, including food for the citizen breakfasts. That works out to less than 22% of the authorized budget.

In FY09, the county judge budget for the same three line items was $19,358.

I spent $6,921 in FY09, which included more travel to Austin to testify before the legislature. That works out to less than 36% of the authorized budget.

I am not going to spend taxpayer dollars just because they are budgeted and available.

With this history, next year's budget for the county judge office can be cut to more accurately reflect what I spend.

I said that I would stand with the taxpayer, and I did. And I continue to do so.

Sincerely,
Keith

Concerned citizens,

Happy New Year! The next 60 days will be an exciting start to a new decade.

Less than 60 days! The Republican primary is less than 60 days from today. I am excited about what Samuel Adams, one of the Founding Fathers, called "the animating contest of freedom."

The rapid plunge of our nation into unthinkable spending and debt and away from liberty has awakened the electorate. Many citizens realize that we must make a stand for liberty and economic sanity in 2010; that we cannot continue down the road of crushing debt and ever-increasing entitlements while yielding our liberty.

I said that I would stand with you, the taxpayer ... and I did. The results are clear; freezing my salary for my 4-year term; our open and transparent county government; the slashing of county government growth rates; tax cuts in county property taxes; and my testimonies in defense of taxpayers before House and Senate committees in Austin over two legislative sessions.

The wisdom and relevance of Ronald Reagan’s words spoken in Dallas in 1984 resonate today, "The people told the liberal leadership in Washington, "Try shrinking the size of government before you shrink the size of our paychecks."" And in that same speech, "Four years ago we raised a banner of bold colors -- no pale pastels." Two great messages that I take to heart.

But there is more to do. The idea of higher taxes to fund every whim of government never dies, and requires constant vigilance. The idea of larger and larger government never dies, and requires constant vigilance. Even our actions over the past year to defend taxpayers have come under liberal criticism. Now is not the time to shirk our responsibilities to you.

I ask that you stand with me for four more years. I ask for your vote on March 2 to re-elect me as your County Judge.

Early voting starts just 43 days from today and Election Day is less than 60 days away. I ask for your help to continue this experiment in open and transparent government.

There are many ways to help out.

If you want to help me reach voters who do not get these emails, read my blog or follow me on Facebook, you can contribute a few dollars to help me reach more people with our transparency and fiscally responsible message. Go to http://www.keithself.com/donate.html to contribute on-line or mail in a check. If everyone contributes a little, together we can reach every voter.

Yard signs are being delivered. Go to http://www.keithself.com/contribute.html to request a yard sign and we will get it to you. If you have a location for a larger road sign, let me know.

There are other ways to introduce me to your friends and family. We are waging a grassroots campaign and I need every supporter to introduce me to other voters, friends and family. Go to the list of opportunities at http://www.keithself.com/contribute.html to tell me how you want to help out.

If you want open and transparent government and fiscal responsibility, please join me in this animating contest of freedom!

Please forward this email to all like-minded voters that you know. And together we will win.

Sincerely,
Keith

Concerned citizens,

1. The Collin County unemployment rate substantially decreased in November, dropping a full half percent from 7.7% in October to 7.2%.

Collin County's decrease is significant and welcome after our unemployment rate peaked in July at 7.9%.

The current 7.2% rate is the lowest since last May and the decrease translates into almost 2,000 fewer unemployed citizens than October's figure.

Collin County continues to do better than the state (8% unemployment) and much better than the nation in jobs and job creation. Jobs, not wealth redistribution, provide the best economic security of our citizens, and our low-tax, job-friendly policies contribute to our improving unemployment rate.

State figures taken from the Texas Workforce Commission web site at http://www.tracer2.com/admin/uploadedPublications/1826_pressrelease.pdf.

2. Tracy and I wish each of you Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! May this season bring you joy with your family as we celebrate the birth of Jesus.

Sincerely,
Keith

Concerned citizens,

1. State of the County. The staff put together a great briefing on the current state of the county; a briefing that has generated quite a bit of interest when I presented it in several different venues. Because of that interest, I asked the Public Information office to put the briefing on-line for your review. You can find the briefing at http://www.collincountytx.gov/public_information/features/state_of_county_09.jsp. The figures are as current as possible. For instance, the national unemployment rate has changed slightly since the latest change to these slides, but the new local unemployment rate has not been released, so the last available same-date comparison is included.

2. Our re-election campaign is now underway in earnest. Primary election day is only 78 days away; early voting starts in just 64 days, right around the corner, especially given the Christmas break. This is a sprint. I appreciate every bit of support that you can give us.

Yard signs have arrived and we will start delivering them soon. If you have not ordered your yard sign, please go to http://www.keithself.com/contribute.html and sign up for a yard sign to be delivered to your door. We will not start delivery for another week or two, but they are available now if you want to put one out.

You will also find areas to volunteer to host a coffee or other activities to support our re-election campaign. I appreciate every effort on my behalf.

Our grassroots campaign will focus on identify those voters who appreciate the open and transparent government initiatives and the dramatically slashed growth of government that the Commissioners Court has supported during my first term in office.

Remember, I said that I would stand with the taxpayers……and I did.

Sincerely,
Keith

Citizens,

1. Our county unemployment rate inched down in October to 7.7%.

After going up almost 3% over a nine month stretch from September '08 through June '09, our last five months have changed very little at 7.7%, 7.9%, 7.7%, 7.8%, and 7.7%, meaning that the unemployment rate in Collin County has stabilized for the time being at half a percentage point below the state average and a full 2.5% below the current national average.

It is good news that unemployment stopped going up, not good news that it stabilized at a relatively high 7.7%. Jobs are crucial in order to continue to provide a beacon of success in the midst of the national economic downturn.

I know that federal government spending policies garner all the media attention, and the major issues that many of us are engaged in with our congressional delegation are vitally important. However, local fiscal policy and taxes pay a major role in our economic health relative to other states and even regions within Texas. Our low tax and business friendly policies play a part in keeping business doors open and attracting new businesses looking for a shelter in the storm.

2. I kept my word in my first term of office. I said that I would stand with the taxpayers - I did.

- Collin County has a more open and transparent government - webcasting commissioners court sessions and putting the county checkbook on-line for your review.

- The three budgets I participated in slashed the growth of county government from a 10+% per year average to a 1+% per year average.

- The Commissioners Court cut your county property taxes. The Commissioners Court cut your taxes - we are not taking credit for something the legislature did - we actually cut your taxes ourselves. More on this later.

These conservative fiscal policies play a role in the success of this county in maintaining a relatively good employment rate. And they will play a role in building jobs for the future as our population continues to grow as people flee high-tax states and counties.

3. Thanksgiving Day is right around the corner. I am grateful every day for each of the blessings that I enjoy, including the great honor of serving you.

Sincerely,
Keith

Citizens,

1. Today is Veterans Day. Please thank a veteran as you go about your day today. Past or present, our years of service to our nation mean a great deal to all of us and I speak for all veterans in saying that a simple thank you speaks volumes to us. I am very grateful for my own years of service in the Army and the opportunities I had to learn about the wider world and to understand better the freedom that we enjoy in our nation. That is why I am so focused on protecting your freedom to control your own life - I have seen countless examples around the world where that is not possible.

2. I want to thank all of you who contribute to the Samaritan Inn. We recently hosted an extremely successful fundraiser, but the Inn relies heavily on the very generous donations throughout the year from folks around the county just like you. As a board member, I thank you for your generosity. I appreciate the hard work of Executive Director Lynne Sipiora and the way that the Inn not only helps the immediate needs of the homeless, but also works with them to move them from a dependent status to an independent, self-sufficient life. As we enter the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons, I ask that you consider the Samaritan Inn for a year-end contribution.

Sincerely,
Keith

Citizens,

1. I am excited to start our re-election campaign together! Check out the new "Volunteer" section to the left, where you can volunteer on-line for the ways that you want to support my campaign. There is also a "Donate" button there that you can use to contribute through Paypal. I appreciate every effort on my behalf. As I say on the site, I love standing with you, and will continue to stand firm for the foundation principles that made our nation great.

One more thing: I ask that you start distributing my emails to your friends and family so that our campaign grows into the grassroots powerhouse that we need.

2. Our $900 Million in transportation project funding may be in jeopardy if we don't get construction contracts signed by the summer of 2011. There is a real danger that the legislature may take our funds to close the expected state budget gap. Our legislators are aware of this issue and are working with us, but they need our help. The first step is to get as many contracts signed as possible by 2011.

There are more than 50 projects that have these funds allocated to them, but here are a few of the major projects that are massively important to us.

US75: I believe that TXDot can sign construction contracts for 7 separate US75 improvement projects up to the point north of McKinney where SH121 goes east near Melissa before the legislature completes it work in the summer of 2011. The last section north of Bloomdale will be close to that date, and we are working that hard. These improvements are vital to relieve congestion on the major highway through our county, and they represent hundreds of millions of dollars.

US380: TXDot has signed a construction contract from Lake Lavon east to Farmersville, and work should start soon. This road is some of the roughest in the county on a major highway. TXDot and the Regional Transportation Council are working with us to find dollars to improve US380 from Farmersville to the county line.

SH78: TXDot is working to get the necessary right of way for SH78 around the south end of Lake Lavon. Our growth in the southeast corner of the county makes this project a high priority.

I ask for your support, and for your vote in March 2010.

Sincerely,
Keith