Consistent. Principled. Action.

Friends,

Have you already voted? Great! Including the Sunday votes that have not yet been disseminated, over 10,000 votes have probably been cast through the first six days of early voting! The huge number continues to amaze!

Our work is not done.

The large numbers of votes means that many people are concerned about the explosion of government spending at the state and federal levels, they are now awake and energized, and they want to make a difference.

Now is the time to let everyone know that we have reined in government spending in Collin County. Now is the time to influence your networks of friends, colleagues, and neighbors.

I ask that even if you have personally voted, you continue to gather votes for our campaign in this important election. Many elections are won or lost in the last few days, and we will continue to work hard right through Election Day.

If you have some hours available to greet voters as they arrive at polling locations, please let me know. There are many opportunities to simply hold a sign and wave at folks as they pull up. Simple, but effective.

Thank you, each and every one, for your personal efforts on my behalf. You are doing a great job and we are hearing good results. Every vote counts!

Sincerely,
Keith

Friends, Happy President's Day!

You have read campaign mailers and listened to campaign debates. For those who are working in our campaign, thank you for what you have accomplished. You have worked, you called and walked, you have passed out brochures, you have put out signs, you have talked to your friends. I appreciate every effort - you have been wonderful to work with.

Now is the time to encourage your friends to actually vote. Now is the time to make sure that your friends and colleagues actually go to the polls. If they don't go to the polls, your efforts will be in vain. Double back to check with your friends again. Early voting locations are at http://public1.co.collin.tx.us/elections/polling_locations/early_voting/default.aspx .

Continue to campaign with honor, regardless of the tactics used against us. Just like the US Marine TV commercials, we will form a line across the county, standing with the taxpayers with honor.

You have a clear choice between two candidates for County Judge. One raised the Plano ISD tax rate twice in the last two years (including during the economic plunge of 2009). The six cent increase over the past two years is staggering, adding $150 every year to the tax bill on a $250,000 home.

During that same period, Collin County passed both a 5% homestead exemption and a tax rate decrease. The choice is clear.

By Election Day on March 2, I will have completed some 50 events, speaking directly to voters about my record over the past three years. That includes 34 coffees hosted in private homes, speaking to neighbors and friends invited by the hosts. I am grateful for so many friends opening their homes to our campaign.

The next two weeks are crucial to winning this election. Most voters are just now digging into the candidates' records and will make their decisions over the next few days. Now is the time to renew our efforts to personally reach out to voters.

We have received great conservative endorsements:

1) The Collin County Association of Realtors, who are the bellweather of the local economy - they know first what is happening in the housing market. I very much appreciate their confidence in our fiscally conservative policies.

2) Three State Representatives, who together represent every city in Collin County:

State Representative Jodie Laubenberg

State Representative Jerry Madden

State Representative Ken Paxton

3) Kelly Shackelford (for identification only: President/CEO of Free Market Foundation)

4) Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, through their Empower Texans organization.

5) Texas Home School Coalition

6) The Coalition for Better Government, a group of citizens who are working to identify candidates who "best represent the core values, integrity, and responsibilities of the next generation of Republican leaders in Collin County."

7) And I am TeaApproved. As everyone now realizes, the Tea Party is going to make a difference in this election.

This is an important election for Collin County. This election determines whether we return to the past when county government was invisible to you, the taxpayer; or we move forward with open and accessible government, committed to keeping your taxes low and county government focused on core functions.

Now is the time to stand together.

Standing with you,
Keith

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