Norma Martin, Mayor, Lavon, Texas
I have been extremely pleased with the service that Judge Keith Self has provided the residents of Collin County during his first term in office. He followed through with his commitment to cut taxes and increase governmental transparency by posting the County's budget and check registry online. Few elected officials keep their campaign promises, but Judge Self is definitely an exception. Thank you for looking out for the taxpayers, Judge Self. You have my vote for your re-election.
John Hancock from Allen, Texas
Keith Self served our country as an outstanding Army officer for 25 years and could have finally enjoyed life on his terms. He instead decided to seek public office to restore Reagan-inspired conservatism and voter accountability to Collin County government. As Collin County Judge this patriot battled cronyism and special interests but still managed to make good on his campaign promises to put the taxpayer first by reducing taxes, limiting government growth, and insisting on a culture of fiscal responsibility and transparency. He always treats individuals with respect and dignity. Keith continues to show his character, class, and integrity by insisting on an honest and positive campaign based on his documented accomplishments despite being attacked with lies, spam, and a propaganda website. I sincerely encourage the Republican voters of Collin County to affirm their support of Judge Self in the Republican primary!
At a January 28 candidate forum Collin County Judge Keith Self's challenger in the upcoming Republican primary, John Muns, declared that he is "a conservative Republican." That is an interesting statement considering he previously criticized Judge Self for "keeping taxes low." Really? To this taxpayer letting us keep more of our money aligns quite nicely with the conservative Republican tenet of limited government. In fact, I don't see the words "Conservative" or even "Republican" on Mr. Mun's campaign signs or on his website home page. He confirmed that his statement is simply hollow campaign rhetoric when he attended a February 5 rally on his behalf that was hosted by Tom Daley and Jean Power – Democrats who lost election bids in 2008! Judge Self is the real deal as he has demonstrated that he is a true conservative Republican who works for US - the Collin County taxpayers.
Mr. and Mrs. R. Donald Thoes
Like so many others, I am fed up with the tax and spend politicians who make backroom deals at the expense of the taxpayer. John Muns, who serves on the Plano ISD Board of Trustees, is a perfect example of this type of candidate. Muns, along with his cohorts, unanimously decided to remove students from their neighborhood schools and bus them across town against the wishes of the students and their families. This egregious action made national headlines when the Wall Street Journal reported on Plano's rezoning decision on January 28, 2010. Additionally, while Muns served on the Plano Board of Trustees, Plano ISD raised taxes and used reserve funds to balance the District's budget. Now Muns, who is running for Collin County Judge, hopes to impose his big government approach on all residents of Collin County. No, thanks, John. We can't afford you in Collin County.
Tommy Stanley, Concerned Citizen
Sent to McKinney News:
Keith Self has demonstrated his commitment to "Standing with the Taxpayer." Unlike the previous County Judge, Self has refused a pay increase during his four year tenure in office, and he kept his expenses far below what is allocated in his budget. Additionally, he has kept the County's tax rate low and implemented governmental transparency measures to increase public access to our County government. To say thank you for looking out for the taxpayer, I encourage Collin County to join me by "Standing with Keith" the primary election season.
Joni Halpin from Allen, Texas
Although I already had plenty of great reasons to vote for Keith Self for County Judge (fiscally conservative, has kept his promises, stays in touch with the people), John Muns' smearing of this man in his campaign literature has stoked the fire! It still galls me when a candidate will knowingly print falsehoods about their opponent. Vote for the honest man in this race--Keith Self!
Nancy Humphrey from Richardson, Texas
Sent to Allen American, Plano Star Courier, Celina Record, Frisco Enterprise, Little Elm Journal, McKinney Courier Gazette, Dallas Morning News, Farmersville Times, Murphy Monitor, Princeton Herald, Sachse News, and Wylie News:
Keith Self, Collin County Judge, has demonstrated his leadership ability, fiscal responsibility and integrity in his first term. During a tough economy, Self has reduced taxes, curtailed spending, reduced government via technology, and pioneered governmental transparency by providing online access to videos of Court meetings and the County's check register. Additionally, Self is a veteran who served our nation as an officer in the Army for 25 years.
His opponent, John Muns, is currently serving his fifth 3-year term on the PISD Board of Trustees that infamously rendered the unanimous approval of a motion (presented to the public only two hours prior) to resolve a months-long controversy regarding school attendance boundaries. The Board had no public discussion concerning the motion and refuses to respond to parents' requests for explanation of the decision. In recent years, the Board has almost consistently cast a 7-0 vote on every matter. During these years, PISD spending per student has dramatically increased, while its overall academic performance has declined.
As a voting taxpayer, I ask what kind of leadership can Muns provide? His board may have barely met requirements of the Texas Open Meetings Act, but was it ethical to privately hash out public policy and then promulgate it publicly without explanation? Collin County needs Keith Self to stand up for what's right for the community.
Mike Shaheen from McKinney, Texas
Sent to The Dallas Morning News:
I urge my fellow citizens to get out and vote on March 2nd, and cast their vote to re-elect Keith Self for Collin County Judge. Keith is no untested experiment; for three years as Collin County Judge he has delivered on his promise to cut taxes. He is a proven leader with a successful track record of getting the job done.
What I like about Keith is he oversees the budget like you and I manage our own checkbook. In a day where it’s all too commonplace for our elected officials to make empty promises and cut corners, Keith is a breath of fresh air. He conducts the duties of the job by always operating in the ethical center and does so without shying away from making the tough decisions and confronting the issues of the day head on.
I plan on voting for Keith because he holds sacred the public trust and I know I can count on him to be a principled leader of the Commissioner’s Court. Keith is unabashedly proud of his conservative principles. He is Reaganesque in his belief that lower taxes combined with fiscal prudence leads to prosperity. He lives these principles day in and day out. For Keith, these aren’t just campaign promises, this is who he is.
Keith is a leader with a vision I believe is crucial to prosperity in Collin County and for these reasons, my vote goes to Keith.
Bruce Huot from Fairview, Texas
Sent to The Dallas Morning News:
I nearly fell off my chair when I read the praise the Dallas Morning News heaped upon Collin County Judge Keith Self and then the incongruous endorsement of his opponent. Judge Self has kept his promise of an open and transparent government and an almost religious fervor of overseeing the efficient spending of our tax dollars. His service to our country and our county and his promise-keeping earn him another term.
Meanwhile, his opponent is woefully short on specifics and has attended only one County Commissioners Court session. The DMN seems to hang their hat on his "coalition building" promise. "Coalition building" in DMN speak sounds like shipping county tax revenues to less solvent units of local government.
Collin County voters are not ready to trade Judge Self for inexperience and problematic leadership.
Shep Stahel from Plano, Texas
Sent to The Dallas Morning News, Plano Star Courier, Farmersville Times and Murphy Messenger:
I support Keith Self for re-election as Collin County Judge.
I met Keith after he retired from the Army and moved to Texas. I had retired after 30 years of active and reserve Naval service and we shared the military mindset of careful analysis, straight talk, finding common ground among competing views, and caring deeply about the people we served for and with.
As a Plano City Council member I found that we both wanted to improve transportation without breaking the bank. One result is the rebuilt Highway 121, which is 80% completed. For expansion of rail, Keith argued in Austin that the citizens of Plano should not pay twice if the Texas Local Option Transportation Act was approved. He felt that the citizens of Plano already paid a penny sales tax to DART, that other cities had that option if the citizens wanted to vote to join DART. He advocates for economic development, but done by each city, not by bigger government.
Finally, and very important in today's tough economy, Keith's budgets are realistic. For example, he would never tell voters a project would cost X, then after the vote disclose the true cost would be 4X or more. I strongly support Keith for re-election because he is smart, logical, talks straight, inspires trust and confidence.
His outstanding performance during the past 3 years as Judge have clearly earned him another four years. Join me for Keith Self for county Judge."
