Steve is opposed to Proposition A. It’s against State Law, it’s a distraction for our law enforcement and its bad for our business community.

The City of Lubbock exists to provide basic services to our citizens. Fire and Police Departments that are there if you need them, the water you use in your home, the energy to power your life, to the streets you drive to work on — the City of Lubbock is responsible for these basic services. As Mayor, we must be held accountable for those things we are responsible for; we need to be transparent in our work; and we must be responsive to our citizens’ needs.

Our City is growing in every area. For many years, we have worked hard to lay the foundation to ensure our city can provide the needed infrastructure to keep up with this growth. I pushed for the budget amendment to re-evaluate the Comprehensive Land Use Plan, which hadn’t been updated in over 30 years. The new Land Use Plan creates the vision for how our growing city will look in the future and ensures the City can provide the needed infrastructure to accommodate growth.

Exciting things are happening in Downtown Lubbock. The Buddy Holly Hall, South Plains College Downtown Academic Center, Citizens Tower, The Cotton Court Hotel, and the NTS Tower, to name a few. More people are living downtown, and more people are coming to visit and work. I believe that every great city has a great downtown. We have worked hard to provide an environment that encourages private investment downtown, from utility infrastructure to simpler things, like making parking ordinances more business-friendly. We must continue to work to make downtown Lubbock a place to live, work, visit, and shop.

The City of Lubbock is a very diversified organization. It requires strong leadership to ensure it remains accountable and transparent. We have to work hard to bring value for your tax dollars. Strong leadership means that sometimes you have to make a difficult decision that isn’t popular, but it is the best decision for the City of Lubbock. I understand that responsibility, and I bring the experience necessary to lead Lubbock.

For many years, this council has been united in its effort to reduce unnecessary debt. We eliminated the “Master Lease” program that was financing vehicles and other items for longer than their useful life. We have paid over $15 million in cash for vehicles and funded more than $155 million in capital projects. We have set a precedent for funding street maintenance with more than $25.5 million in cash and are working hard to fund more maintenance every year with cash.