Today I’m wearing a lovely little “I voted” sticker on my shirt. But since I work from home as a virtual assistant and freelance writer, no one will see my little sticker and thereby be inspired to vote. So I’m writing about it here on HometownGeorgetown.com. Shouting proud and strong:
I voted!
There are two early voting locations in Georgetown, Texas, and you can vote at either one of them through May 5, no matter in which district you live. The first is the Williamson County Annex at 301 SE Inner Loop, and the second is the GISD Central Office Administration building on Lakeway Drive. You can also vote early at the Sun City Social Center on May 4 and May 5.
I live in District 1 in Georgetown. I abstained from voting in the school board election because I don’t have kids in GISD and don’t know enough about the candidates to make an educated choice. (No pun intended.) However, I did vote in the City Council election because this district’s seat is contested, and I researched the candidates. Community Impact’s election guide was a helpful starting point.
Most helpful to me in making my decision was when Ric Spencer introduced himself to me while I was working in the yard… but probably not helpful in the way that he had hoped. Mr. Spencer seems like a very nice man. My husband and I were inclined to like him because he said that he was running because he wanted to give something to the community, even though he was a shy person and felt out of his element. I’m a big proponent of community service, so this spoke to me. But then I asked Mr. Spencer what issues he felt were most important to Georgetown, and he said something along the lines of, “I want to be a true representative of the people, and work on the issues that they feel are important.” That told me nothing. Equally vague was his election literature. He spoke about his background, but he didn’t address any substantive issues. As much as I love Georgetown, we do face some serious issues as a community. Mr. Spencer’s response didn’t tell me whether or not he knew what the issues were, much less whether he had an opinion about how best to address them.
Then a few days later, I read an article in the Williamson County Sun in which Mr. Spencer said he wouldn’t talk to the press until after the May 7 election. His opponent, Patty Eason, was interviewed for the article. Every one of the questions was substantive. Why wouldn’t he answer these questions? I wondered. Why wouldn’t he do everything in his power to get his message out to the people whose support he wants? Not too long after that, an article in the Statesman said Ric Spencer had declined repeated requests for an interview.
I read Patty Eason’s responses to the questions in both articles, and I agreed with a lot of her views on the issues that face Georgetown. For all I know, Ric Spencer doesn’t have any views. I simply have no way of knowing how he feels because he has refused to talk about it publicly.
So in case you haven’t guessed it yet, I voted for Patty Eason. I hope you’ll make your own decision, and that you’ll vote, too. Local elections have incredible impact in our day-to-day lives. Voting early is wonderful. I was in the polling station for all of five minutes. It’s quick and easy.
