Over the past twenty years, I have been transparent about my political beliefs. At my core, I am a conservative Christian who believes in low taxes, limited government, government accountability, and moral absolutes rooted in God’s Word.

I’ve worked hard to align myself with others who share these values, particularly in local politics where I believe I can have the greatest influence and make the most meaningful impact.

However, what I witnessed in this election has deeply shaken my faith in many of those I once considered friends and political allies. Their choice was not about upholding core convictions, but about aligning with “teams”—Team A versus Team B—as individuals jockeyed to support their preferred candidates.

Across social media and in private conversations, Team A attacked Team B, and vice versa. Regardless of the obvious political, moral or ethical malfeasance, Team A defended their candidates’ wrongdoings, just as Team B defended theirs.

Take, for example, the recent controversy surrounding the “Golden Parachute” contracts for City Manager John Beckmeyer, City Attorney Dan Jones, and City Secretary Norma Aguilar. Team A fiercely protected their City Council incumbents, who were caught in a scheme to approve these lucrative deals. Meanwhile, Team B excused their own council members’ admission that they hadn’t even bothered to read the contracts before voting to approve them. Voters saw this same behavior repeated throughout the campaign on various other issues.

This kind of morally corrupt wrangling did little to serve or protect the most important team: Team C. Team C is Team Citizen, and Team Citizen was left frustrated and confused, caught between the bickering of Team A and Team B.

Let me be clear: MY team has always been and will always be Team Citizen.

I’ve taken a lot of heat and undoubtedly lost some friendships for being willing to point out the wrongdoing of those I’ve supported in the past. There were many who questioned why I publicly called out the troubling actions of City Manager Beckmeyer and his political activist wife, Teresa. Some speculated it was because of their attacks on me and fellow ODC Board member Kris Crow, or because I had gotten cross-wise with the Beckmeyers.

The answer is simple: I’ve never played for Team A or Team B. I play for Team C—Team Citizen. Long ago, I decided that it was better to remain true to my conservative principles than to compromise my beliefs in order to support candidates who strayed from their duty to represent the people and uphold the values they professed.

In that spirit, I recently opposed both the Odessa College Bond and the Medical Center Hospital bond proposals. Both plans were poorly constructed and poorly thought out. They would have cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. Thankfully, both proposals were defeated Tuesday.  While the Medical Center Hospital proposal may have some merit, the reality is that the plan was very complicated and filled with problems. Leaders were unable or unwilling to answer basic questions about its details. The Odessa College Bond was even worse. It wasn’t really a plan at all, just an expensive “wish list” asking taxpayers for more than $300 MILLION DOLLARS with no clear vision.

Likewise, I continue to oppose Ector County’s proposal to issue $325 MILLION DOLLARS in taxpayer debt without a concrete plan, design, budget, or even a location for a new courthouse. Let me be clear: I’m not against fixing our courthouse problem. I’m against moving forward with an expensive, open-ended proposal without a detailed plan and a clear understanding of how it will impact taxpayers.  As always, I’m also against spending a massive amount of money without taxpayer approval. Elected Officials now want taxpayers to openly trust them on all financial matters, when in fact, it is those elected officials that do not trust the taxpayers to vote for their plan!

As you may recall, I also opposed the ECISD Bond, because I felt the “our taxes won’t go up” narrative was inaccurate and deceptive. However, I will give ECISD credit for crafting a plan that resonated with voters, and in the end, voters approved it. I respect the will of the voters, even when I disagree with their decision.

In closing, I must express my disappointment in some members of our community who chose to spread false information and attack people online, but who refused to accept offers to meet face-to-face and discuss their concerns. Regardless of the issue, I believe only cowards and bullies are unwilling to stand by their beliefs and engage in respectful, face-to-face dialogue. I personally believe in accountability, and you’ll never find me hiding behind a social media account.

If we want to move this community forward in a meaningful way, we must build a stronger Team C. We need more citizens who are willing to hold both Team A and Team B accountable, and I’m ready to lead that charge.