Texas Entrepreneur or Chicago Community Organizer?
First of a 3 part Editorial by Colleyville Resident Steve Waltens
PART 1
There is a lot of conversation on social media about the upcoming Colleyville City Council election and if you are like most folks you either 1) don’t care, 2) are confused, or 3) are irritated by all the personal attacks.
My advice is to cut through all the campaign rhetoric and focus on how each candidate stacks up against the most important qualifications for the role of City Council. The differences between these two candidates are night and day.I hope this helps you and, most importantly, I hope you participate in the process and vote.
BUSINESS ACUMEN – There is a reason that Colleyville is the safest city in Texas, enjoys some of the highest property values in the area, and remains a charming, semi-rural oasis in the middle of an urban sprawl—all while having a healthy balance sheet and low taxes. It is because our elected officials are skilled business minds who have practical, real-world experience that they bring to their service in the decisions they make and in their oversight of a $50 million budget of taxpayer money.
Bobby Lindamood is an accomplished entrepreneur who has built and runs multi-million business employing dozens of people. The fiduciary responsibility and skill that comes with being a business owner translates perfectly into the role of City Council.
Vanessa Steinkamp is an academic who, while touting a resume of advanced degrees and other academic achievements, has never worked in the “real world” and had to make important financial decisions that affect other people’s lives.
RELEVANT EXPERTISE – The job of City Council primarily consists of policy and financial decisions involving things like road construction, drainage, plat mapping, zoning variances, bidding processes, and other matters. As you know, it is very beneficial to us to elect people who have tangible expertise in these areas.
Bobby Lindamood has been in the construction industry for decades where he has amassed a litany of practical expertise in most civil construction disciplines. His knowledge of the trade and contracting processes has already saved taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Vanessa Steinkamp doesn’t appear to have any practical experience in the non-academic world. Being a recent Chicago transplant, she campaigns on the promise of “urbanizing” Colleyville and community organizing kumbayas with other local politicians. She clearly lacks understanding of the role of City Council, which is understandable given that she hasn’t served on a citizen committee or even bothered to attend a council meeting until she decided to run for office.
RUNNING FOR THE RIGHT REASONS – It is proven to be beneficial if elected officials serve having prior leadership experience to help them successfully navigate the duties of the job and operative effectively and efficiently to serve the constituency.
Bobby Lindamood is the definition of a citizen-servant. He has poured his heart and soul into the Colleyville community, not only by serving on City Council as Mayor Pro-Tem, but serving on citizen committees, organizing meals for first responders each Thanksgiving and Christmas, and countless other examples of working his fingers to the bone expecting nothing in return.
Vanessa Steinkamp filed to run for this council out of nowhere, having never previously involved herself in local government or, as mentioned above, even attending a City Council meeting. It seems odd to me that she promises “sidewalks for everyone” yet, when the Mayor formed a Citizen Committee to tackle the issue in 2017, she couldn’t even be bothered to apply and be part of the solution. One of her friends told me in confidence that Vanessa (during a party at her house) shared the real reason she gave for running for council was to avenge a personal vendetta against one sitting Councilperson’s family (more to come on that matter in Part 2 of the Series).
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Early Voting begins on Monday, April 22 at Colleyville City hall. Election Day is May 4 at Bransford Elementary School.
