Dr. Deb Armintor for City Council

Dear Fellow Dentonites and Friends of Denton,

For those of you who don't know me already, allow me to introduce myself.  I am a mother, English professor, engaged citizen, and community advocate, and I am running for City Council At Large Place 5, a position for which all registered Denton residents can vote on the May 7 ballot.

Ever since I filed for candidacy  on February 18th (after months of calculating, considering, and receiving the thumbs-up from my husband, Marshall: "You're already spending all your time on this stuff so why not just make it official and run for office?" ), I 've been strengthened and deeply moved by all the enthusiasm coming my way from the many people I've met and heard from who are familiar with my track record of advocating for our communities at City Hall, in writing, door to door, and in the streets. They are excited about the prospect of electing another intelligent, informed, and incorruptible woman to City Council to help Kathleen Wazny and Keely Briggs break up our majority "boys club" of rubber-stampers, big spenders, and big egos. For far too long, this boys club has been regurgitating to us the same salesmanlike "talking points” spoon-fed to them in closed meetings by our highly paid City Manager and City Attorney, instead of doing their due diligence, listening to citizens, and putting their constituents' interests before their own. For far too long, the boys club has been taking marching orders from these same unelected head staffmembers, and voting unanimously as a bloc against the expressed wishes of their constituents—in violation of our city's official organizational structure, which specifies that councilmembers should direct the City Manager and Attorney, rather than taking directives from them.

 
I have nothing personal against my main opponent for the Place 5 At Large position, incumbent Dalton Gregory. He is a nice man, and I wish him well.  But I object very strongly to many of his political actions on council.   When it comes  to the big issues, he has voted in favor of such community-unfriendly ordinances as Buc-ee's, the Convention Center, Special Use Permits allowing large wedding venues in quiet residential neighborhoods, and reduced setbacks and reverse setbacks for gas wells.  Unmoved by the almost unanimous objections expressed by the hundreds of residents who packed the halls at the recent DME public hearing and town hall meeting, he sided once again with staff over citizens by supporting DME's proposed $240 million-dollar gas plants (from which only 13% of the energy produced is needed for backup power for renewables here in Denton; the rest will be sold for a profit to the grid), and in opposition to Kathleen Wazny’s call for an ethics ordinance designed to compensate for our permissive and inadequate state law and to prevent the appearance of conflict of interest for City Council and staff.  Mr. Gregory was even recorded at a work session objecting to an ethics ordinance on the grounds that it would prevent the city from doing business with companies in which councilmembers' relatives were employed!


But it won’t be this way for much longer.  If all goes well on May 7, two 1st-term-ers on council (Sara Bagheri and I, in At Large Places 6 and 5) will unseat both At Large incumbents and get right to work in helping Briggs and Wazny clean up house and change the culture at City Hall.  In my first week in office, I would set the procedural ball in motion by calling for a review of the contracts of our over-empowered City Manager and City Attorney. I would call for an external audit and review of every department in City Hall, including DME.  I would put citizens and neighborhoods first with each and every vote, clamp down on reckless spending, promote transparency and humility on council, support Wazny's ethics ordinance, and commit to real city planning that builds on our city’s existing strengths, rather than cheapening our communities by enacting permissive zoning rules, ignoring residents' rights, and selling our neighborhoods to the lowest bidders.                                                       

So be sure to mark your calendar, and tell your friends, neighbors, and coworkers to VOTE EARLY in our upcoming city elections April 25-May 3, or on Election Day on May 7, and to save the date of June 18 as well for a tentative (and very likely) Runoff Election.

If you're rich, think about contributing $50 or $100 (just remember that if you donate $50 or more, you cannot opt to donate anonymously per Texas Ethics Commission rules). And if all you have to give are love and prayers, then please send those too. I will need and appreciate them very much over the next 2 months.

Finally, but not insignificantly, I ask you to consider contributing a little something to my campaign to help me buy signs, push cards, and the like. I wish I didn't need such things to compete in a democratic election but I do, especially an At Large election covering all four districts. I wish I could compete on my ideas and qualifications alone, but nobody can. As averse as I am to asking for money, the stakes are just too high in this election for me to skip this awkward but necessary step. So if you're poor, consider giving just a dollar or two.

These are tough times right now for our city, but we're at the end of a dark era, and on the horizon of something bright, new, and inspiring. Together we can raise the proverbial curtains in City Hall, let the sunlight (and the people!) back in, and get started cleaning house.


It’s not too late to save the Denton you love.

Yours,

Deb


p.s. If you happen to agree with my analysis of our current situation and my vision for the future, please consider forwarding this message and spreading the word.  Anyone from any city or state can donate to my campaign, but for filing purposes all contributors must include their name, address, profession, and employer, along with the amount contributed. If you forget to include that information with your Go Fund Me contribution, you may email it to me at debfordenton  at  gmail . com



Pol. Ad Paid for by the Armintor Campaign,
David Zoltner, Treasurer.