In need of a new mayor: Council member Fletcher files for Buda mayor | The Hays Free Press

In need of a new mayor: Council member Fletcher files for Buda mayor

Posted by on Nov 14th, 2012 and filed under Buda, For Front Page Use, Top Stories.


by VERONICA GORDON

City Council Member Ron Fletcher is running for mayor of Buda in the Dec. 8 special election, bringing the number of candidates vying for the spot to two.

The election comes after Mayor Sarah Mangham’s announcement last month that she was resigning from office for health reasons. Fletcher will face fellow council member Todd Ruge in the election.

Prior to his election to the council in 2008, Fletcher served on Buda’s Home Rule Charter Commission and was chair of Buda’s first Planning & Zoning Commission.

The two-term council member is a retired Air Force fighter pilot who has taught Texas local and state government at Austin Community College for more than 20 years.

“When I was first elected, Buda was perilously dependent on unreliable sales taxes,” Fletcher said in a statement. “I have been the driving force behind Buda’s annexation policy, which has resulted in a 50 percent increase in the territory within the city limits since 2008.  As a result, property tax revenue has almost doubled in spite of relatively modest increases in Buda’s tax rate, which is still about half that of most surrounding cities.”

Fletcher said that as mayor, he will continue expanding the city’s tax base such as the recent annexation of Texas Lehigh.

“I have a large network of local and regional elected officials and key staff developed during my decade of service to the citizens of Buda, and as mayor I plan to call upon them to help finance the many capital improvements needed to keep up with the needs of our fast-growing community,” Fletcher said.  “Contacts like these have already brought in about $25 million of federal, state and county funds for improvements to roads and bridges in Buda since 2008.”

Fletcher, who ran in 2008 using the campaign slogan, “Realize the Vision,” promised then to finish implementing the 2002-2012 Comprehensive Plan.

“I represented the city council on the advisory committee for our new Buda 2030 Comprehensive Plan, which recently won both regional and state-wide awards,” he said. “My campaign slogan remains the same, but it is now a promise to competently and courageously lead Buda into the future as it becomes the city that our citizens want it to be in 2030.”

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  • lila Knight

    Wow! He did all of that in just 4 short years?? Why in heck does Buda even need the rest of the City Council? ROFL

    As someone told me once, there is no “me” in “team.” An effective leader should be able to include the rest of the leadership team in the decision-making process – and to share the accomplishments and the accolades. I understand that campaigns are about self-promotion, but this is really over the top!

  • Brian Fletcher

    Lila,

    How do you know what’s brag and what’s fact?

    How many Buda city council meetings have you been to to see who is the driving force behind their annexation policy? How many CAMPO meetings have you attended to see who was there presenting Buda’s case for transportation funding? How many CAPCOG Executive Committee meetings have you attended to see whether he really networks with other regional elected officials? How many of the dozens of other regional events were you at where he was the only elected official from Buda?

    There were numerous times my mother and I have seen him attend events because it was “for the good of Buda” when she had a list of “honey do’s” that also needed his attention. He knew he had his son to help him around the house but I’m just mentioning it so you might understand how devoted he was to improving Buda. To see someone discredit him without any base is ridiculous. I thought everyone was tired of the mudslinging after the presidential election… but I guess I was wrong.

    Respectfully, Brian Fletcher

  • lila Knight

    I’ve attended enough city council meetings to know it takes 4 votes for passage of any legislation. No one gets things done all by themselves. Not even mayors. Sorry I offended you.

  • Mary

    It’s a shame that the City of Buda will have to pay for two special elections at an estimated cost of $8,000-$10,000.

  • J Trube

    I do know that Ron was a leader in drafting our original unified development code (among many other mile stones) and was always willing to burn the late night hours and days on important issues. He impressed me with his preparedness, compassion, knowledge of the subject matter and willingness to learn and listen. Mr. Fletcher was a pleasure to work with and is a true asset to the community.

  • Ron Fletcher

    Thank you, Mayor Trube, for your endorsement. You were my inspiration and role model as an elected official who put his whole heart into promoting and protecting the interests of our citizens.

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