10/22/2022
Early voting starts Monday, and a lot of folks have been asking me about my thoughts on the other races, with some people even saying, "Tell me who to vote for!" A few weeks ago I posted some of my thoughts related to some big endorsements, and after those few weeks, a few more endorsements, and having attended some candidate forums, I have some deeper thoughts to share on top of the previous ones.
Firstly, a lot of people are getting very irrational. People are stealing signs, others are making up stories about candidates that are opposing their friends/family, and the whole thing is getting nonsensical very fast.
The first thing we need to remember is that ALL humans have biases, and most humans have a strong sense of loyalty to tribe. It's not a conservative thing or a liberal thing, it's not a pro-incumbent thing or a pro-challenger thing. Our biases are formed based on our own unique experiences and perspectives, not based on who is good or evil, smart or dumb. It's something we need to consider when hearing other people's opinions and when expressing our own. I wish we could normalize including our own biases in the discussion when we make our points.
So, before I answer "Who should I vote for?," I'll start with openly and honestly discussing my own biases as they apply towards these TISD elections and elections in general...
1) I have previously voted for 6 of the 7 sitting Trustees, this includes all 3 of the incumbents who are running this year.
2) I think it is important to have Trustees with children currently enrolled in the schools.
3) I believe in term limits for all elected offices.
4) I am a professional educator and believe teachers need a strong voice in all levels of government.
5) I am a veteran and think that lessons learned in uniform are forged in fires that are not comparable to other experiences.
6) I have a child enrolled in Tomball ISD.
7) I like people who are nice.
That being said, here are how my own biases are being applied to this specific election:
Position 1: I am a candidate... that's the biggest bias in play when I talk about this race! I spoke at the Tomball Chamber of Commerce forum about how Mrs. Salem and Mr. Engelke are both fantastic people who care deeply about this community and are loved and respected by many because of their selfless work they have done for the good of the town. I also mentioned that if Mrs. Salem was running for city council that you'd see a "Tina Salem for City Council" sign in my yard, and if Mr. Engelke was running for state representative, I would be wearing a "Jim Engelke for State Rep" button on my jacket. But in this specific race for a school board position, my own biases compel me to advocate for putting a teacher on the board since we currently don't have one, and I can't remember the last time we did. I also feel it is important to have parents with kids currently enrolled in the district on the board, and I am the only one in the race for Position #1 that does. Does this mean that once my son graduates from high school that I won't seek reelection? Yes. Feel free to screenshot this and hold me to it! 🙂
Position 2: On a strictly personal level, I like Michael Pratt a lot. We've had a lot of interactions over the years, and they have always been positive. I also feel a sense of loyalty to him because he and I are both veterans. He also has a child still currently enrolled in the district. He checks most of my boxes, and the only reason I have for pause is that one of my overall general beliefs, not just for school board, is in term limits. I don't know Stephanie Lopez very well, but she's always been kind and pleasant when we've met, she's got experience working in public education as a speech language pathologist (SLP), and she makes a fair point about how our Hispanic community is getting bigger, but has no representation on the board. Mrs. Lopez getting endorsed by the GOP also tips the scales, even if in different ways, for most of us. I'm sad to report that Brett Guillory has dropped out of the race. I was happy about his candidacy because I do want to have more teachers on the board, a group that is also underrepresented. The Board makes decisions that impact the classrooms, I feel like at least one teacher should be included in those decisions.
Position 3: Brandon Batchelor checks my box of being a teacher. I don't know him very well, but our mutual colleagues speak well of him. A phrase I heard repeatedly was "The kids loved him." From our handful of meetings, he comes off to me as being very genuine. Jennifer Kratky is the only one in the race with students currently enrolled in the District, which as I've mentioned, is one of the things I have a bias in favor of. She also is the candidate with the GOP endorsement, which tips the scales, probably for all of us one way or the other. I ran against McStravick in 2016, and I recall him personally running a positive campaign even if some of his supporters got a bit overzealous. His cheering section is pretty loud and proud... but as I previously mentioned, I have strong feelings about Trustees having kids in school as well as term limits. Any time I don't support someone after two terms, it's not because I have an issue with them personally, it's just because I feel like it's the best nature of democracy to get new eyes on things every 8 years or so.
Position 4: Every time I've come across Mark Lewandowski, he's had a handshake and kind words to extend to me. I am friends with some of his family members through my time in high school working at Klein's Supermarket and they also are great people. These and other reasons are why he's had my vote more than once in the past. I don't know Billy Moore as well as Mark, but when voting for a Trustee position, I will always factor in who has young kids and how long has the incumbent been in that office.
If your priorities and/or biases line up with mine, then I can tell how how I'm leaning...
Position 1: Ferguson
Position 2: My heart says Pratt, my belief in term limits says Lopez. I'm going to spend a lot of time thinking about this over the weekend. I usually vote on the first day of early voting, but if I don't vote on Monday, this race will be the reason.
Position 3: Kratky first choice, Batchelor second choice
Position 4: Moore
That being said... keep in mind that if some things that are important to me are less important to you, then that could shift who I would suggest would be the the best candidate for you. Additionally, what's more important is that we all need remember that supporting Candidate A doesn't require trashing or trolling Candidate B. When supporting your candidate online or in person, be upfront with the reasons and confess your biases. I think undecided voters will trust that more, and that will be what benefits your desired candidate the most.
Also, if you do come across information online, remember that just because it's on the internet doesn't mean it's true. I encourage everyone to communicate with the candidates if you read or hear something troubling about them to be sure you get all sides of the story. I was glad that several folks reached out to me in August to ask about rumors and half-truths they heard about me so that I could put their concerns to rest. I hope everyone will give all the other candidates that same opportunity.
I welcome everyone's comments and look forward to considering other points of view in the responses. I hope they will be civil and also honest with their biases. And I don't mean something transparent like "My bias is I love America and freedom, so I support Candidate A." I mean like, "I went to kindergarten with Candidate B, and I just like the cut of her jib."
God bless all of you.
