10/13/2025
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When Ego Governs, Democracy Loses - The Failure of Wallace, Smith, and Atkins
In a July 16, 2025 column, after the shameless firing of City Manager Michael Scott, I made this prediction:
“Then there’s this: it is possible, maybe even likely, that a majority of this council will retaliate against the Waxahachie Sun, the one paper in town willing to call them out, by stripping it of its status as the ‘official city newspaper.’ Oh sure, they’ll dress it up as some d***y ‘ordinance’ or ‘fiscal responsibility,’ but let’s be honest: it would be payback … pure and simple. A petty act of revenge by elected officials who can’t stand being criticized.”
Last night, that prediction came true.
The names matter. And they should never be forgotten: Mayor Billie Wallace. Councilmembers Travis Smith and Tres Atkins. Three people given the privilege of leadership and turning it into a personal vanity project. Three people entrusted with the power to serve and wielding it instead as a weapon against their critics.
Wallace, Smith, and Atkins are not leaders. They are wannabe power-brokers with fragile egos. When questioned, their instinct is not to engage or persuade. It is to lash out. Their latest move, stripping the Waxahachie Sun of its city designation, isn’t strength. It’s weakness.
Think about it. Adults elected to make decisions for the good of a city acting with the insecurity of teenagers. Wielding ordinances as weapons. Substituting vengeance for vision. That’s not leadership. That’s abuse.
The real danger isn’t simply this one vote. The Sun will adapt and, in ways that none of the three imagined, may even become stronger. The danger is the rot it exposes: a belief that criticism must be crushed, not answered. That poison has destroyed governments throughout history, and it’s now seeping into Waxahachie.
When politicians punish critics, they betray voters. Worse, they teach the next generation that politics is about score-settling, not service. They create a culture where honesty is punished, silence rewarded, and civic life becomes a stage for petty, small-minded despots.
Strip away the speeches, the excuses, the legal jargon, and what you’re left with is clear: Wallace, Smith, and Atkins cannot handle leadership. For leadership requires courage. They have none. Leadership requires humility. They sneer at the idea. Leadership requires putting community above ego. They put themselves first.
Every vote reveals them for what they are: small people in seats too big for them.
This isn’t an isolated episode. First came the disgraceful ousting of Michael Scott, a respected city manager guilty only of not bowing deeply enough to their egos. Now, their assault on the Sun. And let’s not forget their sneering treatment of ordinary residents and developers who appear before council to express concerns. Smith, especially, is as disrespectful and arrogant as anyone I’ve seen in local office.
So what’s next? Will they cut off nonprofits that don’t sing their praises? Punish groups that question them? Reward blowhard sycophants and muzzle dissenters? We already know the answer. Once officials discover they can weaponize power for payback, they don’t stop. They escalate.
This episode reveals three undeniable truths about Wallace, Smith, and Atkins:
1. They are insecure. Confident leaders don’t retaliate against critics. Only the weak lash out.
2. They are dishonest. They cloak their motives in phony language about ordinances and budgets. But the truth is obvious: this was payback.
3. They are unfit. Public office demands maturity, restraint, perspective. These three would rather settle scores than solve problems.
That combination - insecurity, dishonesty, and unfitness - is a recipe for civic disaster.
The danger isn’t just three ego-drunk politicians on one council. It’s the precedent. If this behavior goes unchecked, it becomes the playbook for every small-time politician who views public office as a tool for personal power instead of public service.
And then democracy in Waxahachie won’t collapse with a bang. It will wither with a whimper, smothered by childish vendettas dressed up as “city business.”
Wallace, Smith, and Atkins have already answered the question of their fitness for office. They’ve shown they can’t handle criticism, can’t rise above personal grudges, and can’t lead with integrity. Smith and Atkins did it with Michael Scott. All three have now done it with Waxahachie’s only locally owned newspaper.
So what now? The only remedy is the ballot box. When these three appear for reelection, voters must decide: Do you want leaders with vision, or weak-minded score-settlers? Do you want statesmen, or spite merchants? Do you want public servants, or petty tyrants?
If you shrug, you invite more of the same. If you excuse it, you condone it. But if you reject it loudly and unequivocally, then Waxahachie has a chance to reclaim its dignity.
Billie Wallace. Travis Smith. Tres Atkins. Their names now stand for the worst instincts in politics: vanity, spite, and cowardice. They could have chosen to lead with honesty. They chose revenge. They could have governed with integrity. They chose to play games. Now it’s up to you, the voters, to ensure these three never drag the city further down this dangerous road.
Waxahachie deserves better. Democracy demands better.
