Just An Average Citizen

Just in case you’re interested in the facts.

So since this has been brought up multiple times, the easiest way I can help explain the actual truth is to show you what people are not telling you. They like to refer to me as someone who wants to “ban books”. There are ZERO books banned in Abilene, Texas or anywhere in the United States of America. It is a distraction tactic they use to keep you from focusing on the real issue: not exposing our children to harmful, profane, and indecent material as established by Texas law. It’s not my opinion. It’s not my suggestion. It is Texas law. Heck even the Texas Prisons Systems sees something so vile about these books that they won’t even allow their prisoners to read it due to the illegal acts done to children. But don’t worry, the librarians in Abilene have assured us that children are not Texas prisoners, so they should have access to these books with illegal act against children even if it violates the state law.

What this means is that I (and other community members) have exposed books sitting on our public school library shelves that have graphic depiction of child r*pe and molestation. I have presented it to the school board, superintendent (current and past), and the School Library Advisory Council in the form of challenges. Based on using an old test, encouraging people to follow their heart, and not completely following the newest law (SB13) that was implemented September 1, 2025 they have put back indecent and profane books on the shelf, not to be allowed to be reviewed for an other two years.

The series I did to document this process and informed the public took a lot of time and effort. I’ve been called horrible names. I’ve been told because I’m not a stakeholder I shouldn’t be able to speak to these issues in our public school schools. You name it they have tried to use it to silence me. The local media even stopped reporting on what was going on because it appeared the school district to put pressure on them to not continue reporting about it I called the series “Retained” because they retained them instead of removing them from taxpayer institutions as the law required.

Since a current sitting school board member decide to publicly comment on who to vote for in the city council race, I feel completely comfortable now connecting the dots to me (a citizen of Abilene), who is allowed to challenge books in the public school library by law.

Please do not comment before you have read each excerpt of each book presented. This is not even all the information I could share. This post is to help those of you who have not understood the process to be informed by the facts, not those who use inflammatory labels like “book banner”. I expect them to join in the discussion where I will respectfully respond to them as it is deemed profitable. But as in most of the conversations, they end up just using feelings and emotion, not facts. One thing you’ll also know about those who are against removing these books is because they’re more concerned about their adult rights, they seem to ignore the most important aspect of why this matters: protecting the innocence of children because state law requires it. As was decided by the Supreme Court it is not your first amendment right to have any book in the library because you want it there. See link and comments for Supreme Court decision.

If you’re still reading at this point, it’s even more disturbing to know that our currently employed librarians are encouraging students to read these books, intentionally knowing that they violate the law. They are also part of organizations that teach them how to protect the books not the children. Do you want books that violate Texas law being accessible to our students here in Abilene Texas? Anyone who’s ever seen the material and used common sense would agree that it is not right even if Texas law did not require it Yet I’m the one under attack and being scrutinized. Make that make sense.

Please share this to help remind our community of the facts. It’s way past time for adults to start doing hard things so children don’t have to.

Continuing onto to the next thing you need to be aware of. The Street Maintenance and Advisory Board Meeting is this Thursday night, June 18 at 5:30 PM . I encourage you to come to this meeting because you can hear about the over $100 million worth of projects that need to be addressed in our city streets. I will be there and happy to answer any questions I can about how the process works and what’s the best way to use your voice to be effective. Check out the agenda packet (link in comments) to see what information is shared.

While these meetings are open to the public, it is my understanding that most decisions have already been decided before the meeting even starts.. But coming to the meeting is important (or at least watching it if you’re not able to attend in person) as you can see the impossible job the board has trying to pick which streets to do next.

Be sure to arrive before 5:30pm because sometimes the doors are locked, and it can be almost impossible to get into the meeting. The meeting is held in the Council Chambers room upstairs.

Please share this post to help others being informed about meetings that could possibly affect their day-to-day life.

Just An Average Citizen

Thank you, Abilene for the great experience of running for City Council. I was a little nervous to do what needs to happen to connect with voters this time around because I’ve spent many years listening to people lie and misinformed the public about what I’ve done and who I am.

But to my great relief almost every time I knocked on the door, I was met with a friendly face and more friendly conversations than I can count! That’s the Abilene that I know and love. That’s the Abilene I look forward to continuing to connect with.

While I won’t get to serve you as your next City Council person, I will still keep doing what I’ve always done which is to fight and advocate for citizens to be informed, educated, and empowered to make an impact in Abilene in the Big Country.

Congratulations to my opponent Ben Bailey For Abilene City Council Place 4. I look forward to getting to know him better in the days ahead as he serves our city on the council.

😅

Twas the night before election day in the City Of Abilene, so many signs of so many elections had clearly been seen.

With Tammy Fogle in the run off so many doors she has knocked, to remind voters that interacting with what happens at city hall does rock

It’s not about popularity but who wants to serve, by talking with many in hopes their votes she will earn

Confident the citizens of Abilene knows she’ll do what she says, excited about what great things lie ahead!

Thanks for all the fun we’ve had Abilene! Getting to work together for our future is me living the dream!

So grateful for all God has done along this journey. Please come celebrate with us on Sunday night all that has been accomplished! We accomplish so much more when work together. This campaign has been a glimpse of just that! Message me for more information!

There’s nothing new under the sun. If people’s behavior surprises you it’s because you haven’t been paying attention long enough.

So thankful for all the many good conversations I’ve had with people along the way about what matters to them. Each conversation has brought me through the years to this very important purpose.

Just a few more days to see who understands the importance of voting and local elections. It’s exciting to me to see that more people are seeing just that.

Check this out!

I hope to see you tonight! The election will end Saturday, but one thing will not change. I’ll keep doing my part to educate, inform, and empower citizens

It’s crazy to me that we have to even discuss this these days, but cancel culture is alive and well and the only remedy to stop that destructive pattern is to have real conversations with each other. Having trusted sources impacts how you frame these conversations and address the real issues and not the distractions. I’ve been encouraging you to have a trusted source for information in regards to the City, check that source often, and then share what you’ve learned with your friends. Then the more we actively talk about what’s going on the better we can see when people are trying to distract us from the real issue.

We called it "Just An Average Citizen Made Easy" last year. I'd love it if you could swing by and ask your burning questions or share what you are learning to do! The more the merrirer!

You may not know that over a year ago started making a time to educate, inform, and empower citizens every week on Tuesday(Mondays at first)before city council meetings to help citizens understand what was being discussed before the meeting. I took a break to teach a citizenship class this spring. But what a great time to start back up.

This upcoming week it council week! I'd love to chat with you or answer any questions you might have. I have enjoyed getting to discuss what matters to so many of you. But now is a chance in case I have missed you or you want to chat about something else. It is so nice outside in the summer. Grab some food or a drink or just come chat!

Please share this to help let people know!