Jerry Smith for Woodlands, TX Board of Directors
Jerry D. Smith Jr., Psy.D.
Senior Psychologist & Forensic Consultant | Led Top-Ranked Crisis Negotiation Team | Leadership Development Expert in Government & Private Sectors | Championing Respect, Empathy, and Mindful Leadership
My name is Jerry D. Smith Jr. I am a resident of The Woodlands, TX, a husband, a father, a licensed psychologist, and a former federal law enforcement officer. I own a small psychology firm with offices in Magnolia and Huntsville.
I have announced my candidacy for The Woodlands Township Board of Directors, Position 1.
This group has been established for anyone seeking to learn more about my campaign, wanting to get involved, or simply wanting to add to a productive conversation about the needs of The Woodlands. In the spirit of transparency, which I strongly believe in, this is a public group where individuals are welcomed to share their thoughts and opinions in a respectful manner. This campaign is about the empowerment and unification of our community.
I have tried to articulate my platform in a simple, straight-forward manner. However, my belief is that leadership is not just about my ideas, but about all of our ideas. This is why I fully expect this platform to continue to fine-tune itself as community members provide more and more input on the future they want for The Woodlands. I believe a leader should be welcoming to as many ideas as possible and then make principled decisions based on the leader's experience, expertise, and conscience. Leaders should be able to make tough decisions based on the interests of their constituents and be held accountable by the people they represent.
Why am I running?
Our whole country is going through a time of reflection, catharsis, and change. I believe The Woodlands can be an example to the rest of the state, and indeed the country, of how people from different backgrounds and experiences can work together to uplift a whole community. We have the resources, the people, and the opportunity to make The Woodlands into the utopia we all know it can be. We are at a pivotal moment with issues such as incorporation, coronavirus, and a national discussion on racism and I want to help steer our course locally. My idea of leadership is based not on just pushing my own personal ideas but listening to the people and using my experience, expertise, and principles to enact the will of the people. This is what we need at this time.
Platform (What I want to accomplish):
Economic & Environmental Stewardship -
We will work with the Economic Development Partnership to build an economy that does not just return us to pre-COVID status but can withstand future long-term social disruptions. We will bring in new and novel ideas to deal with the flooding issue, improve our roadways, and encourage green energy locally. One such innovative idea can be found at solarroadways.com.
Community Unity -
Standing behind our motto of “Empowered Together,” we will continue to uphold and strengthen our tradition of cultural inclusion and respect. We will empower our community members to create new opportunities to come together and bond over our common goals and dreams. We will also revitalize the unique cultural aspects of each our villages.
Civic Responsibility -
We want to decide the Incorporation issue and remove the sense of stagnation and paralysis over our community that comes with not knowing where we are headed. We plan to build a robust mental health system that integrates intelligently with law enforcement, medical facilities, and local community resources to address the outrageous suicide rate in our local area. This is an area we need to do better. Innovative ideas such as a "Virtual Crisis Care" program being tested elsewhere in our country will help us address this issue. Finally, we will bring true transparency in local decision making.
Principles (How I make decisions):
Leaders must listen to their constituents as alone we do not have all the answers. It is our responsibility to welcome all ideas and provide due consideration. Leaders must also be able to make the tough call and these decisions should be made from a place of strong principle. Every decision I make will be guided by the following principles:
1) How I treat individuals: “The Golden Rule” – Treat others like you want to be treated.
2) How I treat my community: I am my brother’s keeper.
3) How I perceive the world: Human beings are innately driven to be better and are limited only by the options they are able to see in front of them.
4) Government should provide the most benefit for the least cost. Period.
Please join my Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/3549864825026571 and join me on this journey.
Independent Accounting Professional
4 年On the issue of incorporation, I will only vote for candidates that promise to put it on the ballot ASAP. As we sit on our hands and the population of Montgomery County grows, The Woodlands loses its influence on the $ it sends to the county. As it is, we only have a clean vote for Noack; Riley represents a portion of The Woodlands and he doesn't much care for that portion because he knows they don't count enough for him to care. We can influence the the judge's seat but that influence dwindles as our percent also declines county-wide. To the questions of whether we can use a road for the IM TX event or do we have enough police protection, our county government isn't fighting for us. Worse, the county philosophy is trees don't pay taxes. How does that affect us? Responsible development that addresses detention of rainwater runoff is key. Montgomery County has the worst drainage standards in the San Jac watershed. When we become a city we'll have the power to dictate that development be done responsibly. There's a group called Township Future - check them out, any candidate those folks have been for has lost big-time because voters here are smart. Woodlands residents are wise to vote to make this the best hometown it can be. Most are NOT for Woodlands Parkway to go through to the west or Gosling to go through the state forest or more skyscrapers or converting our village centers into high rise apartments or whatever other horrible idea the build baby build group is for. That's why Gordy always wins by huge margins. I can't remember the last time or if ever he was challenged by someone that was also for incorporation. That's why he's so successful. The BBB (that's build baby build) group will claim that the Noack consulting groups tax rate projections are "wishful thinking" - well the tax rate is going to be on the ballot and they'll have to stick to it, let the residents decide. Besides, the state already has layer upon layer of legislation to require that taxing authorities send tax rate increases to a vote of the governed. We've been studying this for 20 years. Incorporate already; thank you for your time.
Jerry, One other issue that should be a hot button is flooding and drainage. The current administration has done very little to alleviate the potential problems. I am a member of the Drainage Task Force and had asked them to distriubute the following info to the community so people who might be in danger of flooding would know. They said they would but did not. https://floodfactor.com/ some 3300 home in TW are subject to water damage they should all be aware of it so they can buy flood insurance which is cheap before you flood, market rates after.
Jerry, I like it, it is well written and thoughtful. The thing that you have to do is to get others to read it and understand it, some of your sentences are a bit nuanced for the average person (the income level may be high in The Woodlands, but appears to have been overinflated by the oil industry, the average person is probably not as you think he/she is.) Incorporation will be a big issue and basically you have taken a pass on it. Gordy will be for it. Don't know where Kechline is. You need to be neutral yourself on the issue, let it be decided by a vote in the community. Your position should be to make sure the numbers (the new tax rate per $100) is based on are the numbers that people can rely on and know specifically what they are getting. I personally believe the numbers used so far have been based on optimistic assumptions about road life, the need for shoulders and the like. connect with Jimmy Dotson to see shat he thinks of the the police cost. Those are the two big items. The main problem you have is getting people to read your stuff. Gordy has a gigantic advantage. Good luck. Bruce