On January 7, Georgetown attorney and community leader Josh Schroeder announced his candidacy for Mayor to a capacity crowd on the Square.
More than 300 attendees proved up County Judge Bill Gravell’s comment: “I’ve seen people announce for County Judge, State Representative, Commissioner, School Board and City Council, and I’ve never seen a group this large assembled to support someone. I am standing behind Josh. I believe he is the future of Georgetown; a man of honor, integrity, and character.”
Former Georgetown Mayor, Tim Kennedy, introduced the candidate and noted that he is, “above all, a man of faith and a family man.” Kennedy also listed the many non-profit and City organizations for which Josh has been a board member and, just as often, the Chair. “Josh will treat any citizen who comes to talk to him with respect and dignity. He may not agree with you, but he will treat you professionally. Being Mayor of Georgetown was one of the great honors of my life, and Josh has earned the opportunity to be the leader of this town.”
Schroeder outlined his priorities; talking about his personal investment in and love for Georgetown. “The core of my job at Sneed Vine is service to this community. When I moved here, one of the things I heard over and over was that you don’t come here and just live; you have to give back, and I am trying to live up to the standard that our predecessors set in service.”
Schroeder says he will work to maintain the small-town community feel no matter how big the city gets. “To make that happen, the issues we need to keep in the forefront are these: public safety. The safer you feel, the more small-town we will be. Second, everyone’s answer to ‘What do we need to fix?’ is Williams Drive. Every second you sit in traffic on Williams Drive, is another second you don’t feel like you live in a small town. Transportation will be addressed.”
His third undertaking is to be as fiscally conservative as possible to afford the kind of changes and services that will maintain those things equally.
He concluded, “Above all else, we will be as transparent as possible. We are a town of 70,000 and we are not able to interact in the same way we did when we were a town of 12,000—when we all knew each other. The city and its officials will have to bend over backward. We will be transparent about everything in this community, so all citizens feel they are getting honest information and each is integral to this town.”
Schroeder added he will focus on face-to-face input and communication. “If you want to talk to me, it may not be right away, but I will make the time. I will solicit and seek citizen input as often as is reasonable. You will have a voice in this community.”
The Mayoral election is May 2 in Georgetown.
