Citizens' Advocate (Coppell, Tex.), Vol. 24, No. 19, Ed. 1 Friday, May 9, 2008 Page: 2 of 20
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OPINION
Citizens' Adborate • May 9, 2008
PAGE 2
Another View
======= by Jean Murph
Incumbent Councilmen Needed at Critical Juncture
Though it is not the usual practice of the Citizens' Advocate to make elec-
tion endorsements, we urge to consider returning all City Council incumbents to
their seats on May 10, including incumbent Mayor Pro Tem Brianna Hinojosa-
Flores, the only incumbent with a contested race.
Hinojosa-Flores has been a thoughtful and wise leader. She represents the
younger generation that will bear the corporate memory for the city’s future.
This election comes at a critical juncture, with many plans and projects on a
set course that will require knowledge, follow-through and leadership at a time
when there is the possibility that the city’s strong city manager may retire.
Councilmen now serve three-year terms, and the city would benefit from proved
leadership and corporate memory during this period.
The Place 7 open seat, vacated by Bill York, features two new faces who
deserve your consideration.
Coppell voters turned out in record numbers for the Texas Primary. Let’s do
the same this Saturday, May 10.
50 YEARS
from page 1
of old equipment and photos from the
department’s past will be available for
public viewing.
On Saturday, May 17, residents are
invited to attend the Medals Day cer-
emony to honor the men and women of
the Coppell Fire Department. The event
is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. in the city’s
newest park, Town Center Plaza, located
behind Town Center, 255 Parkway Bou-
levard. Uniformed personnel will be hon-
ored for acts of bravery and dedication
in a ceremony steeped in tradition, ac-
cording to a fire department spokesman.
The event will include the presentation
of medals and a swearing-in ceremony
that includes new personnel as well as
those already sworn in, who will make a
conscience act to renew commitments to
their duties, department, co-workers and
community.
Also during the ceremony, the Fire
Department plans to welcome actor and
director Randolph Mantooth, who is
widely recognized for his starring role as
Los Angeles County Firefighter/Para-
medic Johnny Gage on the NBC televi-
sion series, “Emergency!” which aired on
Saturday nights for seven years in the
1970s.
Since “Emergency!” ended its origi-
nal run, Mantooth has maintained close
personal and professional ties with the
fire-fighting and emergency medical ser-
Letter to Editor Policy
Letters to the Editor are welcomed and will be published as space permits. Letters
should be personally written and signed and will be edited for length and libelous
content. Letters endorsing candidates are considered advertising.
vices communities. He is a frequent key-
note speaker at fire service and EMS
events across the country. In May 2007,
the International Association of Fire
Chiefs EMS Section recognized his con-
tribution as Ambassador for the Fire Ser-
vice and EMS professions by presenting
him with their highest honor—the James
0. Page EMS Achievement Award.
Following the ceremony, Mantooth will
host an autograph session at Fire Station
#3 until 1:30 p.m. “Emergency!” photo-
graphs and memorabilia will be available
for purchase, with proceeds benefiting the
County of Los Angeles Fire Museum’s
James 0. Page Memorial Building Fund.
Another special guest at the event will
be Mike Kotula, a firefighter with the
New York Fire Department. Kotula is a
26-year veteran of the FDNY. He is as-
signed to Ladder 26, located at 66th and
Amsterdam in Manhattan. During the
WTC attacks, his station lost 12
firefighters. Kotula comes from a family
of firefighters. His brother is a captain in
the FDNY, his son is a firefighter and his
youngest just took the test and is on
FDNY’s hiring list. Kotula’s Ladder com-
pany celebrated its one-hundredth anni-
versary in November 2007.
Saturday night will conclude the cel-
ebration with an invitation-only, formal
banquet for firefighters and paramedics.
Mantooth will be the keynote speaker at
the event.
For more information, call 972-304-
3500.
State Capitol
HIGHLIGHTS
By Ed Sterling
Record set straight on May 10 ballot
AUSTIN - Secretary of State Phil Wilson
said he received in recent days many inquir-
ies about a statewide proposition to provide
school tax relief to elderly or disabled taxpay-
ers.
Voters will find no such proposition on
their May 10 ballot.
“Information being circulated across the
state regarding a constitutional amendment
election to provide school property tax relief
is inaccurate,” said Wilson, the state’s chief
elections officer.
‘Texans are heading to the polls to cast
votes for many important initiatives and races,
but there will not be a statewide proposition
on the ballot.”
Early voting for the May 10 elections
ended May 6.
Senators hear report on YFZ
Carey Cockerell, director of the Texas
Department of Family and Protective Services,
testified before a state Senate committee
about the agency’s ongoing investigation of
the polygamist YFZ Ranch near Eldorado.
On April 30, Cockerell told the Senate
Health and Human Service Committee that
state investigators are still checking for evi-
dence of various forms of child abuse that
may have been committed at the 1,700-acre
Letter to the Editor
Upset by Election Tactics
Dear Editor:
Don’t believe everything you read...
at least not on some candidate Web sites.
It has come to my attention that one city
council candidate may be implying on his
Web site that the Coppell City Council
supports his candidacy. This came as quite
a surprise to me since, historically, I have
chosen not to publicly endorse any can-
didate running for council. After all, I have
to serve with whoever is elected, and this
policy has served me well over the years.
Imagine my surprise to hear that I,
and my fellow council members, as a
group no less, had apparently taken sides
in this year’s election. Although the Web
site’s rhetoric has been toned down, it still
Citizens' Anfurate
The Citizens ’Advocate (USPS 750-270) is published each week by Danmara, Inc., 446 W.
Bethel, Coppell, TX 75019. Subscription rates are $20 per year. Second-class postage
paid at Coppell, TX. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Citizens’ Advocate, P.O.
Box 557,446 W. Bethel Road, Coppell, TX 75019,972-462-8192.
Martin Aldridge
Naoya Chiba
Fred Conger
Ben Euhus
Publisher: Jean Murph
Associate Publisher: Lou Duggan
Manager: Kathryn Walker
John Price Daniel
compound.
The focus had been on minor girls, but
the agency turned some of its attention to
minor boys.
The number of ranch children in state
custody and placed in foster care increased
to 464 when one of the girls delivered a
healthy baby boy at a hospital in San Marcos
on April 29.
Custody hearings for ranch children are
to be completed in early June, Cockerell said.
Dewhurst supports voter I.D. ruling
Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst on April 28 made
public his support of the U.S. Supreme Court’s
April 27 ruling in Crawford v. Marion County
Election Board, upholding Indiana’s voter
identification law.
The Indiana law requires citizens voting
in person to present government-issued
photo identification at the poll. The main
stated purpose of the law is to detect and
deter voter fraud.
The ruling, Dewhurst said, “is a victory
for democracy in our nation and I’m pleased
that the court agreed with the vast majority
of Texans who want to protect the sacred
American principle of ‘one person, one vote.’
“With this legal challenge now behind us,
I look forward to passing a fair voter I.D. law
in Texas next year that fully protects the vot-
ing rights of all U.S. citizens registered to vote
in Texas.”
State lawmaker arrested for DUI
State Rep. Mike Krusee, R-Round Rock,
was charged with drunken driving in north
Austin on April 30. Krusee, a House member
see HIGHLIGHTS on page 19
insinuates council’s tacit endorsement.
Other individuals also have said their
names have appeared on the Web site as
supporters, although they had no idea their
names had been posted as such. Some
do not support the candidate, others have
not given permission to have their names
used, and still others are not even regis-
tered Coppell voters.
The city council is made up of eight
individuals, each with the freedom to
choose whom he or she thinks will best
represent the city, its citizens and the is-
sues facing them... and to vote accord-
ingly. I encourage you to do so as well.
Marsha Tunnell
Coppell City Council
Trey Hares
McKenna Hares
Janice Stovall
Jane Moore
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Citizens' Advocate (Coppell, Tex.), Vol. 24, No. 19, Ed. 1 Friday, May 9, 2008, newspaper, May 9, 2008; Coppell, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1687497/m1/2/: accessed June 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Cozby Library and Community Commons.