Have you ever found yourself up against an intransigent elected official or other government employee who treated you with disdain? Most people have had a least one incident with an arrogant public servant who had forgotten that they work for the people, not the other way around. It was just such an incident that launched the career of our own Texas State Senator Jane Nelson, District 12.
Several years ago, as a former schoolteacher and active PTA member, she was asked to run for a position with the State Board of Education. Ms. Nelson decided to go to Austin to meet with her state senator to discuss educational issues. Her first meeting didn’t occur because an aide said the senator was not available. She tried a second, third and fourth time, only to be met with the same response. She made an appointment one more time, but when she arrived the aide met her at the office door and said, “The senator is a very busy man and cannot meet with every person who comes to his office.” Ms. Nelson’s terse response was, “Then tell him he has an opponent for his seat.” The rest, as they say, is history.
With the full support and enthusiasm of her husband Mike, she managed to campaign in every city and town in the district with a laser-like focus on winning. “I campaigned everywhere and met with everyone I could find. I even milked cows,” she said. The Flower Mound resident and mother of five has been a senator for the past 20 years and, in my opinion, is one of the best arguments against term limits. She brings a treasure-trove of experience to her role as one of the most prolific legislators in the history of the state. When I read the list of accomplishments Senator Nelson has steered through the legislature I’m reminded once again how truly fortunate we are to have such a conservative lawmaker in the Senate. A leader of this magnitude is essential if Texas is to continue as a business and entrepreneurial model for the rest of the country.
The Lone Star State has been a magnet for those commercial and professional organizations across the country that are tired of bureaucratic hindrances that keep them from achieving the lofty goals they’re capable of. Our reputation as a promoter of business and industry didn’t happen by accident. It took visionaries like Senator Nelson to apply the tried and true common sense principles embodied in the work ethic philosophy of the Republican Party. Meticulously guarding the public treasury is just one of the ways in which our legislators protect our financial future.
Add to that the fact that Ms. Nelson is keeping a close eye on our education system, ensuring that necessary funds are in place to make higher learning not merely possible, but readily available to all Texas children, and we can feel gratified that our taxes are not being spent frivolously. Who would know more about the education needs of children than a former teacher (6th grade) who has been in the classrooms and has experienced the vagaries of the system? I was also very impressed with the senator’s legislation a few years ago to promote more physical activity and prudent diets for school kids. Her success at bolstering the laws on the Second Amendment is another conservative principle. I could go on, but, for anyone who knows Senator Nelson’s record, I’d be preaching to the choir. Suffice to say that this indefatigable public servant represents the best of the Texas spirit, which has played a major role in the moral majority of this great nation.
The Senator was our lunch guest on Thursday, just after she participated in the groundbreaking ceremonies for the long anticipated I-35E expansion project. For the past 12 years, the Senator has been the Chair of Health and Human Services, which, among other duties, handles child protection, nursing homes and adult protective services. The honors continue to pour in. This week, the senator was honored with the Champions for Education Award by the Alliance for Catholic Education at the University of Notre Dame. The award, which was the first in the country to be presented as part of the Fighting for Our Children’s Future National Bus Tour, honors those who help communities make high-quality education more accessible for all children.
Not one to forget the police officers, firefighters, paramedics and dispatchers who help keep our communities safe, Ms. Nelson recently emceed the Heroes of Denton County Banquet, paying tribute to their exceptional service. Senator Nelson is celebrating her Annual 40th Birthday Party on Oct. 10, at the Circle R Ranch in Flower Mound. Incidentally, we discovered that her first campaign chairman and guest at one of her earlier birthday parties was, at the time, the President of the Texas Rangers; a man named George W. Bush.
Bob Weir is a long-time Flower Mound resident and former local newspaper editor. In addition, Bob has 7 published books that include “Murder in Black and White,” “City to Die For,” “Powers that Be,” “Ruthie’s Kids,” “Deadly to Love,” “Short Stories of Life and Death” and “Out of Sight,” all of which can be found on Amazon.com and other major online bookstores.
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