Latest news with #WilliamsonCountyRepublicanParty
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ronald Reagan Blvd tollway study prompts concerns from Wilco residents
The Brief County commissioners approved resolution Tuesday for CTRMA traffic study of Ronald Reagan Boulevard Williamson County Republican Party issued resolution opposing the study the following day People present at Tuesday's meeting worry about a lack of public input on the study WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas - Williamson County is moving forward with plans to consider building a tollway along Ronald Reagan Boulevard. However, the plans are prompting concerns from residents and opposition from the county's Republican Party. What we know On Tuesday, Williamson County Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution asking the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority to conduct a traffic study of Ronald Reagan Boulevard. If approved, the CTRMA would pay for the construction of the tollway. It would transform Ronald Reagan into eight lanes on a 30-mile stretch. The project is broken into five segments and the county expects it to cost at least half a billion dollars. The project would run from FM 1431 in Cedar Park to I-35 in Georgetown. The CTRMA would also pay for construction and its upkeep, including the existing lanes on Ronald Reagan, which would remain toll-free. Commissioners said they're considering the toll study because of growth. What they're saying "It is time to look for the future and acknowledging the congestion we have now and the increasing congestion we will have and ask them to begin their studies," said Williamson County's Sr. Director of Infrastructure Bob Daigh in commissioners court Tuesday. "Because we need more information and I think this is the next step to figure out what our funding alternatives are, I will move to approve the adoption of the resolution on item number 72," said Commissioner Cynthia Long. Dig deeper The county also recently asked cities in the project's pathway to approve a feasibility study with the CTRMA, which will tell them if a tollway along Ronald Reagan is even possible. Cedar Park City Council gave the county the greenlight, but Leander tabled the conversation until they could get more of their questions answered. The other side The day after the Commissioners Court vote, the Williamson County Republican Party issued its resolution opposing the study. "It is a legislative priority that we want to speak out against these roads," said precinct chair Marcia Strickler Watson. "Yes, we would have a choice not to be on the toll, we can go on the feeder road," added Strickler Watson. "We can take the red lights, we can do the things many are doing on 183-A, but why on earth would we need a whole other one less than a mile away parallel with what we already have?" The resolution cites Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who in 2017 told the state to reduce its reliance on tolls. The resolution also took aim at CTRMA, claiming it has been "plagued with complaints from Texans about 'surprise billing,' poor customer service, and levying unsubstantiated financial penalties, including improperly billing disabled veterans and freezing their ability to renew their vehicle registration." 7 ON YOUR SIDE: Leander man's car registration blocked due to $1,600 of unpaid tolls Read the Williamson County Republican Party's full resolution below: Click to open this PDF in a new window. What they're saying However, the county says it's taking direction from the federal government. "One of the things he emphasized in his policy was that state and local governments need to look at user-pay models," said Long. "We are following instructions from the secretary of transportation." Local perspective Others present at Commissioners Court on Tuesday were worried about a lack of public input on the study. "I think a lot of us just feel like things happen without our input, and when we do give input it doesn't matter," said Angela Wetuski, who was opposed to the county moving forward with the toll road study. "All four commissioners shared that they had a lot of emails about this issue before their meeting, but they still rose their hands and voted yes for it, and so that kind of feels like a slap in the face." During court, one Ronald Reagan driver testified to the traffic she sees regularly and encouraged the county to do the study. "I look at the folks sitting on Ronald Reagan when I get to 2243 at Ronald Reagan, I can look up the hill and see them past Crystal Falls Parkway," said Rachel Arnold. "That is a mile and a half of traffic." What's next Several other speakers asked for a town hall, which was not something commissioners ruled out. There is no funding for the construction right now, and CTRMA will be paying for the study. Commissioners were not available for an interview because of the holiday. The Source Information in this report comes from reporting/interviews by FOX 7 Austin's Williamson County reporter Lauren Rangel, Williamson County and previous reporting.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Williamson County Republican Party leaders shouldn't disenfranchise voters
These days, you hear a lot of chatter about election integrity. And while some of that's just noise, the core idea is something every Tennessean should hold dear: We, the people, and only the people, should decide who represents us. From the highest office in the nation right down to our county elections, the power to choose our leaders is the foundation of American democracy. That's why the Tennessee General Assembly must pass legislation to protect our votes. Some party folks seem to think they know better than the voters. They believe the political elite, the insiders, should have a heavier hand in picking who gets to run. They say it's for our own good. We've got to keep those sneaky Democrats from voting in the Republican primary for county sheriff, or something like that. This kind of thinking isn't just wrong; it strikes at the heart of our elections. This isn't some hypothetical situation. Remember when the Democratic party bigwigs decided Joe Biden wasn't the right guy to face Donald Trump and tried to swap him out for Kamala Harris? Even Republicans knew that wasn't fair to Democratic primary voters. The same backroom dealers who sold Democratic primary voters a bill of goods about Biden's capabilities pulled an about-face after Biden imploded while debating Trump. That move was a hit to election integrity, effectively silencing those who might have preferred Biden, and potentially costing the Democrats an election. The lesson? We shouldn't hand over our votes to the folks who get a kick out of those rubber chicken political dinners. And it's not just a national issue. Right here at home, we're seeing the same "party-knows-best" mentality. Look at what recently went down with the Williamson County Republican Party. As the Williamson Herald reported, a record 1,500 people showed up for the county convention. Todd Hickey was elected the new chairman, amidst what's being called a "party divide." Now, I'm a Williamson County Republican, but I've also got five boys at my place. That means I have choices to make. I can either dive into a county party convention or try to keep the drywall in my house intact. I'm not knocking those who have the time for it, but let's be real: most Republicans in the county weren't there. Let's do some quick math. I'll use Tennessee U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn's 2024 Williamson County general election vote count of 94,791, since she actually outperformed the Trump/Pence ticket by 229 votes. We'll call that the high-water mark for "active" Republicans in Williamson County. In the primary, she got 20,360 votes, and her challenger Tres Wittum received 3,759, for a total of 24,119 Republican votes. In that same election, 7,424 of the great patriots in my hometown of Nolensville voted to allow wine in grocery stores. Opinion: Tennessee is dead last in voter turnout. Remove barriers to change that Take about a tenth of that number, and you've got the governing majority at the Williamson County Republican Party Convention. You tell me what's more likely: Democrats sneaking into a primary to take out Blackburn, or a group of political insiders smaller than my church running the county party? Williamson County is just one example, but this can happen all over Tennessee, with much smaller groups of party activists. Usually, I wouldn't sweat this kind of stuff. Parties tend to hold events and pass resolutions about this or that – pretty harmless stuff. But what happens when they want to hold an event like a caucus that decides the outcome of a county primary? Maybe they decide I can't vote in the primary that effectively elects my representation if I don't register as a Republican by some arbitrary deadline. To be clear, crossover voting 'in a political party's primary without being a bona fide member of or affiliated with that political party' is already against the law in Tennessee. If the posted threat of criminal prosecution doesn't keep Democrats out of Republican primaries, a registration requirement sure won't. I'm more worried about a caucus, convention, or some other mechanism that would rob voters of a real chance to vote. Whether it's a handful of national figures trying to pick the president or a small group of local activists trying to pick the winner, the principle is the same: it takes power away from the voters and hands it to a select few. That's not how we do things in Tennessee. We pride ourselves on making voting easy and, crucially, making cheating hard. Our system makes sure the will of the people wins out. We want elections decided at the ballot box, by everyday Tennesseans casting their votes. The Tennessee Senate has already passed Senate Bill 799, which would stop county parties from creating new ways to pick primary winners for Tennessee's most important elections. The Tennessee House of Representatives ought to do the same (House Bill 855) and send the legislation to Gov. Bill Lee. Concentrating power, whether at the national or local level, is a dangerous road for Tennessee. It breeds cynicism, damages trust in our institutions, and ultimately weakens our democracy. The strength of our system is in the direct link between the voter and the ballot. Let's keep it that way, from the top of the ticket to the very bottom. The people of Tennessee are smart enough to decide who should represent them. Nobody should take that power away. USA TODAY Network Tennessee Columnist Cameron Smith is a Memphis-born, Brentwood-raised recovering political attorney raising four boys in Nolensville, Tenn., with his particularly patient wife, Justine. Direct outrage or agreement to or @DCameronSmith on Twitter. Agree or disagree? Send a letter to the editor to letters@ This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Election laws should make voting easy and hard to cheat | Opinion
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Stockard on the Stump: Williamson Republican vote could foreshadow 2026 state Senate race
A faction supported by Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson of Franklin narrowly lost a bid for control of the Williamson County Republican Party to one spearheaded by his former opponent, Gary Humble. (Photo: John Partipilo) In a potential preview of Williamson County's 2026 state Senate race, 'Elevate 2025' candidates eased past 'Williamson County Conservatives' this week in a battle to run the Republican Party from the right. Though they weren't on the ballot, the contest pitted Gary Humble of Tennessee Stands against Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson, whose candidate, Brian Clifford, fell short of the Humble group's Steve Hickey for the party chairmanship despite heavy spending. Williamson County residents Gov. Bill Lee and his wife were among those sitting next to Johnson, who has spent the last two years burnishing his conservative bona fides after a close contest with Humble. The atmosphere at the Franklin Marriott Cool Springs, an appropriate setting for wealth, was described as tense as Hickey captured 796 votes to Clifford's 751. The rest of the candidate slate proved to be a replay of 2023, setting up a possible race of Johnson vs. Humble as the Senate leader seeks re-election and the post of Senate speaker, which would make him lieutenant governor and one of the state's most powerful politicians. Stockard on the Stump: Humble backer files election complaint against Leader Johnson Humble, who was ill and couldn't attend the event, said he was 'blown away' by the turnout which brought more than 1,500 votes for the chairmanship. Opponents cast his group as backers of a Republican Party caucus, instead of a primary, something they apparently broached but that he denied. Humble said they're more interested in closing Republican primaries statewide to keep Democrats from watering down outcomes. A bill by Republican Rep. Chris Todd of Jackson would do the trick. The win for 'Elevate 2025' marks a continuation from the last two years and sounds hauntingly similar to Project 2025, the national movement to reshape the federal government and give the president more power. Humble wouldn't say whether the group's win gives him a victory over Johnson, though he acknowledged some people might categorize it that way. 'That's not what we were trying to accomplish here,' he said. Johnson, though, spearheaded the Williamson County Conservatives PAC and asked the first few donors to give money in an effort to remove the Williamson County Republican Party board, according to Humble. 'It's sad that Jack stole all those people's money and pissed it down the drain,' Humble said. Nashville businessman Baxter Lee gave $5,000 to the group in December 2024, and former congressional candidate Kurt Winstead kicked in $1,000 in January. The rest of the financials haven't been filed. State Rep. Todd Warner, a Chapel Hill Republican whose district includes part of Williamson, said it was clear Johnson was backing the Williamson County Conservatives. 'It was very interesting to see the governor and the first lady there … in Williamson County,' Warner said. Republican Rep. Jake McCalmon of Franklin called the outcome 'tremendous' but said he would never support caucuses to select party candidates. He said he tried to stay out of the chairman race. Johnson acknowledged he voted for Clifford, director of outdoor recreation for the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, because he has 'grave concerns' about moving to a caucus selection for local races. (Oddly enough, an effort to require primaries in local elections fell flat last year.) 'I'm just happy we set a new record for a county party convention. It was a huge turnout, and it was great,' Johnson said. The Senate leader scoffed at the notion he's concerned that the outcome could be seen as a victory for Humble over him, though he is starting to run for another four years already. Humble isn't willing to commit to a state Senate campaign just yet. But you can feel a collision coming, one way or another. Opponents of the bill allowing Tennessee school districts to turn away immigrant students without legal documentation packed the hallway outside the Senate's main meeting room Wednesday after the Education Committee approved the bill 5-4. Three Republicans voted against the bill. It was the biggest and loudest crowd in memory at the Cordell Hull Building as tiny children with parents and screaming teens vented their frustration with lawmakers. Amid the claustrophobia, a moment of clarity arose: Tennessee is preparing to block immigrant children from going to K-12 public schools (because of the expense?) but pay for kids to go to private schools, including those already enrolled. Is this a conundrum? Or is it a hypocritical hypothetical? Maybe it's both. Either way, this was far from one of Tennessee's shining moments. Now that Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti doesn't have to spend resources fighting President Joe Biden's policies, he can turn that team of attorneys toward defending President Donald Trump's Tennessee policies Republican Sen. Ferrell Haile of Gallatin was among the four who voted against the measure. He said Thursday he didn't believe the state should punish children for the mistakes of their parents or the government's poor immigration policies. The bill by Sen. Bo Watson, a Hixson Republican who chairs the finance committee, and House Majority Leader William Lamberth of Portland, puts the onus on school districts to determine whether they'll require kids to show documentation before allowing them into classrooms. They make no bones about wanting a legal case that will go to the U.S. Supreme Court and overturn Plyler v. Doe, the 1982 decision requiring public schools to take all children regardless of immigration status. So gear up for another legal battle. On the semi-bright side, now that Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti doesn't have to spend resources fighting President Joe Biden's policies, he can turn that team of attorneys toward defending President Donald Trump's Tennessee policies. It could be a wash. The House Public Service Subcommittee this week killed Rep. Bob Freeman's bill that would have required lobbyists to identify each bill and legislature measure they're being paid to oppose or support. Freeman, a Nashville Democrat, said afterward it's 'disappointing' that lobbyists and special interest groups have more power than the public or lawmakers. 'In Tennessee, I believe we have an uneven advantage for lobbyists,' Freeman said. That's mainly because lawmakers have little, if any, staff to research bills. Lawmakers rely on lobbyists to provide them with information, but sometimes they take advantage of that and hide the bill's benefactor, he said. 'I think the people of Tennessee should know who is paying people to fight for bills and to propose bills and fight to have them passed,' Freeman said. Lobbyists are required to disclose whom they're working for but not where they stand on those matters. Freeman rejects the notion that disclosing that type of information would be too difficult. I think the people of Tennessee should know who is paying people to fight for bills and to propose bills and fight to have them passed. – Rep. Bob Freeman, D-Nashville Lobbyist Mark Greene, who represents lobbyists, said afterward the bill would increase workloads dramatically. Other lobbyists said they would have to disclose the legislature's entire slate of bills because they move from one to another. 'We think it represents quite a bit more paperwork, quite a bit more exposure in terms of the potential for making an error,' said Greene, who shouldn't be confused with U.S. Rep. Mark Green. 'We're going faster and faster every year, and we think providing this is of marginal utility.' The only question for Freeman in committee came from Rep. Warner, who asked whether government-paid lobbyists would be included in the bill, meaning those who work for the governor and state departments. The committee's attorney told him those people don't qualify as lobbyists. Regardless, this matter reminds me of something former Rep. Bob Ramsey used to say when referring to the lobbyist for lobbyists. 'That makes you the mayor of rock bottom.' He probably softened the blow by handing out candy. A group of 12 Democratic lawmakers who walked out of the governor's State of the State address in February say they're being blocked from passing any bills this session. With only 24 members in the House, Democrats usually don't pass many bills anyway. But this year, things appear to be worse. Democratic Rep. Yusuf Hakeem of Chattanooga said it became clear to him this week when Republican lawmakers killed his bill that would have had security workers statewide wear matching patches to let people know they're security, not law enforcement. He said it was backed by the Peace Officer Standards & Training Commission, in addition to Hamilton County law enforcement. Hakeem said afterward he has the feeling it would be 'extremely difficult for those of us who walked out to get a bill through. It's very unfortunate.' Democratic Rep. Sam McKenzie of Knoxville said he's getting the same idea about repercussions against boycotters. He walked out of the State of the State in protest of Lee's private-school voucher bill that passed in a February special session. 'We're all here representing 70,000 people, and what I would say to (Republican leadership) is members of their party do things I find very inflammatory, very disrespectful,' McKenzie said. Asked about the matter Thursday, House Republican Caucus Chairman Jeremy Faison said he wasn't aware of any concerted effort to block those members' bills, but he added if they were going to act like 'knuckleheads,' then they deserve it. 'I got a Nikon camera / I love to take a photograph / So mama don't take my Kodachome away.' * *'Kodachrome,' Paul Simon SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
