A question for Lago Vista City Council.

Supporting local means putting Lago Vista first while recognizing the importance of strong relationships with our neighboring communities. That includes Jonestown, Point Venture, Marble Falls, Leander, Cedar Park, and especially Travis County, whose partnerships are important when responding to fires, medical emergencies, floods, and other disasters. It also means giving local businesses every reasonable opportunity to earn our business. When the City or citizens needs an air conditioning system replaced, an event catered, or tents provided for Lago Fest, we should look locally first. We should work to eliminate unnecessary red tape that makes it difficult for small, family owned businesses to work with the City and receive timely payment. Our Chamber of Commerce should play an important role in promoting local events, connecting businesses with opportunities, and advocating for the challenges our business owners face. A strong Chamber should be a voice for its members and help create an environment where businesses can thrive. Supporting local also means recognizing the incredible contributions of our volunteers, nonprofits, and community organizations that give their time and resources to make Lago Vista a better place. Ultimately, supporting local means looking out for one another. It's about building relationships, lifting each other's burdens, supporting the people who invest in our community, and making life better for the neighbors we share it with.

Written by the candidate

Supporting local means looking here first and showing up for the people who invest their time, money, and energy in Lago Vista. For me, it is something I try to practice. I make a point to shop and dine here, use local service providers when practical, attend and participate in community events, and support organizations that serve our neighbors. As a Chamber member and someone actively involved with the Lions Club and Lago Vista Women’s Group, I have seen how our local businesses, volunteers, and community organizations support one another. Local businesses do more than provide products and services. They employ our neighbors, contribute sales tax revenue, sponsor activities, donate to fundraisers, host community events, and add to the charm that makes Lago Vista special. Supporting local means remembering the businesses that have already invested here while also welcoming new businesses that meet the needs of our community. It also means encouraging the next generation of Lago Vista businesses. Some of tomorrow’s employers may be people working from their homes today or young people in our schools with an idea they want to build. The City, Economic Development Corporation, Chamber, schools, and community organizations all have different roles, but they can share information and help connect people with opportunities. From the City’s perspective, supporting local means making opportunities easy to find and City processes clear, consistent, and timely. Lago Vista already has a Local Preference Program. Local businesses should understand how it works and how to compete for City work. It should be used fairly and consistently while still protecting taxpayers through competitive pricing, quality work, and good value. Supporting Lago Vista also requires strong working relationships with neighboring communities and Travis County. Public safety, transportation, emergency response, and other regional concerns do not stop at our city limits. Supporting local also means remembering that local businesses are run by our neighbors. When a problem arises, I believe in communicating directly and giving people a fair opportunity to make it right. Strong communities are built through honest conversations, reasonable expectations, and mutual respect. Ultimately, supporting local means choosing local when we can, helping existing businesses succeed, creating opportunities for new ideas, and looking out for the people who make this community home.

Written by the candidate

Supporting local starts pretty simply for me: look here first. If I need groceries, I shop here. If I'm looking for an outfit, I check Wild Navy. If I need flooring or a service for my home, I look for someone in Lago Vista first. Not everything we need is available here, but when it is, I want to give our local businesses the first opportunity to earn my business. Those dollars matter. They help keep someone's doors open, employ our neighbors and keep more of our salestax dollars here at home. But supporting local has to mean more than shopping local. It means asking what our existing businesses need to succeed and creating an environment and ecosystem where good businesses can invest and grow. Then there is the part that really interests me: what is the next local business that hasn't been created yet? We have entrepreneurs working from their homes today who may become tomorrow's storefronts. We have young people in our schools who may someday build businesses here. We have an airport whose economic potential I don't think we've fully explored. And we have places like Dawn Drive, Bronco Lane and the 1431 corridor where thoughtful investment could create something that feels distinctly Lago Vista rather than simply copying the development we see everywhere else. I'd love to see us become better at helping a good idea move from someone's kitchen table or garage, to its first customer, to a thriving Lago Vista business. I personally have met and talked to a few that have great promise. I’m excited for them and their future. That's where the City, EDC, Chamber, schools and community organizations can accomplish more together than any one of them can accomplish alone. Supporting local, to me, is really a cycle: buy here, help the businesses we have succeed, and create opportunities for the next generation of Lago Vista businesses to begin here too. That's how we build our local economy without losing what makes it local.

Written by the candidate

Rather than announcing and virtue signaling about the support for our local businesses, in my opinion, those in authority should nurture the environment to create the best chance of success for our local businesses and our local residents. The more successful our businesses are, the more of the tax burden they can carry. Those taxes can actually be used for quality of life improvements.(rather than trying to create sketchy workarounds to fund Pickleball courts with illegal funds. We can’t just backpedal, charade, and bullhorn, as if we never made the mistake in the first place.) We need to create a cohesive system, that empowers our people and businesses. We need to stop this us/vs/them mentality. We have a strong community that is ready to collaborate!

Written by the candidate