Residents of Foster, Moro, and Ft. Russell Townships, do you know who your District 5 county board representative is?
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Can you list one positive initiative your current representative has supported in your community? Your District 5 representative is Mick Madison, who is running for reelection on a fiscal spending curtailment platform. Six years in office and the only accomplishments he vaunts on social media are fiscally fixated for the county at large, i.e. the jail and courthouse.
We should ask ourselves if respecting these budget limits is more important than the safety and maintenance of our public structures. It is the next generation and the next contingent of elected officials who will bear the burden of current band-aid solutions to much deeper problems. A myopic platform of budget cutting, at the expense of advancements, is the antitheses of progress.
Progress in this predominately agricultural district has been suppressed long enough. Consistently voting along the conventional party line validates a lack of progressive thinking. To quote Mr. Madison’s post of September 28, 2018, on social media, “I do have an opponent in this race again. She will be for more spending and more early voting, which is incredibly difficult to monitor for fraud.”
What is the basis for Mr. Madison’s comment about his opponent Ms. Jessica Ellison Thomas’ spending habits? Is it,
A) sexual profiling – she’s a woman, ergo, she will want to spend money;
B) she’s not a Republican, therefore she will want to reinvest tax dollars back into the communities; or
C) simply sophomoric postulating?
The pivotal midterm election is fast approaching. Every level of government from national to local will bear the impact of the midterms, both immediately and far into the future. Control of the House, Senate, and 36 gubernatorial seats will be decided.
On a local level myriad issues are at stake including Regional Superintendent of Schools, the future of townships, election vs. appointment of board members to the Fosterburg Water District, and 19 Madison County Board seats will be determined. The time to voice your opinion is now!
I support Jessica Ellison Thomas for Madison County Board District 5 representative. Jessica lives in Foster Township with her husband Jeff and son Oliver. She has deep roots in District 5, coming from a family known for actively supporting their community. Her father and husband are small business owners giving her vast insight into the mechanics of growing a successful community. She is ready to listen to the residents of District 5 and present your concerns before the board.
Ms. Thomas is a professional business woman who has been active in local, county, and state-wide initiatives, including serving on the Fosterburg Fire Protection District board since 2014. During her tenure on the FFPD board the district has consistently been underbudget by 5-7%, the tax levy to tax payers was lowered by 5%, two pumpers were replaced by newer models, two state-of-the-art extractors (Jaws of Life®) were purchased and a new dual-purpose truck was purchased for the fire chief. All while coming in under budget.
It is time to make a change by electing mature, forward-thinking, candidates who are willing to reach across the aisle and work together for the betterment of their constituents. It is time to do away with the we vs. they, us vs. them, posturing that is sadly, but highly prevalent, at all levels of our government. The residents of Madison County District 5 must have their voices heard.
Make a date to vote November 6. No excuses!
Opinions expressed in this section are solely those of the individual authors and do not represent the views of RiverBender.com or its affiliates. We provide a platform for community voices, but the responsibility for opinions rests with their authors.
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