Cimarron Gilson
Elections and appointments
Personal
Contact
Cimarron Gilson ran for election to the North East Independent School District to represent District 5 in Texas. He lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.
Gilson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Cimarron Gilson was born in San Antonio, Texas. He received a bachelor's degree from the University of Notre Dame in 2002, a J.D. from Ave Maria School of Law in 2007, and a bachelor's degree from the Mexican American Catholic College in 2010. Gilson's professional experience includes working as a solo practice attorney in estate planning, probate, real estate, and business formation. He has been affiliated with Guadalupe County Bar Association; Guadalupe County MH-MR Agency, Inc; Guadalupe Housing Development, Inc; and the City of Selma, Texas, Planning and Zoning Commission.[1]
Elections
2020
See also: North East Independent School District, Texas, elections (2020)
General election
Endorsements
To view Gilson's endorsements in the 2020 election, please click here.
2020
Video for Ballotpedia
Video submitted to Ballotpedia
Released September 9, 2020
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Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Cimarron Gilson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Gilson's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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Curious about the person asking for your vote? I hope so, because the things that shaped me will guide my service if I am honored to earn your vote on November 3, 2020, or during early voting October 13-30, 2020.
FAMILY
I was born in San Antonio, the last of 7 boys. My dad is USAF and Civil Service retired. He is the oldest of 9 and grew up on a small farm in Ohio. My mom was a homemaker and is from Alice, Texas. She and her sisters/mother all worked the cotton fields growing up.
I attended Catholic schools all my life, spent 2 years in the seminary, and left to open my law practice in estate planning, probate, business formation, and personal injury in 2012.
I'm married to Dr. Mallory (DiRosa) Gilson, a veterinarian at Lincoln Heights Animal Hospital and MacArthur H.S. graduate. (NEISD!)
We have two children, Clare (2.6 years) and Henry (1.1 year), with one on the way, and we are parishioners at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church.
My wife and our children. They are why I'm running. They deserve the best. My children's innocence deserves protection. My family's values deserve respect. The same goes for all the families and members of our community. Our current board is failing to do this in so many ways. The public school system is supposed to be responsive to the community through the election of its Board of Trustees. The current Board has lost sight of this and has not governed responsibly.
I'm a conservative and will act like one if elected. - Lower taxes and balance budgets while increasing equity among the 7 school clusters
- Reform grievance process and board policies and end the board's practice of rubber stamping the district's proposals
- Restore parental rights to their children's education and support our teachers
The current Board's policies and vision need improvement in terms of reflecting our conservative values and restoring public input and the right to ask questions by the taxpayer. My platform includes:
1. A top down review of board policy and procedures is in order to better notify the community about meeting agendas and allow for more community discussion of agenda items before the board votes on them. Taxpayers deserve the right to ask questions of board members and get answers, even if it is not on the meeting's agenda!
2. Stop the rubber stamping of agenda items. Examine why, for the last 4 years or so, the Board has voted unanimously on issue after issue over 600 consecutive times, often without any discussion or debate at all. The Board needs to take this job more seriously by asking the tough questions and studying the material presented to it before voting to adopt it. I will do just that.
3. Create more dialogue between the community and the superintendent's office.
4. Provide more school choice to parents. Be it dual language programs, campus choice, inter-district campus choice, advance credit programs, magnets schools, support of home schoolers, expansion of charter schools, or providing virtual learning options.
5. Ensure more equity among the 7 school clusters in funding, representation, and infrastructure.
6. Represent and protect the conservative values of our district. Stop the PC culture and focus on the basics. Growing up, I looked up to my Nana (maternal grandma). She was the matriarch of our family. She was economically poor, but personally rich, always hospitable, hard working, caring, smiling, and fun to visit during summer and other school breaks. The most important legacy she passed to me was faith and the importance of daily prayer. She didn't understand all the intellectual details of the Catholic faith, but she had a strong spirituality demonstrated by rising early each day to say her morning prayers and ending each day with her evening prayers. She never missed her prayers and she always ended a conversation with "I love you and God bless you."
In culture, I look up to Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity as well as a few well known cultural leaders, some who have passed on from this life. Rev. Franklin Graham, Archbishop Fulton Sheen, and Dr. James Dobson are among these tall figures.
Spiritually, I look up to the long line of parish priests who have shaped my faith. Their life examples, their preaching, their passion, and their fidelity to the Gospel are admirable and inspiring to me.
In politics, I sincerely look up to Donald Trump for his fortitude, courage, gut instincts, and integrity. The forgotten American finally has a voice to speak up and fight for them, and he keeps his word, delivering on all his campaign promises. One may not appreciate his prior life choices or his sometimes amateur demeanor, but where it really counts in government, he has delivered and is putting America first for a change. That is refreshing, and he is making government work better. My philosophy for teaching? I like the movies Lean on me, Stand and Deliver, Remember the Titans, Freedom Writers, Rudy, Precious, To Sir, with Love
My political philosophy? Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Lincoln
Honesty, fairness, integrity, ingenuity.
Honesty, integrity, sincerity, servant hearted, have a passion for teaching
To take one's duties as trustee seriously. We are given the public's trust to steer the district in the right direction. A trustee should take the time to study the agenda packets and agenda items, ask the tough questions, debate the issues candidly and respectfully, listen to the various stakeholders, and make a reasoned, ordered decision. Also, a trustee should not let personal business or benefits come his way because of his position as trustee.
If I could say I improved how the board did its business, I'd count that a success
Probably the Gulf War under President George H.W. Bush. I was about 10 or 11 years old. What grabbed my attention were all the battle maps. At the time, I was very much into collecting and admiring maps, from the Civil War era to geographic maps of the world's nations. Each day, I couldn't wait for the newspaper to come so I could track the progress of the war visually on the front page maps. I also liked stats, so I was intrigued as well by the icons representing the strength and number of troops, tanks, airplanes that each side had.
My first job was in high school as a custodian. After school each day, I swept the classroom floors, straightened the desks, emptied the trash cans, and cleaned the chalkboards and erasers. I also worked school functions, mainly set up and take down, and washing dishes. Since my parents had divorced, this is how I helped my mother pay the tuition at my Catholic school.
A Man Called Norman. I read this book early on in life and it has always stuck with me. It's about taking interested in the "least of these" and forming a strong friendship because it.
A Man for All Seasons is another favorite. It is the story of my patron saint, Thomas More, and
Probably Super Man. Who doesn't want super powers?
With 2 little ones, any one of a number of kids songs.
Many in the public may not know what the primary functions of a board member are, but they are primarily:
Setting policy and vision for the district,
Evaluating the Superintendent,
Adopting a budget and tax rate, and
Communicating with the community. All the citizens of District 5 have an interest in the board of trustees for NEISD.
Students benefit (or not) from the quality of education NEISD gives them.
Parents count on the schools to partner with them to teach their children often what they cannot teach (e.g., math, science, reading and writing, technology, citizenship, sports, and more).
Taxpayers expect the board to manage the district's resources well and to balance budgets and lower taxes.
Community members expect the schools to produce young people ready to contribute to the community as good citizens and employable members of the work force. I have a heart for teaching and service. I come from a diverse background myself and so that will bear in my approach to district problems and solutions. Part of my platform, however, is ensuring more equity among all 7 school clusters. Some clusters receive more district resources and attention from some trustees than other clusters. While I represent District 5, the board represents the entire NEISD of 7 districts, so we need cannot forget about those clusters who have older infrastructure, more economic challenges, etc.
I will be open to all members of the community. It doesn't matter their background or party affiliation.
We need to reform the grievance process to allow parents - and teachers - a fairer opportunity to address problems in the district. Right now, the grievance process is often seen as a joke without producing any real relief for grievants. Due process can be improved, deadlines lengthened, and conflicts of interest resolved.
Most importantly, there needs to be more honesty from the district and board to the parents.
I don't think one the district as an employer should engage in quotas or discrimination based on race, gender, or other factors. It ought to consider the candidates fairly and choose the best candidate for the position.
Politics, political correctness, special interests, backroom deals, conflicts of interest, tenure, teacher unions, stagnant thinking. All these items, and more, can obstruct the quality of education we deliver to our students. Drain the swamp, be more transparent, be honest, root out corruption in the administration of district business and contracts, focus on the basics, don't over complicate student life with political activism and agendas, and more are all part of the solution.
That's a tough question to answer. We have different types of learners and interests among our students, but I would say results. Results matter. If our students graduate knowing the basic skills they need to compete and succeed in this life, then they have had good teachers. Beyond that general answer, we need to listen to our teachers and help them generate solutions to problems they are aware of, and then support those solutions.
I think an accurate understanding of and respect for American history and institutions. Good citizenship, consumer sciences and basic life skills like budgeting and relationship building. Character development. For sure, we should impart on our students the basic skills of math, reading, writing, and technology that they will need to advance themselves in life. Leave the social agendas, political correctness, and side shows out of our schools. Parents don't send their children to school to be indoctrinated but to be taught the basics in life.
Provide more student choice or tracks of study such as college prep, technical trades, magnet programs, etc. Not everyone needs or wants a college degree in liberal arts. Some will want to work directly after high school. We should help all our students achieve their goals and highest potential.
Use common sense approaches to securing our schools. One solution is to allow retired military or law enforcement personnel to volunteer in our schools as extra eyes and hands. Also, allow character and moral development into our schools from community partners like churches and non-profits. Teaching the Ten Commandments, which undergird our civil law and Western civilization is free and effective in teaching our children self-discipline and respect for others, particularly not to murder.
Again, allowing community partners from the faith and non-profit fields to help in our schools. This will provide positive programming and outlets for our youth, many of whom don't have a mentor or responsible adult they can confide in or rely on.
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See also
External links
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on September 1, 2020
