Michelle Howarth (Sachse City Council, Texas, candidate 2024)
Michelle Howarth (No Party Affiliation) ran for election to Sachse City Council in Texas on May 4, 2024.[1]
Elections
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Michelle Howarth completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Howarth's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I am currently serving as a member of the Sachse City Council. I was first elected to office in 2018. My husband and I have lived in Sachse since 1999 and have raised our four children in this wonderful community. The residents of Sachse deserve representatives in office, who exemplify honesty, integrity, accountability, and a strong work ethic.
I have a great ability to listen to others and a willingness to hear and discuss opposing views before making a decision. My only goal as a city council is to help make Sachse an even better place to live and raise a family. I may not know the answer to every question the city may face, but I research, read, and ask questions until I do know the answer. And I don’t give up until I get there.
Effective governance is key. I firmly believe that is what residents of Sachse want and deserve - effective city government without drama.
- It has been a great honor to represent the residents of Sachse as a city council member. I do my utmost to ensure that my decisions reflect the values and concerns of the community I have been elected to represent. While council members are individuals, I recognize that the city council must work as a team to be effective. I take pride in advocating for my position while remaining open-minded and respectful of the position of others.
- The city of Sachse continues to rank as one of the safest cities in all of Texas. Staffing the public safety department is always a concern for a smaller city. We will never be able to win a “pay race” with our larger neighbors. We can, however, attract and retain public safety personnel through the department’s culture of public service and through the robust support of community members.
- Our City’s greatest challenge and opportunity over the next several years is to diversify the tax base so that city services and infrastructure costs are less dependent on residential property taxes. Infrastructure and road construction costs have increased dramatically in the past several years while the need for repair has also increased. To fill a bigger hole, you need a bigger shovel. We must foster a diversified tax base so that families can actually afford to live here.
As a council member, I sometimes get frustrated dealing with the consequences of decisions made 20 years ago that set our city on a more difficult path. I strive in every decision to take a long term view. I want council members in the future look back the time I served in office as la time when we put Sachse on firm footings for future success.
Elected officials should be honest, ethical, transparent and responsive. Effective governance should always guide decision making.
An effective council member has a responsibility to be educated on all issues coming before the council. Council members should put in the time to read all relevant materials that will be on the agenda and be proactive to have all questions clarified by staff before the start of each council meeting.
I am proud of the levels of financial transparency at City of Sachse. Every check written from city accounts is available on the city website. The annual budget routinely meets or exceeds the standards of financial transparency and accountability set forth by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board.
I am passionate about fostering economic development and redevelopment in Sachse. I serve as Council Liaison to the Sachse Economic Development Board. My biggest contribution has been my focus on promoting effective economic development in Sachse. Since joining the council in 2018, I have seen sales tax revenues in Sachse more than double. Sales tax revenue numbers are on track to exceed projections again for this fiscal year. I’ll continue to influence decisions, conversations, and policies that encourage sustainable growth like Evolve Biologics, the Station development, and the 5th Street district redevelopment.
If you ever want your vote to make a difference in your daily life, vote in your local municipal elections. Your vote will likely never count more.
As a city council member, I often get stopped by residents at the grocery store or at sporting events. We have the opportunity to discuss issues and concerns face to face. Water, sewer, police, fire, roads, sidewalks, parks and more can be discussed directly with council representatives. There is no other level of government where elected officials are so easily accessible. Everyone should take the opportunity to be more involved in local municipal government.
It is beneficial for holders of this office to have a baseline familiarity with city business that can be attained through attending council meetings and serving as an appointee on city boards and advisory commissions.
My very first job was building and repairing personal computers for my father's small business. I worked for him until I left for college. I learned about computers and about the value of hard work.
I clearly remember our school principal informing the school over the public address system that the space shuttle Challenger had exploded and all astronauts lost.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
External links
[1] ↑ Submitted to Ballotpedia's candidate survey in 2024.
