Village of Salado voters will choose two aldermen from a field of five candidates.
Follows are brief introductions of each of the candidates, in their own words. Next week, begins a series of questions and answers with the candidates.
Judy Fields
Born and raised in Odessa, Texas
Widow of Hans Fields; 3 children
EDUCATION:
Odessa High School
Texas Western College (UTEP)
SALADO CIVIC
ENGAGEMENT:
Salado Resident 11 years:
Salado Historical Society—Director 8 years
Ladies Auxiliary—11 years
Salado Area Republican Women
Served on Citizens Emergency Response Team 4 years
Served on Citizens On Patrol 4 years
Tourism Board–4 years
Offer Free Tours of Salado to Interested Parties
El Paso Resident 35 years:
Beaumont Resident: 8 years
Qatar Resident 2 years:
After serving on Salado’s Tourism Council for four years, I am concerned by the striking year after year decrease in community events. The Wine Festival, Art Fair and Barrow’s Brewery Celebrations and Sirena Day brought droves of people to Salado. These events were and can be again, hallmarks of Salado’s offerings to tourists and visitors.
With the recent completion of Interstate 35, newly opened Stage Coach and Barton House restaurants, Salado is poised, once again, to accommodate a great volume of tourists Saladoans must make plans to extensively advertise our village and these events throughout this region, and the state. We are a beautiful village with a unique history. This historical uniqueness gives us a tremendous occasion to invite people to Salado’s offerings.
My main goal in running for Alderman is to promote Salado by more awareness of who we are. Our location on I-35 gives us geographical advantages that must be utilized. Proper publicity will make travelers aware that Salado is a true must-see destination point. We cannot allow a failing infrastructure to negatively affect the prosperity of our once thriving village. Our town and our citizens should flourish as we close the door on stifling highway construction and pave a new path to success for the village of Salado.
Michael Coggin
Our family moved to Salado 18 years ago where we fell in love with the small-town feeling, incredible schools, scenic creek and friendly people. It is a great place to live, worship and raise a family. I hope to be able to keep this small-town identity if I am elected.
I am married to my wife, Diana, a graduate of Angelo State University in finance and was a substitute teacher at Salado, ISD. We have two children. Brinn who was a pole vaulter and valedictorian at Salado ISD, Masters from Baylor University and is a Certified Public Accountant in Waco. Our son Blake is a 2007 Salado ISD graduate who played football and basketball and has his Masters from the University of Texas. He is a Certified Public Accountant and just returned from an accounting assignment in Brussels, Belgium. We have two grandchildren and are soon expecting our third grandchild.
I am a Texas registered professional engineer and active in the First Baptist Church of Salado where I am currently the social director of our Sunday school class. I was a member of the sanitary sewage system committee for the Village of Salado.
I am a native Texan, born in Lubbock where my dad attended Texas Tech. As a petroleum engineer, my dad moved our family to many places until we put down roots in Axtell, Texas (east of Waco). Upon graduation from Texas A&M, I started my career as a civilian engineer with the US Army Corps of Engineers. I managed the construction of my first sanitary sewage collection and treatment plant in 1985. I transferred to Germany after completing the $50 million fire training school at Goodfellow AFB. I returned to Fort Hood after a three-year tour in Germany.
I worked at Fort Hood for eight years where I was the Chief of Engineering at the Directorate of Public Works for six of those years. I managed the design, traffic control, construction and master planning programs. We converted the post from Army owned family housing to contractor leased during this time – I spent much time planning community neighborhoods, traffic control and utility support for this new program.
In 2004, I volunteered to go to Iraq where I was stationed in the Green Zone in Baghdad. I was the Chief of Party responsible for the US Agency for International Development reconstruction program. I was responsible for the construction of sixty-seven projects located throughout Iraq valued at $1.5 billion. I managed the construction of several waste water treatment plants, roads, bridges, water treatment plants, airfields, schools and electrical power plants during my time in Iraq.
My last position with the Department of the Army was at Fort Sam Houston where I was responsible for a $750 million medical center expansion project and renovation of the existing facility.
I retired from the Department of the Army in 2012 after serving 33 years. I am presently a part time engineering consultant working on Hurricane Harvey facility repairs.
I hope to use my engineering experience to help shape the Village of Salado for future success!
Frank Coachman
Frank Coachman, a Salado resident since 2001, assumed the duties of Deputy Director for the Texas Music Educators Association in July 1999. Coachman’s duties include managing the scheduling, logistics and presentation components for more than 700 events during the annual three-day TMEA convention. He also guides and oversees the TMEA audition process for more than 60,000 high school students across the state who compete for membership in TMEA Region, Area and All-State bands, choirs and orchestras. For 18 years he served as Director of Bands for C.E. Ellison High School.
Coachman is a Past President of the Salado Education Foundation. He was recognized as a Killeen ISD Distinguished Alumni. He has served as a member of the Board of Directors for the Temple Symphony Orchestra and the Center for Educator Development in Fine Arts Summit Cadre since 2001. He is a Past President of TMEA. He attended Texas Tech University and graduated from McMurry University with a B.F.A., Music Education degree.
Coachman seeks to continue serving as a Salado Village Alderman to assist in meeting the needs of fellow citizen/neighbors and business owner/operators. Frank’s best skill is that he makes things happen. He is organized, cost conscious, and committed. He believes in continuing to revise the Village’s short and long term visions, along with revising the master plan to establish healthy growth, seizing opportunities to enhance the village while striving to preserve and maintain the rich historical culture and quality of life in the village. Frank is currently serving as Co-Chair of the Village Economic Development Committee and Chair of the Ordinance Committee
Frank and his wife, Kaye, enjoy living in Salado. They have two married daughters and two grandchildren. Kaye and Frank, along with partners Julie and Rusty Schramm, are proprietors and operators of 21 Main, a business on Salado’s Main Street.
Chad Martin
I married my wife, Rebecca, in Jacksonville, FL in 2012. She is a certified Physician Assistant, in the field of Dermatology. We have two daughters, Grace and Lily, one of which was born here in Salado at the Natural Birthing Center on Main Street.
Three years ago, we found our forever home in Salado.
My wife and I love to travel. Our most recent trip abroad was to New Zealand.
I attended the Virginia Military Institute and Virginia Commonwealth University.
I also studied abroad twice and attended el Complutense de la Universidad de Madrid, Spain. I took government contracting classes through the Business & Law Schools of George Washington University, and I recently finished more business and emergency management education through FEMA partnered with the Frederick Maryland Community College.
I started my career as a Congressional Lobbyist for Veteran’s Health in Washington, DC, where I served as the Assistant Director for Health Policy at the American Legion National Headquarters.
At the same time, I was enlisted in the Virginia National Guard. I was then recruited by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), where I was posted in Tampa and Jacksonville, FL, ultimately finding my resting spot at Central Texas Veterans Health Care System.
I currently hold the position of Chief of the Prosthetics & Sensory Aids Service. I am a Certified Mentor with the Veterans Health Administration, and I am trained with both Lean Six Sigma and Servant Leadership concepts.
Becky Butscher
I have lived in Salado for more than 20 years and feel very proud to be a part of this community. During this time, I have been a member of Salado United Methodist Church, serving on many committees including the Evangelism Committee, a member of the Shepherds Committee and also on the Board for the Parents Day Out Program. I am currently serving on the Salado Water Supply Board and am a member of the Board of Directors for the Salado Historical Society. My educational background includes a Master of Arts Degree in Counseling from the University of Mary Hardin Baylor. My professional background includes teaching public school and counseling in public education. I have also been a Diagnostician/Special Needs Coordinator. Serving in these positions has allowed me to develop many problem solving skills. My experience has taught me to listen to input from many sources and work to find a solution on a common ground. I am running not only to help resolve some of the issues in our future but to serve a community that is very dear to my heart. I respectfully ask for your vote on May 5.