On Nov. 3, Village of Salado voters will elect two new aldermen to two-year terms on the Board of Aldermen. Running for the Board of Aldermen are Paul Cox, Jason Howard and Donald Krause. Michael Coggin, current Mayor Pro Tem, will be elected as Mayor as he faces no opposition in his election.

Early voting begins on Oct. 13 and continues through Oct. 30. There are several early voting locations in Bell County. On election day, Bell County registered voters may vote at any Bell County polling location, not just their home precinct. Precinct 203 voting will be at the Salado Church of Christ Activity Center, 217 Church St. in Salado.

Keeping with tradition, Salado Village Voice presents introductions and questions and answer sessions with local  candidates during the Early Voting periods. This week is the introduction of candidates. If you would like to send a question for the editor to consider incorporating into his questions and answer sessions, email it to news@saladovillagevoice.com.

Paul Cox

Salado has been home for my wife, Shirley, and me since March 2007 (the year it snowed on Easter Sunday)!   I grew up in Houston and graduated from Waltrip H.S.  While attending Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, I earned a BBA and MBA from the School of Business.  I also earned a commission in the U. S. Army through the R.O.T.C. program at Sam Houston and served two years active duty after graduation.

Shirley and I have two adult children and four grandchildren, two in China Spring and two in Tulsa, OK.  We also have three cats that allow us to “share” their home in Mill Creek.  All three were strays and adopted us over the last few years.   And yes, it IS true – cats have staff!

Shirley and I are active members of Salado United Methodist Church.  We have served on various committees and have volunteered time for outreach and fundraising programs.  I am a member of the Salado Chapter of Lions Club International and am looking forward to future events and projects planned for our community through the efforts of our local Lions chapter.

Music has been a lifelong passion of mine.  I enjoy listening to many music genres from classical to country.  Being a native Texan, Texas songwriters like Guy Clark, Kris Kristofferson, Townes van Zandt and Willie Nelson have been my favorite.  I love to play acoustic guitar and sing tunes written by these and other great songwriters.  I have performed at many venues in the Travis, Williamson and Bell county areas over the last 35 years.   

With all that said, I never quit my day job, the mortgage banking industry.  Over my 35+ year career, I became skilled in most areas of real property appraisals, development, construction, loan underwriting and marketing.  Among other things, I learned what factors affect property values and marketability.

My wife and I love our Village and the people in it.  As we all know, Salado is a rapidly growing community.  I believe my extensive business background and knowledge will be an asset in making the best choices for our Village.

Jason Howard

Hello Salado, I am Jason Howard, my family and I have owned a home in Salado, TX since 2018. While we are relatively new Salado residents, Salado has held a special place in our hearts since a Christmas Stroll through Salado in 2001. My wife, Theresa, and I enjoyed the quaint shops and the friendly charm of Salado during that stroll and we immediately realized that, one day, we would make Salado our home. We feel very blessed that our life journey has brought us back to Salado and made that dream our reality.  Since our arrival we have worked to involve ourselves in the community, becoming members of the Historical Society and the Mill Creek Association.

Since my first visit to Salado in 2001 I have watched our village grow and change tremendously, and Salado continues to change on a daily basis. I, like many of my fellow citizens, want to ensure that these changes benefit our community members as a whole and that basic services — like road maintenance and development, police and fire services, and parks and recreation areas — improve in our village.  I am committed to maximize each of your tax dollars to ensure government decisions benefit all of our current citizens, our local businesses and our future citizens.  Accountability of each hard-earned tax dollar will be a top priority for me. 

I bring a unique background to this election, I served in the US. Army from 1999 to 2007, primarily at Fort Hood and in Iraq. I deployed on multiple combat tours in Iraq, proudly serving as the Personal Security Officer to several Commanding Generals of the 4th Infantry Division. Since my Honorable Discharge, I have earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting and have worked and advanced in the fields of Information Technology, Acquisition, Management and Program Management, managing budgets in excess of $10 Million per year. Today, I continue to support the Department of Defense as a Systems Engineering and Technical Assistance (SETA) Contractor.  I know what it means to serve and hope to apply that sense of service as your Alderman.

When I’m not working, I love being “dad” to our active nine-year old daughter and a loving husband to my wonderful wife, Theresa. Two of my favorite hobbies are woodworking at home, and enjoying our community on family walks in Salado with our dogs. 

My reason for running for Alderman is very simple: I live here and I care about our village. Throughout my adult life, I have been selected for positions of increased responsibility ahead of my peers. As a Veteran, I understand service and I will continue to conduct myself with the highest moral and ethical standards in service to my community as your Alderman. While I may be new to politics, I am not new to serving others.   I hope that I have earned the opportunity to serve you as an Alderman.  Thank you for this opportunity and I welcome your support.

Donald Krause

I am dividing this introduction into two parts: (1) a section containing biographical info; and (2) a section covering my philosophy as an alderman in Salado.

First, biography. My wife, Susan Bradshaw, and I live in Mill Creek on Elizabeth Circle. I am retired; Susan is a system director at Baylor Scott&White. After graduating from high school, I joined the Marines in order to take advantage of the GI Bill to attend college. I served 6 years which included a tour in Vietnam and a stint aboard aircraft carriers in the Mediterranean. Later, I received a BA in Economics from NC State University, an MBA from Wake Forest University, and passed the CPA exam. I taught accounting and management at University of Michigan, Robert Morris University, Oakland University, and several other institutions. I worked for the US GAO and had the honor of testifying before Congress. I am the author of four published books on leadership and strategy. My books have been best sellers in the US, Germany, and Britain. I have two beautiful grandchildren and our family includes two black and white rescue cats and one really ornery old dog (not including me).

My philosophy for alderman will be marked by proactive interest in three areas of concern: first, safety and security of the village; second, economic prosperity for both homeowners and business operators; third, preservation and expansion of the Salado tradition. Having served on the Small Lot Size Task Force, Planning and Zoning Commission, and Economic Development Advisory Board, I believe I have a fairly good idea about the range of attitudes held by Salado residents on the three areas of concern mentioned above.

To assure maximum possible safety and security, I will look for opportunities to improve the capability of police, fire, and EMS services for the village. I will support any reasonable effort to keep Salado safe and provide adequate, but hopefully superb, police, fire, and EMS assets for the village. I am in favor of the Fire District funding resolution on the November ballot.

To create the best opportunity for economic prosperity, I believe the focus of economic development in the village should be maintaining and increasing home values through effective changes to subdivision ordinances. Further, we must begin to proactively control future business development in the village. Currently, we simply react to proposals given to us. I believe the village will end up with a hodge-podge of strip mall businesses under this approach (think Jarrell).

Finally, the prosperity and the morale of Salado residents depends upon maintaining its tradition of parades, festivals, and culture. I would like to push for reinforcing the slate of events the village currently holds. Further, I would like to explore expanding the number of events held to the point where something is going on in Salado almost all the time.

Thanks for reading. Best wishes for your safety and prosperity.