Four candidates have filed for three two-year terms on the Village of Salado Board of Aldermen.
Salado Village Voice gave each of the candidates an opportunity to introduce themselves to the voters. Those introductions appear below:

Fred Brown

Jane and I built our first home in Salado in 1977 where we lived until 1982 when we moved to Bryan College Station to open a Mazda BMW dealership that I was a partner in with Garlyn Shelton. During the 29 years that we lived in College Station we still loved Salado and had a condo as a second home and later bought the original cabin on the creek that was the Van Bibbers first home. While in College Station I served on the College Station City Council for 9 years, 8 years as the mayor-pro-tem. In 1998 I was asked to run for the Texas House Of Representatives by the Republican Party of the Brazos Valley. I served 7 terms. During my tenure I was Vice Chair of Higher Education, Chair of Budget and Oversight for Higher Ed, Chair of Regulatory on Appropriations,and Chair of the Health and Human Services Oversight Committee. When I retired from the legislature Jane and I moved back to Salado, our home.

I am completing my first term as an alderman, and the last year as mayor-pro-tem. I am running for a second term because of my intense love for Salado. I want to see the history of Salado preserved but at the same time properly plan for the future growth of Salado through managed development. I want to see the Main Street project, the sewer system,and the return of a vibrant business district in the years ahead. We as a community are on the right path and I want to be a part of our future. Jane and I attend First Baptist Salado where we team teach a couples Sunday School class. Both of our grown daughters and our three granddaughters live in Salado.

Hans Fields

Married: Judy Gatlin Fields, 3 children, 5 grandchildren

Salado resident: 8 years, retired from Chevron Oil Company

Education: Middletown High School, Middletown, Indiana

BA Degree Primary/Secondary Education: Full basketball scholarship to Texas Western College of the University of Texas (University of Texas at El Paso)—All Levels Education Certification (Primary and Secondary)

Masters Degrees: Middle Tennessee State University,                              Murfreesboro, Tennessee—Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics; curriculum included environmental conservation

Professional:

Taught chemistry/biology, department chairman Ysleta High School, pre-med biology El Paso Community College; coached basketball, football and track and golf in Ysleta School District, Ysleta High School, El Paso, Texas 18 years

Chevron Oil Company—Senior Safety Engineer 28 years; assignments in El Paso, Beaumont, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar; Emergency Response Team Lead Officer, Security Officer, El Paso Refinery; Oil Refinery Fire/HAZMAT Trainer (Reno, NV); Certified Benefit Analyst, Radiation Safety Officer, OSHA liaison

Salado Organizations Member:

Lions Club; Historical Society (Board of Directors: Past President, VP); Mill Creek Community Assn. President; Salado Volunteers (providing free lawn services for citizens and village); Salado Ambassadors; currently serving as Village Alderman for the past 4 years with primary duties including the wastewater/sewer plans, researching issues, seeking advice and opinions from constituents, voting THEIR voice; past president Community Emergency Response Team; Salado Chamber of Commerce; Salado Methodist Church

I am running for re-election as an alderman in order to continue the work that we as your board have started relating to the WWTP, Roads, The Sanctuary, Economic Development, Annexation and all other critical issues affecting our Village’s future.  If elected I will continue to serve as YOUR VOICE for the future of our Village.

Michael McDougal

I have been a resident of Salado for the past 10 years. Moving to Salado was quite a change from Sherman, Texas where I served as the Superintendent of Schools and later as an Associate Professor of Education at Southeastern Oklahoma State University. In addition, I served as the Commanding General of the 90th Regional Support Command, one of 10 Major General Commands in the U.S. Army Reserve structure. Since moving to the Village, I have been active in community service, while serving on the boards of the Methodist Church, Salado Civic Center, Mill Creek Community Association, Lions Club, Association of the United States Army Fort Hood Texas Chapter and the Bell County Historical Museum.

Serving on your Board of Aldermen for the past two years has been a wonderful experience. The Board has made tremendous strides in contributing to a community that is full of most reasonable expectations. Much has been accomplished during this time as the current Board is pulling together with an attitude that will move our Village forward. However, we still have many issues that are to be resolved in the next few months. During this time,  I have been an active member on various committees to fine-tune plans to insure that Salado grows even stronger as a result of community input, objective discussions and sound recommendations. When one feels as if they have positive contributions to make and citizens encourage you, the decision is an easy one, ask for re-election.

My view on the responsibility of service as a member of the Salado Board of Aldermen is that it is paramount to remember that you work on behalf of the citizens of Salado. You do not represent yourself or any particular group at any time. Yes, many decisions are required and many, many hours must be spent on behalf of the Village, but that is what you signed up for. Final thought is that staying abreast of factual information is absolutely essential in sound decision-making. Plus, one must keep in mind that all decisions affect hundreds of citizens for long periods of time. Good, sound thinking is a requirement; anything less is not what our citizens deserve or expect. Thanks for reading!

Dave Williams

My name is Dave Williams, and I am running for Village of Salado Alderman.

I can easily say that the majority of my life has been spent in service to our country.  I came from a Navy Family where my father served in WWII and after an aircraft accident aboard a Naval Aircraft Carrier in 1963, he was medically retired as a double amputee.  He was always a strong model for me growing up, as he never looked at his disability as something to hold him back.  He would always tell me to, ”Be a leader, not a follower.”  And so I did.  I graduated from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD.  I chose a commission in the United States Marine Corps primarily because of the Corps ethos to, “Take care of your men before yourself.”  I understood and embraced the idea that leaders are placed in their positions of authority to serve those entrusted into their care.

During my 27 years serving the Marine Corps, I was fortunate to have had very unique service opportunities. I retired as a Colonel.  During these years I gained skills in personnel leadership, teamwork, cooperation, collaboration, and most of all getting the job done well.

My professional time outside the military was primarily serving as a Department of Defense Acquisition Program Manager.  I lead Program Teams in the development, Testing, production and deploying of weapons systems with dollar values ranging from annual budgets of $50,000 up to $10 million per year.  The skill sets I developed during this time included defining clear and measurable requirements, providing accurate cost estimates, drafting contract proposals, selecting contract awards, oversight of contract execution, and all while working as a team to get the job done well.  I am currently serving as the Director, Strategic Programs at Baylor Scott & White in Temple.

What I am offering the citizens of Salado are the talents I have developed and the experience I have gained.  I believe that Salado should “Be a leader, not a follower” when it comes to civic organization, policies and future planning.  Just because our neighbors do something that way, does not mean we should.  If you want to be just like our neighboring cities, then I believe Salado will be swallowed up just like other areas in Central Texas.  I am committed to keeping Salado special.