Mitch Holmes for Keller

03/05/2024

Rick Barnes or Wendy Burgess for Tax Assessor/Collector? And why?

As the Chair of Tarrant County Republican Party, Rick Barnes incurred over ten thousand dollars in federal fines, managing just a couple hundred thousand dollar budget, and still blames others to this day. He’s a disengaged money manager with excuses at the ready. As the incumbent tax assessor/collector, Wendy Burgess won first time achievement awards managing several billions of dollars. She’s an engaged manager who owns her role and has performed it impeccably.

Wendy’s run for just two political offices, city council and tax assessor/collector, winning both. She understands what her public service goals are, and can focus on those goals. Rick’s run for city council, mayor, tax assessor/collector, Tri-County Electric Board, county commissioner, and now he’s challenging an award winning incumbent. He’s only won one political race… city council. He’s the very definition of a roaming opportunistic politician who has never mapped his goals.

Rick Barnes claims he lowered city taxes when he didn’t. He lowered the tax rate in a time of highly increasing property valuations. He also advertises his role as mayor pro-tem as if, to voters who don’t know better, it were a higher elected office. It’s not; it’s a round table agreement among other council members, usually rotating annually. These are fake political claims of accomplishment. Coupled with his deferring responsibility for his county party budget failure, these all serve to expose his lack of ownership and inactive management. He’ll address tough issues only as they will benefit his appearances, not the truth we’ll need to hear.

Both these choices have already set very clear patterns of how they’ll manage our tax assessor/collector office. One, we’ll be confident in every single day. And one, we’ll always be nervous about. Every single day.

Today is election day. I recommend casting it for Wendy Burgess.

02/18/2024

To Republican Precinct 3072 voters,

Thank you for letting me know the head of the Keller Republican Club is knocking on your doors, pushing cards that slander my years of service to you, and all Keller citizens, saying I’m…

“A serial political candidate who has advocated for ‘No Party Politics,’ which is against what this very position stands for!”

What? A “serial political candidate”? If you hadn’t already elected me to 11 years of service to city council, I’m sure you’d read that and think I was some perennial candidate who runs for untold political offices, all unsuccessful, yet just keeps on running and running. And by now that slander has traveled half way across the precinct, so I’ll tell the truth here. By the time I was his age you’d elected me to 4 terms on Keller City Council. That’s to his zero. And I’ve never run for, or cared to run for any other public office. Truth is, between 2003-2021, you elected me to 6 terms on council. So, for my losses, do you think he’s trying to lead you in the truth?

To his “no party politics” slander, he’s either intentionally conflating my role as your Republican Precinct Chair with my past service on City Council, or he doesn’t know city council is a nonpartisan allocator of all property tax paying citizens’ hard earned tax dollars, to build and maintain nonpartisan city infrastructure. I firmly believe he’d better understand the act of actually getting out a pen and actually writing a check for actual property tax in our precinct… like most of us do… if he actually owned property here. But he doesn’t. He just resides here. So it’s plausible that his conflating the truth may not be as intentional as it is just a lack of understanding, that city council and its maintenance of our streets, waterlines, sewer lines, parks and trails, are all nonpartisan. But if it is an honest unawareness, he really does need to learn the difference between the two roles before running for either one.

Now that you’re equipped with the whole truth, please… re-read his description of me once again, and ask yourself one question. If Mr. Alvarado can be that deceptive on these two small matters, can you trust him to be wholly truthful in big matters?

If your answer’s like mine, vote to keep me in your Republican Precinct 3072 Chair on March 5 (early voting starts Tuesday).

Mitch Holmes
Republican Chair, Precinct 3072

06/19/2023

I had the honor of serving with Ray for four years on Keller City Council. He was the quintessential voice of reason, leading our city with zero personal interest and always a calming demeanor. I loved him and often called him my mentor. He had a genuine interest in others, and I will always cherish our now and then lengthy visits in his paper-stacked tax office. I will miss my friend.

The City of Keller is mourning the loss of former City Councilman Ray Brown, who passed earlier this month at the age of 88.

Councilman Brown, who served on the city's Planning & Zoning Commission for about six years before first being elected to the council in May 2007, held his Place 1 seat until 2013. He had lived in Keller since 1976, and in addition to his deep-seated knowledge of the community, he brought a wealth of financial expertise to his time on the council, having spent 25 years with the Internal Revenue Service and more than 50 years as a CPA.

"Keller has been blessed with so many talented and caring people who have volunteered their time on behalf of our amazing community," Mayor Armin Mizani said. "Ray Brown embodied all that is great about Keller; his impact has been felt in our past and our present and will be felt long into our bright future."

During Brown's tenure, the Keller City Council achieved several important goals, among them the building of Fire Station No. 4 (since renamed Station 1), the renovation of the Keller Public Library, the expansions of North Tarrant Parkway and Rufe Snow Drive, and the forging of significant collaborations with neighboring cities in the areas of public safety, animal control and municipal court services.

In addition to serving as chairman of the Planning & Zoning Commission before joining the council, Brown's record includes service as a member of the Finance Committee, as Mayor Pro Tem and as chairman of the Drainage Task Force following the June 2007 flood, recommending — and helping secure funding for — millions in projects throughout the city.

The proud Army veteran was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 63 years of marriage, Faye Marie Brown. Our hearts are with his children — Linda, James, and Christy — and the rest of his family and friends.

Services for Councilman Brown will be held this Monday, June 19, at Lucas Funeral Home. Learn more here: https://www.lucasfuneralhomes.com/obituaries/Wingo-Brown/ #!/Obituary

05/18/2023

While Nora Kay and I are enjoying some time smoking salmon somewhere in the Ozarks, I want to take a minute to thank 6,188 Keller citizens that cast their votes to a Seat 6 candidate in this election. We had three good candidates, the competition was strong, and I’ve offered my sincerest congratulations to our returning Councilman Ross McMullin on his re-election to the Seat.

Congratulations, too, to new comer Rebecca Tovar, for putting your willingness, your experience, and your name on the ballot. Don’t go away, Rebecca… wins don’t often come with your first go around, and serving Keller is worth the work!

I want to give my sincerest thank you to the 1,942 voters who put their voices and their votes behind me. Between the two contested Seats, ours was the closer race with the narrower margin. I’ll be forever grateful for the confidence you placed in me to represent you for another term.

Thank you just as much to my campaign team, the biggest, hardest working team I’ve ever had. It may surprise some that this was actually my 11th run for Keller City Council, six for which our voters seated me. I’ve loved serving you. I’ve never had any interest in any other elected office anywhere. And I never will. Keller is my home. And my mother’s home. And my daughter’s and her husband’s home. And my grandson’s and my granddaughter’s home. We. Love. Keller.

Thank you again for your confidence in this race, as well as those other 10 races. This one will be my last.

Unless… no, jk!

05/06/2023

Election Day is today.
7am-7pm

God bless our city and our schools!

05/04/2023

Allies in Youth Development National Day of Prayer
with Nora Kay Morgan Holmes.

04/30/2023

Thank you Keller citizen, Shannon Wood Tarrant County College Trustee District 2 for giving your time to our community on Tarrant County College Board. And for endorsing my return to Keller City Council with your uniquely POSITIVE mailer for this time of the season!

04/28/2023

A message from Keller’s former Councilwoman Beckie Paquin. She was the team member who challenged the rest of us to think through an issue just another level deeper. It would be a good lesson of higher service, and I’ll be a better councilman for having served with Beckie.

04/26/2023

Councilman Hicks and I believe that the intent for putting seven INDEPENDENT minds on our city council is so seven DIFFERENT voices will best reflect ALL 46,000 Keller citizens.

04/22/2023

Do you know Mitch Holmes, a longtime resident of Keller and honorable public servant to Keller
residents, having previously served 11 years on City Council?

Keller City politics has a long history of Favoritism, Special Interests and Personal Agendas. Those in the
Office support and Promote Candidates who will Group Think to help move their agendas forward or
advance their political standing.

Mitch Holmes’ desire is to the contrary, to solely represent all residents of Keller to improve their quality
of life in Keller. Mitch has no special interests, personal agenda or further political aspirations trying to
make a name for himself.

As a public servant Mitch supported my Referendum to reverse a flagrant grant of taxpayer dollars to a
Private Club in Keller by a Special Interest City Council, saving residents hundreds of thousands of dollars.

On the Johnson Road Improvement, but not for Mitch Holmes and one other councilperson, the voice of Johnson Road Residents
would never have been heard. The dialog between residents and City leadership is critical to meeting the
needs of the community rather than decisions being made by bureaucrats with special interests and who
do not even live in the city. Mitch Holmes made this possible when no other Council Person wanted to
hear our input.

Mitch Holmes met with residents to solve a legal dispute between neighborhood residents and the City.

Mitch Holmes did this because he cares, he listens, and he represents the interests and will of Keller
residents.

Regardless of your political leaning, Mitch Holmes will be there for you.

These are just a few reasons why
I endorse Mitch Holmes for City Council, Place 6.

Now Pick Up the Phone and Call Mitch Today and speak directly to the man who with your vote will
honorably serve you. (432) 312-4205

Respectfully,

Brian Campbell
Former Keller Resident and Property Rights Advocate