MAUD, TX: Meet the Candidate
January 30, 2010
Full Text of Speech:
Thank you,
Good evening and thank you for coming out to support your volunteer fire fighters. My name is Natalie Nichols and I am running for the office of Bowie County Clerk. It’s a position that has been held by Velma Moore for nearly 12 of her 27 years of county service. Her efforts are appreciated and should be respected.
To tell you a little about myself: I am a mother of four, a wife of a veteran, and a Christian conservative.
It wasn’t too long ago that I was a single mom, raising two small children, working full time, living paycheck to paycheck, and just thankful to eat Ramen Noodles for dinner.
My personal experiences have made me responsible and frugal. The hard times have instilled in me a work ethic that is needed in our local government.
They’ve also enriched my relationship with God. Through Him, all things are possible.
It was because of Him that I met my husband Chet. We have been married for 6 years now.
No… I’m NOT a career politician. No, I haven’t worked in the courthouse for twenty plus years and I happen to consider that a good thing!
I’m not stifled by political interests, concerned with ruffling feathers, or satisfied with the status quo.
But what I am is someone who believes in honesty, accountability, and integrity. I believe in open meetings, open records, and open books.
And, I bring over eight years of experience and expertise. I’m passionate, innovative and I have a strong desire to serve; something that’s lacking in many who have been in office for too long.
My experience is rich in office management, office administration, information technology, and web design & maintenance.
I’ve worked for the Dean of Business at Texas A&M - Texarkana, Baylor College of Medicine’s Office of General Counsel in Houston, and I was the Executive and Legal assistant to the CEO and CFO of Bodybuilding.com.
Now, as our great nation moves forward in 2010, it’s become apparent that a movement is underway. There’s a thirst for new people, fresh ideas, and innovation. New ways of doing business are sorely needed in all levels of government to best serve We the People.
Bowie County is no different, and I know that I can deliver what is needed.
Now, I don’t know about you, but I firmly believe that it’s just a common courtesy to put county officials’ email addresses online. This is something that is not done today but I’ll change that!
In today’s information age, how can you represent your constituents efficiently without providing them with every means available to stay in contact with you?
With something as simple as an email address, you can inquire about anything you want, at anytime. It also provides you with a record of what you asked, who you asked, when you asked, and how long it took to get a response. And emails are a matter of public record. Talk about accountability!
I will also include a “Frequently Asked Questions” section. Again, this is a vital component of customer service that does not exist with the Bowie County Clerk’s office today.
There are many services that I will make available on line.
And let’s be real I know that many of you are busy enough working hard, earning a paycheck and taking care of the important things in your lives.
Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to conduct some business with the county offices when it is convenient to you? Be it 9:00 at night or 6:00 in the morning?
And honestly, with the cost of gas prices, wouldn’t it be more cost efficient to click a mouse rather than drive across the county?
Moving forward, I’ll also start a customer feedback program that goes directly to me, both in office and online
There’s that accountability thing again!
In building toward an era of transparency and full disclosure, I will start with posting the minutes from the Commissioners’ Court meetings online.
This is common practice in other County Clerk’s offices, but it is not being utilized here in Bowie County for you.
I’ll take it even further than that. I’ll archive the past Commissioners’ Court meeting minutes online for public viewing as well.
You shouldn’t have to put in a request to obtain information that already belongs to you!
Now, these are just a few of the changes that I intend to make as your County Clerk, but it goes much deeper.
But in the interest of time, I invite you to visit my website often, where I’ll be rolling out my plans for the office.
In closing, I’d like to leave you with this:
Once elected, not only will I transform the Clerk’s office into a portal of information, with transparency and accountability at its core, but I have a strong feeling that the rest of the courthouse will follow my lead.
Because, as they say, leaders go first! And, let’s face it; nobody likes to be out done.
I pledge to do my part, and you can do your part by voting for me, Natalie Nichols, for Bowie County Clerk.
Thank you!