My grandpa used to always say, “Leave it better than you found it.” It’s a simple phrase, but a good rule to live by.
When I took office as Mayor of Blanco, I found a city facing some serious challenges — crumbling roads, unstable water, budget shortfalls and internal dysfunction. Some of these problems had been kicked down the road for years. Others were hiding in plain sight. One way or another, they landed on my desk.
So I rolled up my sleeves. One of the first things I discovered — something that still chills me — was that nearly anyone with outdated credentials, including former staff and council members, could have emptied the city’s entire bank account with just a few clicks. We closed that vulnerability immediately and locked down our systems.
