Our District 24 Issues
Power Reliability
State Government is the only entity that can keep the lights on in our homes....at all times....period. I will drive the House to solve the State's inability to rise and meet that responsibility. I will sponsor legislation that creates ONE State agency / organization that has regulatory authority over both the natural gas supply and power generation in Texas so that we never experience a winter storm type power failure again and loose innocent lives. And, we will never have to hear again that it wasn't my fault at the State level. It was their fault in February 2021 and will continue to be until the State owns the responsibility for all aspects of power generation including the natural gas supply, power generation, the grid, and the transmission system. I solve problems and this is a problem that I will solve when elected.
Flood Control
District 24 can no longer wait for large scale flood control infrastructure to be approved and built. We need help with funding local efforts with cleaning and expanding our storm sewer networks now. No more driving through 1-2 feet of water. I will compel the House to fund and expand these city and county cost effective efforts by finding efficiencies in the State budget. And if that is not enough, I will advocate for the creation of additional oil and gas severance revenues and other types of State fees / revenues without increasing property or sales taxes. I say again, no increasing property or sales taxes. The additional funding will be given directly to our cities and the County so that they can expand their basic "blocking and tackling" work on our storm sewers. Our cities and the County know how to move that water to the Gulf. They just need help with the money. I will fight to get that money out of Austin and to them because I am tired of using my car as a boat too.
Education
A well funded public education system is the cornerstone of our community and necessary to create responsible citizens. I have teaching experience at the college level and I know how hard it is to be successful in the classroom. We need great teachers now more than ever to prepare our students for this complex and ever changing world. I will drive the House to overhaul the funding mechanisms that limit Districts from using local dollars to solve local problems including teacher compensation and benefits. I will also advocate for more local control for how a school system is run and what is taught. Schools should be run in a non partisan collaborative manner by local communities - not Austin and not Washington. Let's return control of the schools back to us, the people of District 24.
Roads, Bridges, Infrastructure
The majority of our District has an average commute time of 30 minutes because our roads are not keeping pace with our population increases. This will only get worse when the Grand Parkway is constructed, more people move here, and new businesses are created. Development can be good for all of us. But, development without infrastructure expansion is bad for all of us. And, it has been bad for so long that we are tempted to think that 30 minutes in traffic must be okay. It is not. I will lead the House to identify and release more of the motor gas and franchisee tax revenue to District 24. This funding will be used by our cities and the County to help solve our road and traffic problems. Our cities and the County know best how to solve them, they just lack the funding. Our property taxes should not have to be raised to fix this. I want businesses to make profits but we should not have to suffer in traffic because of it.
Economic Development
The Grand Parkway is coming to our District sooner than we may expect. We have a once in a generation opportunity to shape how this future highway will forever transform the District as the Beltway and the Loop did to other communities. Once built, our remaining open spaces will go quickly to development. So, do we want the Grand Parkway to create jobs, opportunity, prosperity, parks, and open spaces? Or, will we allow it to just create warehouses, traffic, and pollution as we watch the world whiz by at 65 mph. You need a representative that can visualize and shape this future opportunity by sponsoring a 20 year plan, developed by our communities and supported by Austin, that attracts the right type of development for our future. The type of development that we want that will enrich our lives and provide for our children. I want to lead that planning effort with our cities and local businesses and the time is now. Otherwise, a whole bunch of people outside the district will get rich quick and leave us with a 4 lane highway that just rolls on by.
Budgets and Taxes
I strongly believe in a balanced budget and am fiscally conservative. All of my proposals requiring funding to solve problems (flood control, roads, education etc.) will be matched either with an equal efficiency (cheaper way to do something) or an increase in a State fee / revenue so that the budget balances. I will never advocate for an increase in Property Taxes or the Sales Taxes and will look to decrease whenever and however possible. We the people spend enough on that. However, there are other State taxes and fees that have been unchanged for decades even as our State needs have grown. Sources of Revenue (pictured here) issued by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts is a wealth of information for anyone interested in where the funding for the State comes from. My tax reform ideas, which I will release on this platform during the campaign in the upcoming months, will be based on the data in this publication. Download a copy and stay tuned.
Border Security
I am one of the few candidates for the Texas House of Representatives that has actually served on a border. My time on the Afghanistan - Pakistan border (pictured here) under hostile conditions taught me a lot. Border security is much more complex to solve than simply building a wall. Borders work much better when people on both sides of that border work together for the good of both nations. I strongly believe that Texas can not go this alone. We have to partner with the Federal Government and compel them to help us solve this problem by applying Federal diplomatic and economic incentives / pressure in addition to military / police type actions to Mexico and Central American nations to help stop the flow at the source. As your representative, I will advocate to my fellow legislators that we must partner with, not against, the Federal Government in seeking a long term solution that benefits Texans without consuming all of our precious State resources in the process.
Shortage of Inspirational Leadership in Austin
How many people do you know have a flag pole dedicated to them? Now you know at least one. After 30 years of service, the ExxonMobil Baytown Complex mechanical employees took the time and effort with this dedication to thank me for my "extraordinary contribution as an inspirational leader" when I retired. Those are their words....not mine. I have spent a lifetime of serving and leading in both corporations and the U.S. Army. I understand that you must listen to your organization first and learn their needs before you can be effective at leading them. Then, take action and give frequent communication about why things are going well or not. Because I understand that leadership is all about understanding the needs of the people first, I have been successful at leadership my whole life. Unfortunately, many Austin legislators no longer listen to their constituents and don't address the local needs. I am here to address that issue personally when you elect me.
How do you know I can do this job?
I swore an oath to protect and defend this nation and I am ready to take a new oath to represent the citizens of District 24 in Austin. I have a wealth of experience that I have shared with you in this website. I am ready to go to work for you. I listen, analyze, problem solve, organize, create, communicate, take action and then use the results to create new and better solutions while continuously improving. I know that I can do this job because I have spent my entire life preparing for this moment of service. Elect Michael Creedon for Texas House of Representatives District 24 on November 8, 2022 and then watch me work for you.