My name is Jerry D. Smith Jr. I am a resident of The Woodlands, TX, a husband, a father, a licensed psychologist, and a former federal law enforcement officer. I own a small psychology firm with offices in Magnolia and Huntsville.
I have announced my candidacy for The Woodlands Township Board of Directors, Position 1. This campaign is about the empowerment and unification of our community.
I have tried to articulate my platform in a simple, straight-forward manner. However, my belief is that leadership is not just about my ideas, but about all of our ideas. This is why I fully expect this platform to continue to fine-tune itself as community members provide more and more input on the future they want for The Woodlands. I believe a leader should be welcoming to as many ideas as possible and then make principled decisions based on the leader's experience, expertise, and conscience. Leaders should be able to make tough decisions based on the interests of their constituents and be held accountable by the people they represent.
Why am I running?
Our whole country is going through a time of reflection, catharsis, and change. I believe The Woodlands can be an example to the rest of the state, and indeed the country, of how people from different backgrounds and experiences can work together to uplift a whole community. We have the resources, the people, and the opportunity to make The Woodlands into the utopia we all know it can be. We are at a pivotal moment with issues such as incorporation, coronavirus, and a national discussion on racism and I want to help steer our course locally. My idea of leadership is based not on just pushing my own personal ideas but listening to the people and using my experience, expertise, and principles to enact the will of the people. This is what we need at this time.
Platform (What I want to accomplish):
Economic & Environmental Stewardship -
We will work with the Economic Development Partnership to build an economy that does not just return us to pre-COVID status but can withstand future long-term social disruptions. We will bring in new and novel ideas to deal with the flooding issue, improve our roadways, and encourage green energy locally. One such innovative idea can be found at solarroadways.com.
Community Unity -
Standing behind our motto of “Empowered Together,” we will continue to uphold and strengthen our tradition of cultural inclusion and respect. We will empower our community members to create new opportunities to come together and bond over our common goals and dreams. We will also revitalize the unique cultural aspects of each our villages.
Civic Responsibility -
We want to decide the Incorporation issue and remove the sense of stagnation and paralysis over our community that comes with not knowing where we are headed. We plan to build a robust mental health system that integrates intelligently with law enforcement, medical facilities, and local community resources to address the outrageous suicide rate in our local area. This is an area we need to do better. Innovative ideas such as a "Virtual Crisis Care" program being tested elsewhere in our country will help us address this issue. Finally, we will bring true transparency in local decision making.
Principles (How I make decisions):
Leaders must listen to their constituents as alone we do not have all the answers. It is our responsibility to welcome all ideas and provide due consideration. Leaders must also be able to make the tough call and these decisions should be made from a place of strong principle. Every decision I make will be guided by the following principles:
1) How I treat individuals: “The Golden Rule” – Treat others like you want to be treated.
2) How I treat my community: I am my brother’s keeper.
3) How I perceive the world: Human beings are innately driven to be better and are limited only by the options they are able to see in front of them.
4) Government should provide the most benefit for the least cost. Period.
