Signs

Video taken by Lotus LG and seamlessly loaded to mac via blue tooth and uploaded in .3g2 format to youtube. The youtube interface deletes the audio, the audio works just fine in the facebook interface.

"Next Turn in Liberty Dont Internalize! But Rather Mobilize, Energize, and Harmonize!"

08/28/09 Texans for Accountable Government Event in Austin, Texas. Speaking immediately before Debra Medina who is running for Texas Governor in GOP and cutting my speech "Next Turn in Liberty Dont Internalize! But Rather Mobilize, Energize, and Harmonize!" as i go because Jimmie Vaughan is coming up. What an awesome end to a very busy week. I have NOT decided who I am supporting for Texas Governor as of yet.

Photo with Penny Langford Freeman, campaign strategist to Ron Paul and one brilliant, humble and inspiring Texas Liberty Activist.

City decides against tax abatements for outlet mall projects

San Marcos Daily Record, Tuesday March 23, 1993 - My letter defeated the abatements

Same song, second verse: San Marcos City Council and tax abatements - La Prensa Feb 5, 1993

Click on images above to view article.
This is a letter to the editor I wrote as a student attending Southwest Texas State University SWTSU. Topic: Outlet mall abatement. It appears that not much has changed since the early nineties. For my advocacy in 2009 please visit this link to my bookmarks.

Old School Student Activism - SMDR Coverage of elections from 1990's

Click on images below to read article. The paper was just 35 Cents!!

Abatement Policy Needs Some Changes - January 31, 1993

Click on image above to view article.
My advocacy as a Southwest Texas State University student activist.
Re: the Outlet Mall, abatement handouts, not much has changed since the early nineties. The entire article also appears in the La Prensa article and is fully scanned in here.

Sign Gate - The Uncut Story

This is the placeholder for my future blog entry "Sign Gate: The Uncut Story" which discusses the enumeration of specifics, justification for making this public and follow up documentation. The extended response I post at my websites will be the one and only time we will discuss this matter via public forum, electronic or otherwise.

All Daniel did was call to advise that we had NOT removed any of the opponent's signs. Rather, property owners and the city had removed the opponent's signs. What follows and discussed in my blog post should be known by our community. And, the myspace page discussion will be relevant, a page which was deleted 24 hours after our press release went out.

Here is an article for now at Newstreamz.com

Expensive Tagging of Town - Large & Small Yard Signs Going Out

Expensive Tagging of Town - Large & Small Yard Signs Going Out

First week of filing - Newstreamz.com updates

Lisa Marie Coppoletta, left, and Shaune Maycock, right, have each filed to run for the San Marcos City Council seat being vacated by Pam Couch. Staff photo.

"Maycock runs, Perkins still deciding"
By ANDY SEVILLA Associate Editor

"Maycock’s opponent, Coppoletta, also ran for city council in 2008, but missed the mark by 10 percent to incumbent Chris Jones. Coppoletta has since been very involved in community activism.

“I am pleased that another of our citizens has decided to be of service to our community,” Coppoletta said."

Thomaides, Coppoletta file for council race - Newstreamz

Thomaides, Coppoletta file for council race

Posted on August 4, 2009 at 12:40 am Newstreamz.com

Councilmember Pam Couch, left, said she will not run for re-election this year, while Councilmember John Thomaides, right, filed for re-election Monday, the first day of filing. Photo by Andy Sevilla.

By ANDY SEVILLA
Associate Editor

Election season is gearing up in San Marcos, where two candidates threw their hats in the ring for city council positions Monday, while an incumbent stepped away.

As expected, Place 6 council incumbent John Thomaides filed Monday, the first day of filings for city offices. Thomaides will seek his third term on the council. As yet, no opponent has emerged.

Lisa Marie Coppoletta, defeated in a council race by Chris Jones in 2008, announced in the spring that she would run for the Place 5 city council seat presently held by Pam Couch. Coppoletta did, indeed, file Monday. But Couch did not.

Couch said she will not run for office in 2009. Thus, two open city council seats are, to this point, uncontested. But prospective candidates have until Sept. 2 to change that.

“This has been a hard decision to make because it has been an honor and privilege to serve on the city council for three years,” Couch said Monday.

Couch, who won the seat without an opponent in 2006, did not give a reason for declining to seek re-election. Coppoletta moved quickly to be sure Couch would have an opponent this year, announcing her run for council in late January.

After campaigning without a treasurer and signing a state ethics agreement to neither raise nor spend $500 in the 2008 election, Coppoletta has taken a different approach in 2009, hiring Griffin Spell as her treasurer and saying in January that she planned several fundraisers.

“My work production as a candidate has been consistent: gather the data, make sense of the root cause and effects of the problem and offer workable solutions,” Coppoletta said. ” I will continue to campaign on the issues of protection of natural resources, neighborhood integrity, veterans initiatives, affordable housing, green collar jobs, transition to no kill shelter, programs for at-risk-youth and online availability of data for citizens via the city website.”

Thomaides said he has enjoyed his years on the council, despite quite often being on the minority end of split votes opposite Mayor Susan Narvaiz. He added that there’s much work to be done.

“I have the passion, the desire, and the commitment to serve the people of San Marcos,” Thomaides said. “That’s the driving force behind my decision.”

Thomaides said he will push to work with regional partners on freight relocation and commuter rail, build on the city’s success with the state and federal levels of government, work for bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, protect the San Marcos River, help attract business, revitalize downtown, and learn from the council’s shortcomings.

“It’s wonderful to look back and see some of the successes while on council,” Thomaides said, “to really make great improvements and really make a difference in the long-run.”

While Thomaides has wrestled with the mayor about water conservation and economic development policies from the dais, Coppoletta has made herself visible protesting policies considered by the city council, ranging from mandatory microchipping of pet dogs and cats, to a proposed subsidy for a Springtown Center re-development, to asking for an ethics policy much like that recently enacted by Hays County.

“(I) recently spoke in opposition to Springtown abatements and submitted models of green industry in which a small business paradigm is fostered,” Coppoletta said. “I discussed this philosophy in a variety of forums, and after all, this makes sound economic dollars and sense to allow the downtown dollar to circulate via small businesses, thereby enhancing perceptions of tourists travelling the IH-35 corridor.”

Thomaides said his campaign is fundraising and will officially kick-off with fundraiser on Sept. 14 at the Root Cellar by the Courthouse Square. Thomaides said he wants to make the square “into a first class downtown and core of the city.”

Said Thomaides, “I will accomplish things on council. I will accomplish things (San Marcos residents) want to occur. And I have the experience to get them done.”

Coppoletta’s campaign is mobilizing through new and innovative social measures, much like those used by President Barak Obama during his 2008 presidential bid. Coppoletta said she is a host of two radio talk shows on the Internet.

“Throughout 2009, I have focused the campaign’s energy via online communication, Myspace, Twitter, Blogging, Website, Youtube, Skype, Facebook, Blogtalk Radio, Meebo, LinkedIn,” Coppoletta said. “More importantly, our campaign has been walking door to door and has over 2,000 leaflets out and posted online via Google map of speaking directly with residents.”

"The pen is mightier than the sword"

Council filing to begin - San Marcos Daily Record

"Council member Pam Couch issued a statement Friday saying she would not seek another term for her Place 5 post."

San Marcos Daily Record reports on August 1, 2009.

Quote Corner Newstreamz - Sunday August 02, 2009

QUOTE CORNER

“I am perplexed why you would ask for a public hearing when we’ve already told you what we think.”

San Marcos City Council candidate Lisa Marie Coppoletta, wondering why the city’s animal services advisory board would make a new pet microchipping proposal.

- Read More >>