Try, Try, Try Again

October 10, 2024

Brian Phillips

For over a decade, Brian Phillips has helped policymakers and political candidates develop effective messages and communication strategies. Phillips is a veteran of presidential, congressional, and gubernatorial campaigns, and has extensive experience working in the United States Congress and public policy think tanks. Previously, he served in a senior communications role as the Director of Rapid Response for Senator Ted Cruz’s presidential campaign. Prior to joining Cruz, Phillips worked as Communications Director for U.S. Senator Mike Lee of Utah, who has played a role in nearly every major policy debate since joining the Senate in 2011, including Obamacare repeal, fighting Obama’s unconstitutional executive orders, protecting Americans’ Second Amendment rights, as well as promoting numerous innovative policy reforms. Before going on to hold several senior positions in House, Senate and gubernatorial campaigns, Phillips worked for the highly-respected conservative Heritage Foundation as a Media Adviser promoting conservative policy reforms.

If at first you don’t succeed in convincing taxpayers to fund one of the most expensive football stadiums in the state, try, try, try again.

Next month, Willis ISD will make its third attempt to get clearance from voters to borrow $68 million for the new facility, apparently unable to take no for an answer.

It’s not like the taxpayers in Willis haven’t been generous. They recently approved a $218 million bond in May to improve the high school and build a transportation center and passed a $148 million bond in 2022.

“Between inflation, out-of-control property taxes, and the Biden economy, Texans are tired of rising costs that government imposes,” says TPPF’s James Quintero. “Bonds are tax increases, period. And taxpayers are saying these massive, grossly expensive stadiums are a step too far.”

While district officials hope the repeated attempts will finally wear taxpayers down, one lawmaker says he will file legislation to put a stop to it.

“I’m already working on a bill that protects voters from this by having a 2 year cool down period on props that fail,” posts Rep. Ben Bumgardner. “I’m also going to be writing a bill that doesn’t allow new debt on stadiums/extra-curricular [to] be drafted after the federal government raises interest rates.”

For exhausted taxpayers, help could be on the way.

This commentary is published on Thursdays as part of TPPF’s subscriber-only newsletter The Post. If you would like to subscribe to The Post, click here.

Brian Phillips

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