Lubbock Mayor Looks Forward to 2009
By: Import User
Updated: January 5, 2009
Lubbock Mayor, Tom Martin, reflects on 2008's ups and downs and looks forward to the New Year.
"It's a lot of work, don't kid yourself. It's about 100 hour a week job." A job that has kept Mayor Tom Martin busy since May of 2008. With City Hall turned upside-down this year over FBI raids, feuds with the Texas Tech Hockey Club, and allegations of retaliatory tactics, Martin says things are finally back under control. "I think we have the city government back on the track that it needs to be." Even during those busy times, Martin is proud to brag about the work on street projects throughout the city and the continuation of water line replacements. Now with the New Year, he looks to begin construction on the Lake Alan Henry pipeline and a new water treatment plant. All the while, he'll be keeping a close watch on whether the national financial crisis is trickling down to the Hub. "Fortunately, when we were budgeting this year, we were very conservative. We budgeted at about $3.60 a gallon for fuel and we're paying right at or a little over a dollar a gallon right now." Now in the more immediate plans, this Thursday the Council is set to talk about an possible bond election for May or November. If approve by voters, the bonds could fund projects like upgrading the city's library system, park system, and re-building the major highways in this area.
Now, if you're wondering about what's in store beyond 2009, we can tell you one thing for sure. Mayor Martin says he has every intention of running for re-election in 2010.
