Wylie’s city leaders and dedicated residents attended a groundbreaking ceremony for the Woodbridge Crossing retail center Wednesday, April 30.

The 575,000 square foot Target-anchored center will dominate the landscape of FM544 just east of McCreary Road. 


The more than 300 people in attendance seemed to agree that this is a very welcome addition to the City of Wylie.

Texas State Representative Jodie Laubenberg said she excited about this economic growth opportunity.

 “Wylie has become the center point of shopping far beyond Wylie’s city limits,” Laubenberg said. “While the rest of the country is suffering economic decline, Collin County is still moving ahead.”

 Don Bouvier, Senior Vice President of Development at Direct Development, said the company is proud to have partnered with the City of Wylie and its leadership.

 “We still have a lot to give to this community,” Bouvier said.

Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman attended the event to represent Direct Development and show support for the new retail center.

 “I’ve been a part of some pretty great teams,” Aikman said, “and the common thread is having people who are unselfish and have a common objective.”

 Aikman said the City of Wylie has a special place in his heart because his wife was born there.

 “She didn’t stay very long,” Aikman joked, “but had there been a SuperTarget she probably would have stayed a lot longer.”

 John Mondy, Mayor of Wylie, said he is excited because this new retail complex will bring 1000 new jobs and over $600,000 in sales tax revenue to the City of Wylie.

“This will have a huge impact on all of us,” he said.

 Mondy also thanked the cities of Sachse and Murphy for their collaboration and cooperation during the development process.

 Construction on Woodbridge Crossing retail center will begin in the very near future and will be completed in summer 2009.

By Sarah Toth

April 25, 2008, was Fire Chief Kelley Stalder’s last day at the Murphy Fire Rescue Department.

After a fifteen year stint with the city of Murphy, Stalder has decided to focus more on emergency management.

For the time being, he will be working for his wife’s company, REO Rescue & Safety, Inc. Part of the reason for his resignation is to free up needed funds for the department and the city.

The former telecommunications engineer fell in love with firefighting when he started working as a volunteer firefighter for Murphy in 1993. As Stalder progressed, he became chief of the volunteer department in 1995, began working part time in 2002, and was promoted to fire chief in 2004.

“I’ve enjoyed the opportunities at the Murphy Fire Rescue Department. It’s been a great education for me, and I appreciate everything that the city and the citizens have done for me,” Stalder said.

In turn, he has done quite a bit for Murphy, and Stalder is happy with what he has accomplished, especially bringing the department from all volunteer to full-time career staff.

Assistant Fire Chief Mark Lee will most likely be appointed fire chief. Stalder confidently stated, “Chief Lee will do an excellent job. He’s a great, experienced leader who is well established in the department. We both have a real passion for what we do. It’s not just a job.”

The City of Murphy will conduct a General Election on May 10, 2008 for the purpose of electing a Mayor, Councilmember Place 3, and Councilmember Place 5 to a three-year term of office.

The Plano Independent School District and the Wylie Independent School District will also conduct elections on May 10th.
 
All eligible voters may vote during the Early Voting period, April 28 through May 6 with the exception of Sunday, May 4th in which no voting will be conducted.

Early voting is offered for the convenience of voters. Election workers encourage early voting to avoid long lines on Election Day. The early voting schedule allows for some flexibility with voting on various dates and times as listed below.

• Early voting for the City of Murphy City Council Election and PISD Trustee and Bond Election will take place at the Murphy Municipal Complex, 206 N. Murphy Road, Murphy, Texas 75094.

• Early voting for WISD (only) will take place at the Wylie Municipal Complex, 2000 N. Hwy. 78, Wylie, Texas 75098.

• All early voters may also vote at the Collin County Elections Office, 2010 Redbud Blvd., Suite 102, McKinney, Texas 75069.

Early Voting Dates and Times
April 28 – April 30 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
May 1   8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
May 2 – May 3 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
May 5 – May 6 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

It has not been the practice of the Murphy Messenger to endorse any political candidate running for Murphy City Council. In this election, however, the Messenger wholeheartedly endorses the incumbent Mayor, Bret Baldwin.

The decision to endorse at this time is incited by former city manager Craig Sherwood’s candidacy for Mayor of Murphy.

Based on the unpleasant relationship the Messenger and its publisher had with Mr. Sherwood while he was city manager, it is this newspaper’s opinion that nothing has or will change in regard to Mr. Sherwood’s actions, demeanor, work ethic and lack of openness in regard to city business if he is elected Mayor.

Running for Mayor to work with a council he could not work with as City Manager—a council he voluntarily resigned from serving—begs the question, “Why?” After accepting over $311,000 to “go away” as City Manager, why “come back” as Mayor?

Voters should keep in mind that while Mr. Sherwood was City Manager, he ordered employees not to talk with media, specifically the Messenger, and basically shut down the flow of communication to the citizens of Murphy.  This “gag order” was removed by interim City Manager Jim Berzina and supported by Mayor Baldwin, to the benefit of the community.

There has been continued and improved communication since Mr. Sherwood’s resignation, via press releases, staff interviews and notification of meetings and events by various departments including the Fire and Police Departments. The Messenger applauds the City staff and the current elected representatives for its commitment to more open communication.

In a recent interview with Mr. Sherwood, he stated he still feels that the flow of information to media and residents “should be closely controlled to ensure accuracy.” Mr. Sherwood could not cite any situations since he resigned as City Manager where the new policy of open communication has caused any “wrong” information to be given out and subsequently printed in the Messenger. It is this newspaper’s contention that Mr. Sherwood, if elected Mayor, would adopt his controlled/no communication policy again.  

Personal experience and a common thread on the Messenger’s forums have made it clear Mr. Sherwood, as City Manager, did not respond to emails or telephone calls in a timely manner or at all. As Mayor, it is doubtful his behavior would be any different. In a recent interview with Mr. Sherwood, he stated, in response to the question if he was elected Mayor would he be any more attentive to inbound calls and emails, he replied, “The City should adopt a policy for response time. People need to get over their fast-food expectations and have a little patience.” Some of us are still waiting for a response that even the slowest restaurant would have served by now.

It is doubtful an informative series written on City Government for Messenger readers would be at the top of Mr. Sherwood’s To-Do list as it has been for Mayor Baldwin.  

It is doubtful a meaningful policy for communication between City and Citizens would be at the top of Mr. Sherwood’s To-Do list as it has been for Mayor Baldwin.

It is doubtful the current council would embrace Mr. Sherwood as Mayor as it has Mayor Baldwin, after Mr. Sherwood has cost the city unnecessary litigation fees for court cases gone sour, a hefty buy-out contract and a multitude of unknown expenses surprising council of late.

If citizens want a city government with open communication and accessibility to their elected officials, then there is one clear choice for Mayor. Mayor Bret Baldwin.

Marcia Jowers
Publisher