Marcia Jowers is the owner and publisher of the Murphy Messenger. Marcia began her newspaper career in 1986, and has worked for several major newspaper groups in Tennessee, Alabama and Texas. She launched the Messenger in October, 2004 truly believing in the concept of a localized hometown newspaper. Publishing the Messenger has been her most rewarding career accomplishment. To contact Marcia: marcia@murphymessenger.com 
John Daugherty Files to Run for City Council Place 3 in May Election
John Daugherty is running for Place 3 on the Murphy City Council to represent all the citizens of Murphy. John states, “Given current financial pressures due to the housing market and the economy in general, the city must adapt in order to balance the economic needs of the community with our quality of life. I enjoyed my previous bid to join the City Council in November and I still have the desire to serve the residents. I think City Council is the best way to put my talents to use for the good of our community. I practice the principle of servant leadership and hope to serve the citizens after the May election.”
Candidate Daugherty is self-employed and has his own consulting company, Pentex Advisory Services, LLC which specializes in natural gas pipeline divestitures and acquisition due diligence. He is a former volunteer firefighter and EMT and has been selected to attend the upcoming Murphy Police Department’s Citizens Police Academy. He has been a member of the Richardson Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association since 1995, serving as President in 2002. Mr. Daugherty has also served as President of two other non-profit organizations. He currently serves as a Crime Watch block captain, attends the monthly Community Leadership Council meetings and is a member of the Murphy Chamber of Commerce.
John Daugherty asks for your support during early voting and on May 10th. “Help me make Murphy a city of which we can all be proud.”
Gerry Lington, Candidate for City Council – Place 3 
No stranger to Murphy’s economic development strategies, Lington has served on the 4-B Board since 2004, currently serving as President and would now like to serve on Council.
Lington attends many Council meetings, works easily with the current members and expects the same for any candidate elected to office. He stressed one key to success in any governing body is to focus on the issues not personalities.
Lington is happy to see the progress made by Planning and Zoning toward completion of a Comprehensive Plan. He also applauds the outstanding efforts made by Parks and Recreation, as they complete their Master Park Plan in the next few months.
Along with being a CPA and a Certified Financial Planner, Lington comes with a BBA in Finance and an MS in Accountancy. Lington says that fiscal responsibility will be a key priority for the City as it transitions from declining building permit fees to sales tax revenue.
The coordination of this effort will require vision and utilization of a capital planning / projects approach. He wants to see the city work closely with the developers to ensure that we are all proud of the results.
When asked what he would like voters to know about him, Candidate Lington said, “That I have a heart for the community and that my Christian ethic is to return something to the community. Regarding integrity, that’s the way I approach any job.”
Gerry Lington has been involved in Scouting for 9 years and currently serves as Committee Chair with Troop 1776. Both his sons, Jace and Ethan, are Eagle Scouts. To learn more, visit his website: www.Lington4Council.com