FORNEY, Texas โ Forney Mayor Amanda Lewis announced she will not seek another term on Wednesday.
FORNEY, Texas โ Forney Mayor Amanda Lewis announced she will not seek another term on Wednesday.
โI want to thank you for allowing me to serve as Forneyโs Mayor since May 2021. This has been a tedious but rewarding adventure, and I am very thankful for the opportunity,โ Lewis said in a statement.
โHowever, I will not be running for another term. I need to focus on my calling to serve local nonprofit organizations, especially my new role as Executive Director of Genesis Center North Texas,โ Lewis said.
Lewis was first elected to the helm of the Forney City Council in May 2021.
โAs you may remember, Sarah Salgado (Place 4), Jason Roberson (Place 6) and I ran as a team in 2021 because of our mutual desire to reestablish residentsโ trust in City leadership, with no special interest influence and a common commitment to five key changes (all of which were successfully accomplished),โ Lewi said. โThis commitment and enthusiasm garnered the unprecedented endorsement of both the Forney Fire and Police Departments, and we have worked hard to honor that responsibility.โ
โI believe it is worthwhile to reflect on the five primary issues on which Jason Roberson, Sarah Salgado and I ran in 2021, all of which were accomplished:
1) Accountability - We pushed for and passed a forensic audit of the processes and policies for fiscal years 2018 - 2021. This was the first ever forensic audit of the City of Forney. We had two primary areas of focus: (i) contracts / purchases over $50,000, particularly relating to the prior City Managerโs competitive bidding process; and (ii) expenditures related to the Coronavirus Relief Fund. Safeguard measures have since been put in place, such as the hiring of a purchasing agent and major improvements to important processes and policies. The audit also resulted in the cancellation of the costly entertainment contract. I strongly recommend performing a forensic audit on a regular basis going forward.
2) Support for First Responders - Forneyโs Fire and Police Departments were in desperate need of budgetary and city management support. We approved pay scale changes for both Fire and Police, and additions to staff; and budgeted funding for a new fire engine, the addition of a temporary fire station (#1) on the south side of the railroad tracks, and allocations to renovate and improve Fire Station #2, to name a few.
3) Infrastructure - With the unprecedented growth and approval of over 4,400 residential units in five years alone, we asked for a comprehensive review of the roads burdened by this growth. After a full review of the roads, the City produced a list of needed road improvements. Council then recommended five major road improvements which voters approved last November (see link below). The city now has the ability to make these improvements. At Councilโs request, the Engineering Department has twice produced comprehensive updates to the residents, along with expected timetables.
4) Relationships - Re-establishing long neglected relationships with other officials in Kaufman County and with Forney ISD was vitally important to me, personally. The city now has a highly effective relationship with Forney ISD, dramatically improving efficiency and cooperation for all parties. The City and Forney ISD are now working jointly and cooperatively, most recently on a road improvement project for Ranch Road. We have also engaged in mutually beneficial โland swapโ agreements, significantly benefitting our parks.
5) Comprehensive Plan - The Comprehensive Plan previously approved by Council in 2016, along with the Thoroughfare Plan from 2019, were long overdue for an update. At Councilโs direction, the City of Forney hired expert planners (Halff Associates) who developed, over the last year and a half, a thorough and supportable comprehensive plan. The plan includes identifiable future land use and diversified business developments that will provide a solid direction for Forneyโs future growth. The final product is expected in March 2023.
Lewis says since Jason Roberson has been an integral part of all that has been accomplished since she took office, she has endorsed Roberson for the upcoming election.
โ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐ง๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ฌ๐จ๐ง ๐๐จ๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐จ๐ง, ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐จ๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐จ๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐๐ฒ๐จ๐ซ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐. He is highly intelligent, well spoken, and has already proven himself to be a great asset to our city. Councilman Roberson has a sense for the truth underlying the issues, and a strong dedication to the greater good of our residents. Forney will continue to grow stronger with his leadership and the continuation of a mindset of teamwork and cooperation,โ Lewis said.
โI am confident that he will do an excellent job and will work hard to continue the work that we began in May 2021. Please support him with your vote!โ Lewis says.
