I am Michael Smith, a 42 year old local businessman that has resided in the city of Orange for over 10 years. Making Orange my home was a choice, and something I am proud of. It’s not important how long you’ve been in a particular place, but what you’ve done while in that place. My wife Anna has resided in Orange for 41 years. Anna and I own 2 local businesses, Asher Luis and Water Tree Orange. I am asking for your vote and your support to represent you as the Orange City Council member for seat #3. I have 4 talented sons, Ahmad (now working on his masters at Henderson State University), Rylan (sophomore in college at Texas State University), Cameron (sophomore in high school), and Julian (sophomore in high school). I attend Community Church Orange, and participate in various city outreaches, mission work, and volunteer activities. I was a volunteer football and basketball coach for Community Christian School. I also coached little dribblers for 3 years. Not only do I have a heart for young people, but for the elderly as well. I implemented a program at Sholar’s Pharmacy to go into the local assisted living facilities to educate the seniors on their medication. I also implemented a program that provided free medication to low income families. I graduated from Stephen F. Austin and served in the Army National Guard From 1991-1997. I earned General Motors Mark of Excellence 9 consecutive years and during this time, I was able to create jobs and help my employees reach their full potential. In early 2016 I was appointed to the Planning and Zoning Commission for the City of Orange.

As your City Council Representative, I want to focus on business development and creating jobs in our city. This played a big part in opening mine and Anna’s second business in Orange, because it is important that we practice what we stand for. As city leaders, we must reach out to private sector firms, investors, and industries who are willing to come to Orange, and even offer them creative incentives to come to our city. It’s important that we show potential businesses that we not only have a welcoming environment for them, but also that we are willing to support them. Everyone agrees that we need to create jobs, but it’s time that we go beyond saying, and start achieving. I’m the one who can get this done. One way to start is by holding seminars to teach people how search and apply for a job. This could include showing people how to build a resume, how to prepare for an interview, and how to network. Also, we need to try to hold job fairs in the city. This will help our citizens get on-the-spot interviews, meet company representatives that they would not normally meet, and give them a better opportunity to get a job. As city leaders, we have to get involved to make sure that we can get as many industries to attend as possible.

I also strongly believe that we should support and empower our law enforcement. They are an important component in our city and we must make sure that they are equipped with the necessary and proper equipment. Something I believe we need are more neighborhood watch programs. This is a great way for citizens to partner with law enforcement officers to help make our community better. Law enforcement officers could have classes to show the right and wrong ways to run an effective neighborhood watch program. I believe that law enforcement officers should be visible in the community, and even stopping to talk to citizens could help promote unity in our city.

To help promote the success of our youth, we need to set up after school programs including mentoring and leadership programs, which are key to the success of our future leaders. To help facilitate this, I believe that we should prioritize the building of a City of Orange Recreation Center. This would also help our kids spend time after school in a fun and safe environment. The more they are involved in, the less time there is for perilous and risky activities. Let’s come together and take the City of Orange to the next level. Vote Michael Smith for Orange City Council District #3.