Haltom United Business Alliance Sends Questionnaire to Candidates for Haltom City Council and for Mayor

    HALTOM CITY, TX, April 06, 2021 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Haltom United Business Alliance (HUBA) is a group of Haltom City business owners who would like to see more growth, more opportunity and a more welcoming attitude toward existing and new small businesses in Haltom City, TX.

"A lot of voters are interested in the races for City Council that will be decided on the first of May," said HUBA Executive Director Drew Weakley, owner of All Star Pawn in Haltom City.

Because HUBA believes that democracy works best when voters have information about the positions of the candidates, Weakley says, the organization has sent an issues questionnaire to all candidates in the mayor's race and in the races for seats on Haltom City Council.

"We look forward to sharing the answers that we receive with our members and with the public via HUBA's Facebook page before early voting starts on April 19," said Weakley.

"We have no council members who understand business. They're all good folks, but they've never made a payroll, applied for a certificate of occupancy, filed for a plat or a permit, so they really don't understand how intimidating and unfriendly that process can be," said HUBA member and Haltom City-based real estate developer Ron Sturgeon.

Sturgeon, who started his first business in Haltom City nearly 50 years ago and raised his family while living in a Haltom City mobile home park, continued, "City councils, both past and present, have not been tuned in to the business community's ideas to bring more small businesses to the city. In fact, over the years, they've passed many ordinances that have decimated auto-related businesses and made it hard for many other kinds of small businesses to open in Haltom City."

HUBA does not endorse candidates, according to Weakley. "We're not telling anyone who to vote for. We just want to give Haltom City's businesspeople and other voters as complete a picture as possible of where candidates stand," added Weakley.

HUBA would like to see more businesses come to Haltom City to strengthen the tax base so that the city can pay its first responders competitive wages and have the resources to meet its many other objectives, according to Weakley.

Follow HUBA on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Haltom-United-Business-Alliance-HUBA. To be added to HUBA's email list or to share your ideas for making Haltom City more business friendly, contact Drew Weakley at [email protected] or (682) 310-0591.

About Haltom United Business Alliance
Haltom United Business Alliance (HUBA) wants to give members of Haltom City's business community an advocate and to keep those businesses informed about issues that affect them. They want to make sure Haltom City is business friendly and nurture small business growth, including automotive businesses, and bring more restaurants including breweries and a major grocery store to the city. New businesses and growth in existing businesses will create a stronger tax base which will allow the city to pay its first responders wages that are competitive with surrounding cities while improving Haltom City's facilities and infrastructure. Anyone who owns a business in Haltom City is eligible to join. Dues are $20 annually or $50 for a lifetime membership, and membership is 100% confidential. To join, contact Drew Weakley at (682) 310-0591 or by email at [email protected]. Visit the group's Facebook at Haltom United Business Alliance.

About Haltom City
Haltom City is a medium-sized city between Dallas and Fort Worth in Tarrant County, TX. The city is diverse and majority working class, with a growing population that is approximately 10% Asian-American and 45% Hispanic. Haltom City benefits from being only minutes from both DFW Airport and Downtown Fort Worth, with direct access to major highways including I-820 and SH-121. Small businesses that have historically provided products, services, and jobs to residents included a once thriving automotive industry. The city has seen a decline in small businesses, especially automotive businesses. The city is healthy financially, with median household income growing around 8% in the past year. Haltom City has opportunity for continued growth through undeveloped land and many vacant buildings, especially in major corridors close to the city's center. The city has good staff and a city manager who is interested in seeing more businesses, but they can only do as directed by the Haltom City Council.

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