Southlake Times > News
Hill seeks return to council
By Chris Roark, croark@starlocalnews.com
Laura Hill has spent the last two years away from the Southlake City Council, but not because she wanted to. She had to.
Term limits capped her consecutive years of service in 2011, but per the city charter, she can now serve again.
Hill filed to run for Place 5 on the council, a seat that will be vacated by Jeff Wang -- he announced earlier this month he will not seek re-election.
She has spent the last two years focusing on Students and Parents Against Risks to Kids (SPARK), an organization she began that deals with issues children face growing up.
She also co-founded the Scholars and Athletes Serving Others (SASO) program, which gives mothers and their sons the opportunity to do meaningful community service together.
Hill has also recently served as chairwoman of the Recovery Resource Council of Tarrant County, which aims to reduce drug and alcohol abuse and its stigma by providing guidance, education and services to children, adults and families.
“I’ve been very passionate about children’s causes, especially drugs and alcohol,” Hill said. “I’ve spent the last two years giving my time and resources to those organizations, but at the end of the day, I miss serving on the council. I enjoy representing Southlake as a city of excellence.”
Hill said, if elected, she would like to bring her passion for those organizations to the council.
“Having a public forum by being an elected official, it will be very helpful in keeping children’s issues at the forefront,” said Hill, who is also involved in Mayor John Terrell’s recently created safety task force.
Another priority would be maintaining the city’s economic strength, Hill said.
“We’ve been blessed with excellent financial management,” Hill said. “But I think we have to constantly look for new and innovative ways to do things and maintain our quality of life. The homestead exemption we were able to offer is a perfect example of that. It’s important that we keep positioning ourselves for the future because times are still uncertain.”
Hill said remaining a business-friendly community is also important.
“We need the tax base to offer benefits to our city,” Hill said.
Hill has received the Carroll ISD Shankman Award for service to children, she was the Southlake Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year in 2007 and she received the Metroport Meals on Wheels L.I.N.K. Award in 2012.
Term limits capped her consecutive years of service in 2011, but per the city charter, she can now serve again.
Hill filed to run for Place 5 on the council, a seat that will be vacated by Jeff Wang -- he announced earlier this month he will not seek re-election.
She has spent the last two years focusing on Students and Parents Against Risks to Kids (SPARK), an organization she began that deals with issues children face growing up.
She also co-founded the Scholars and Athletes Serving Others (SASO) program, which gives mothers and their sons the opportunity to do meaningful community service together.
Hill has also recently served as chairwoman of the Recovery Resource Council of Tarrant County, which aims to reduce drug and alcohol abuse and its stigma by providing guidance, education and services to children, adults and families.
“I’ve been very passionate about children’s causes, especially drugs and alcohol,” Hill said. “I’ve spent the last two years giving my time and resources to those organizations, but at the end of the day, I miss serving on the council. I enjoy representing Southlake as a city of excellence.”
Hill said, if elected, she would like to bring her passion for those organizations to the council.
“Having a public forum by being an elected official, it will be very helpful in keeping children’s issues at the forefront,” said Hill, who is also involved in Mayor John Terrell’s recently created safety task force.
Another priority would be maintaining the city’s economic strength, Hill said.
“We’ve been blessed with excellent financial management,” Hill said. “But I think we have to constantly look for new and innovative ways to do things and maintain our quality of life. The homestead exemption we were able to offer is a perfect example of that. It’s important that we keep positioning ourselves for the future because times are still uncertain.”
Hill said remaining a business-friendly community is also important.
“We need the tax base to offer benefits to our city,” Hill said.
Hill has received the Carroll ISD Shankman Award for service to children, she was the Southlake Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year in 2007 and she received the Metroport Meals on Wheels L.I.N.K. Award in 2012.
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