Meet Diboll's candidates
Diboll City Council candidates

COOK

Larry L. Cook

My name is Larry L. Cook and I am running for Diboll City Council. I am a lifelong resident of Diboll and have resided at 1303 Ryan Chapel Road since 1974. My wife, Marvana Weisinger Cook, and I have been married for thirty-eight years and have two children, Jason and Misty, and six grandchildren that all reside in Diboll. For twenty years, I was a member of the Diboll Volunteer Fire Department. Currently I am employed by Diboll ISD in the maintenance department.

To me, the city of Diboll is as unique as its citizens. From my experiences with Diboll and my genuine concern for its people, I feel I am qualified to make the right decisions for the families of Diboll. I will always do what is in the best interest of Diboll and its citizens. Because I care about the future of our city and its citizens, I would appreciate your support and your vote on the May 10 ballot.

Respectfully, Larry L. Cook

Kent Havard

My name is Kent Havard and I am a candidate for the position of School Board Trustee for the Diboll Independent School District. I have been a life long resident of Diboll and graduated from Diboll ISD in 1981. I have been the Chief of Police in Diboll for ten years. My wife, Lisa, has been a teacher in the Diboll school district for 18 years. Our daughters are both students in the Diboll school district. As you can see I have a sincere interest in helping continue to make our school district something to be proud of.

My job as Police Chief and as a former City Councilman with the City of Diboll has provided me with experience in working with budgets, personnel issues and dealing with questions or concerns citizens have with these issues.

Prior to my appointment as Chief of Police I was a Deputy Sheriff for the Angelina County Sheriff 's Department. My duties were assigned to five Angelina County school districts to teach the curriculum drug program called DARE. To this day I still tell people that this was the best job I ever had. Teaching students how to resist drugs, gangs and other peer pressure situations will also assists in bringing in more programs to our school campuses to help keep them safe and drug free.

My twnty-plus years in dealing with city and county governments as well as working with school districts on school related issues makes me a qualified candidate for the position of School Board Trustee for the Diboll Independent School District. It's a vote for our children and teachers and their futures.

Your vote on May 10 is appreciated.

Diboll Independent School District School Board candidate

Trey Wilkerson

My family has a long tradition of service to the children of Diboll, and for seven years you have allowed me to carry on that tradition by representing you on the Diboll school board. I believe that my experience and passion for our children equip me to serve you and make the best decisions for present and future generations of Diboll students.

The children of this community deserve every opportunity to be successful. We must recognize that each child possesses different talents and abilities, and focus our efforts on developing those skills to their fullest potential. Every child needs a firm foundation in basic academic subjects, and so we need to continue to invest in our primary and elementary schools, as well as our early childhood programs. We must give our young students the best teachers with the best resources, because if they fall behind early in their school careers it will be nearly impossible to catch up later. As students progress to higher grades, we should recognize that college is not the ultimate destination for all students. Diboll students need greater opportunities to acquire skills and designations which will allow them to earn a good living, even if they do not pursue a four year college degree.

We must be vigilant that every dollar of revenue is spent in the best interests of students. We cannot afford to do something simply because "it's always been that way." Your tax dollars are too precious for that, but more importantly, your children are too precious for that.

Diboll schools are not made up of buildings, teachers, administrators, or board members. Diboll schools consist of 1,800 young people who represent our hopes for the future. As your board member, the needs of those students will continue to direct everything I do.