The following is the text of the press announcement provided to the media on March 5, 2009:
Welcome and thank you for coming today! My name is Shane Price, and I am running for Place 1 on the Abilene City Council. I am a lifelong resident of Abilene with four generations of my family living in this great city. My grandfather retired from the Air Force, and he instilled in me a deep sense of patriotic duty to country. During my senior year at Cooper High School, I enlisted in the US Army Reserves, reporting to Basic training just six (6) days after graduation. I served for nine (9) years as an active Reservist with the locally based 244th PSYOP Company and 490th Civil Affairs Battalion.
I earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from ACU in 1992. After graduation, I was offered a computer programming job with a company in Houston, but turned it down so I could stay in Abilene. I spent the next year working towards a teaching certificate at ACU, and did my student teaching at both Abilene High and Cooper. One year later, a mutual acquaintance introduced me to Randy Voorhees. In August 1993, I started working for him at Bookstore Manager Software where I currently serve as Vice President of Development.
When Randy hired me, our offices were in the Business Innovation Center (or Business Incubator as some called it). The assistance available through this wonderful use of the Economic Development Sales Tax helped us sustain and survive the rapid growth we experienced while initially being minimally staffed. Today, there are 23 people employed at Bookstore Manager servicing companies around the world. During the time we were in the Business Innovation Center, other strong businesses in Abilene such as Pathfinders and Meers Engineering were getting their start there as well.
It is natural to wonder why someone not previously involved in politics would decide to run for office. For me, it started with the foundation of civic duty and commitment shown by both of my grandfathers and my mother. As I mentioned, one grandfather served our country in the armed forces. The other was a full-time preacher and was actively involved with the Rotary club. I remember going with him to the hospital and waiting while he visited people that were sick as well as attending Rotary meetings as a young boy and teenager when I would visit during summer breaks. He was always actively involved in his community. My mom is a retired AISD schoolteacher and was a single parent that did a great job raising two kids. She is very actively involved in our community, serving as a board member with several local organizations. As you can see my family takes service to country and community seriously.
Last year, the Abilene Youth Sports Authority succeeded in placing a sporting complex on the ballot that would have diverted funds away from business development into a facility that would have cost the city significant money every year to keep it running. When a friend at church asked me a few weeks ago if I had ever considered running for city council, I answered with an honest, “Not really.” However, the seed was planted. I talked with my wife, our four kids and my mother as well as my boss Randy about it. All encouraged me to pursue this opportunity to serve.
While there are many issues that come before the City Council, I believe their basic responsibility must be to keep Abilene a great place to live, work and raise a family. The Council needs to continue encouraging new job opportunities. This means providing specialized and advanced education locally, like the Holland Medical High School and Texas Tech School of Engineering. It also means assisting new local businesses, like Bookstore Manager was years ago, as well as helping move existing businesses into Abilene from other communities. The Council also needs to ensure the security of our community with well staffed Police and Fire departments, and continue working towards securing reliable water sources that will support our city’s long-term growth.
Finally, I am not a politician. I am running for this office to be a public servant for this city I love and call home. I am a man of few words. If elected, I pledge to listen, work hard and get results. Please look me up on Facebook! Thank you!
