“I think God has a purpose for everybody. Mine is to be as active as I can and help the less fortunate. Not just giving, but representing them.
I’m a schoolteacher, so I don’t have $50,000 I can spare to run for political office. But I do attend city meetings. I do voice my opinion. And unfortunately a lot of people don’t do that. They’re afraid.
I don’t agree on a lot of things with a lot of my friends, but we agree on one thing: we’re overtaxed. And if an extra $5,000 [in my paycheck] means someone who is disabled, a veteran, or an elderly person sees their tax bill go up I don’t think that’s right.
People struggle to provide for their children, and being a single-income family makes it very hard when you have high property taxes.
A lot of people wait for their [income] tax return to pay their property taxes. And many even have to sell their homes.
Having to wait for your income tax return to pay the property tax bill is ridiculous. And unfortunately you see that a lot in the Rio Grande Valley. We have some of the highest poverty rates and the highest property taxes.”
— Janie Melendez
McAllen, Texas