Dr. Jerry B. Dittrich - Mayor
Mayor@cityofbenbrook.com
Dr. Jerry Dittrich has served on Benbrook City Council since 1992, served as Mayor Pro Tem beginning in 1998, and has served as Mayor since 2005. Dr. Dittrich has lived in Benbrook for over 25 years, and is married to his wife, Chris. Jerry has four adult children: Jamie, Jenny, James and Michele. Chris and Jerry have a granddaughter, Ella, and a grandson, Cody.
Mayor Dittrich holds Bachelor of Science degrees from Texas Tech and Texas A&M University; earned a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Texas A&M; and currently works as a veterinarian.
Actively involved in the community, the Mayor is a member of Christ Chapel Bible Church, and a member and past president of Benbrook Lions Club and Benbrook Area Chamber of Commerce. He previously served as a Board Member of Metropolitan YMCA, Chairman of the Metropolitan YMCA Properties Committee, President of Benbrook Water & Sewer Authority (BWA), and as a BWA Board Member for 12 years.
Mayor Dittrich serves as the Chairman of the Council of Mayors of Tarrant County, which is comprised of 37 Mayors plus the County Judge, and established by Commissioners Court in 1977 to provide input on a variety of public policy issues affecting Tarrant County Communities.
Mayor Dittrich says, “The City of Benbrook and community have been good to me and my family. I count it a responsibility, privilege, and honor to serve and return to the community either as a volunteer or elected official, my time and service. My goal is to serve and help the community be all that it can be and provide for its citizens the quality of life they expect and deserve.”
Charlie Anderson - City Council, Place 2
Place2@cityofbenbrook.com
Charlie Anderson and his wife, Karen, have lived in Benbrook since 1976. They have three children, two grown and a daughter attending graduate school at Perkins School of Theology at SMU. Charlie and Karen have four marvelous grandchildren and have enjoyed raising their family in Benbrook. “We came to Benbrook because it was a nice, quiet, and safe community to live and raise our family.”
Mr. Anderson graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in Engineering. He began his career at what is now Lockheed Martin Corporation and retired in 1999 after 43 years of service. He currently provides engineering and management consulting services to a start-up transportation company.
After retirement, Mr. Anderson wanted to “give something back” to the community. He served six years on the Benbrook Economic Development Corporation (BEDC) prior to his election to City Council in 2009. While serving on the BEDC, Charlie observed how Council serves the citizens, and is now pleased to contribute and serve citizens as a City Council member.
Mr. Anderson strives to reduce residential property taxes by increasing retail business in Benbrook, thus increasing sales tax revenue. “I want to see Benbrook grow in a structured way that preserves our current way of life, while reducing the property tax burden on our citizens.”
Dr. Larry Marshall - City Council, Place 3
Place3@cityofbenbrook.com
Dr. Larry Marshall has served on the Benbrook Planning and Zoning Commission for fourteen years, as a member and as chairman. He has served on two Capital Improvement Project Committees, as a member in 1997, and as chairman in 2002. In June 2011, he began serving in Place 3 of the Benbrook City Council.
He has lived in Benbrook since 1987 with Joanne, his wife of 43 years. He has two adult children, Ed and Carol, and one granddaughter.
Dr. Marshall is a graduate of Oklahoma State University; he received a B.S. in Physiology and later received a Doctorate of Medicine from the University of Tennessee. He is board certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology. In 2010, he retired as Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of North Texas Health Science Center, where he worked for three years. Prior to that, he was in private practice in Fort Worth for 20 years. He retired from the Naval Medical Corps as a Captain, where he practiced medicine and held various administrative positions.
Dr. Marshall has served as a board member of the Arthritis Foundation, Easter Seals, and the Mont Del Homeowners Association. He is currently Vice President of the Tarrant County Medical Society, serving on the Board of Directors, Board of Trustees, and the Publications Committee. He is a delegate to the Texas Medical Association, where he was a past chairman of the Council of Health Services Organization.
He looks forward to serving Benbrook citizens by promoting smart growth and economic development, and by encouraging future leaders and volunteers.
Rickie Allison - City Council, Place 4
Place4@cityofbenbrook.com
Rickie Allison was elected to Benbrook City Council Place 4 in May 2000 and was re-elected in 2002, 2004, 2006, and 2008. Councilmember Allison has lived in Benbrook for over 25 years. He and his wife, Kathy, a school teacher with the White Settlement ISD, have been married for over 30 years and have two sons; Ben is a fourth generation firefighter with the City of Fort Worth Fire Department, and Daniel is a senior at Midwestern State University with a major in Voice and a minor in Education.
Mr. Allison works as a Driver/Firefighter/Hazmat/Swat Paramedic with the Fort Worth Fire Department, employed there for over 22 years. He was the Assistant EMS Program Manager for the Fort Worth Fire Department for several years. He is a member of the Texas Task Force Urban Search and Rescue team, serving for 8 years. Rickie retired as a Lieutenant Firefighter/Paramedic from the Benbrook Fire Support Unit, serving for 20 years, and as a Patrol Officer and SWAT team member for the Benbrook Police Department for eight years.
In the past, Mr. Allison served as a member of the Benbrook Economic Development Corporation (BEDC) Board of Directors, and, for over 4 years, chaired the Regional Emergency Preparedness Planning Council with the North Central Texas Council of Governments.
Highly involved in his church, Rickie serves as a deacon and as a member of the Video Committee and Property Committee. He is a member and past president of the Benbrook Lions Club. He also serves as Boy Scouts Assistant Scout Master for Troop 95 in Benbrook.
Over the years, Rickie has served as Boy Scouts Cub Master and as a member of Benbrook and Fort Worth Firefighter Associations, Baseball Umpire Association, Western Hills High School Athletics and Band Booster Clubs, Save Our Seniors Program, and the Fall Festival and Parade Committee. He helped coordinate the Firefighter’s Annual Christmas Tree Lighting and Food Drives, Easter Egg Hunts, and assisted in the construction of Castle Park Playground.
In December 2008, Mr. Allison was appointed to the Texas Municipal League (TML) Board of Directors. He represents TML Region 8, which spans from the Oklahoma border southwest to Erath County and includes all of Cooke, Wise, Denton, Palo Pinto, Parker, Tarrant, Johnson, Hood, Somerville, and Erath Counties. Mr. Allison acts as a key communication liaison between the region and the TML Board and staff.
Rickie encourages Benbrook citizens to get involved in their community and to actively communicate with the City Council. He states that “People are what make a City and allow it to grow.” He believes in safe economic growth for the city, family values, honesty, and the ability to agree to disagree.
Jim Wilson - City Council, Place 5
Place5@cityofbenbrook.com
Jim Wilson was elected to Benbrook City Council Place 5 in 2009. He and his wife, Jeanine, a Fort Worth ISD school teacher, have been married 25 years. After his retirement from the United States Air Force, the family moved to Benbrook in 2001 to pursue Mr. Wilson’s career with Lockheed Martin. Their son, Ryan, graduated from Western Hills High School in 2008 and now attends Tarrant County College. Jim is proud that, “After 20 years as a military member, Benbrook was the first location my wife and I selected as home.”
Councilmember Wilson believes infrastructure and transportation greatly impact the quality of citizens’ daily lives. This belief and interest in serving led him to seek a position as a Benbrook Planning & Zoning Commissioner prior to his election to City Council. He continues to serve on the Community Resource Council for the South-West-2-North-East Commuter Rail, as a participant of Vision North Texas, and with Vision Lake Worth’s revitalization efforts. Mr. Wilson has been elected as Alternate Representative to the Regional Transportation Council, representing the cities of Benbrook, Mansfield, Forest Hill, White Settlement, Crowley, River Oaks, Everman, and Kennedale. As an avid bicyclist, Councilmember Wilson is the President of the Lockheed Martin Recreation Association (LMRA) Bicycle Club and a member of Fort Worth’s Bicycle Study Technical Committee.
Councilmember Wilson describes his vision for Benbrook to include substantial development in the coming years, while always ensuring “we’re building a better Benbrook.” As a city of fixed geographic boundaries, he believes growth only occurs once, thus the City must ensure each new development brings the greatest potential-- because Benbrook citizens deserve nothing less. A revitalization of Benbrook Boulevard and development of a Town Center must be carefully balanced with the continued focus to provide Benbrook citizens’ safety, quality of life, and recreational opportunities. Jim would also like to ensure neighborhood parks do more to compliment our larger parks, to provide a more connected sense of neighborhood, and to add to Benbrook residents’ quality of life.
Mr. Wilson stresses the importance of open and professional communication to ensure that citizens are well informed and engaged. “I think this is the key to Benbrook’s exciting future”. Jim believes the City should always search for new and improved methods to inform and engage citizens. He encourages Benbrook citizens to get involved in their community and recognize that City Council stands ready to communicate with them at all times. Councilmember Wilson is certain, “Benbrook’s greatest potential and creativity are contained in its citizens, and that is what makes our City.”
Mark Washburn– City Council, Place 6
Place6@cityofbenbrook.com
Mark Washburn was sworn in and began serving as Place 6 Councilmember on Benbrook City Council on Thursday, May 15, 2008.
Mark describes Benbrook as having exceptional amenities such as parks, recreational opportunities, businesses, and schools, which provide for enhanced quality of life. Mr. Washburn believes Benbrook offers great opportunities for successful growth and progress.
With two earned degrees, education is a very important issue and concern for Councilmember Washburn. One of his dreams has come to fruition; the opening of the new Benbrook Middle School. His desire is to build bridges of communication with the Benbrook community, residents, Fort Worth ISD officials, parents, and other community leaders. “Education is our key to success, not only for Benbrook, but our Country,” says Mr. Washburn.
Mr. Washburn desires to represent the citizens of Benbrook and strives to utilize his servant-leadership gifts in a creative, innovative manner. He wants “to assist working families and citizens with challenges they face, find common ground for citizens and city government, incorporate policies from the City Charter and create new policies that are best for the majority of our neighborhoods and the community we call Benbrook.” Priorities include assuring City services such as police and fire departments are equipped to best serve the public, assuring the City continues to be financially sound, working to improve the school system, and seeking the best solutions and affordable resources for future projects, opportunities, and challenges.
Mr. Washburn describes his vision for Benbrook to include enhancing quality of life through balancing the interests of residents and business, and improving “the look” of the city with exciting development projects such as the Benbrook Boulevard Master Plan, The Trails Town Center Project, Lake Benbrook and Marina projects, and future Fort Worth land agreements.
When asked what he likes best about Benbrook, Mark Washburn answers, “the people.”
Ron Sauma - City Council, Place 7
Place7@cityofbenbrook.com
Ron Sauma was elected to Place 7 of Benbrook City Council in 2001 and was reelected in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2009. He has lived in Benbrook since 1979. He and wife Marie were married in 1962. They have two children: Donna and George; and two grandchildren: Madelyn and Anthony. Councilmember Sauma retired from Fort Worth’s Miller Brewing Company in 1996. While at Miller, he served on the Cultural Diversity Steering Committee and numerous other committees. He previously attended Brooklyn College and served four years on a Destroyer in the US Navy.
Actively involved in the community, Sauma is a member of Saint Peters and Our Lady of Lebanon Catholic Churches. He serves as a Block Captain for the Crime Watch Program, volunteers at Harris Methodist Hospital of Fort Worth, in both the fitness and cardiac rehab areas, and serves as the Legislative Chairman of the Harris Methodist Fort Worth Auxiliary Hospital Board. Ron also volunteers at the Veterans Administration Outpatient Clinic in Fort Worth.
Mr. Sauma is an active member of North Benbrook Neighborhood Association, Benbrook Area Chamber of Commerce, Benbrook Lions Club, American Legion Post 297, and 4 PAWS (Pets Are Worth Saving). For 21 years, he served as Board President, and currently serves as Board Secretary, on seperate Boards of the Council of Condominiums Co-Owners. He previously served as Assistant Director of Benbrook Citizens on Patrol.
Councilmember Sauma is a member of the Economic Development Corporation (EDC) Board of Directors and stays current with the progress the EDC is making to bring additional revenue to our City. He also attends other City Board and Commission meetings and monitors issues from surrounding areas that could impact Benbrook.
Since beginning his term on City Council, Sauma has served as the City’s voting representative to the North Central Texas Council of Governments. To increase his knowledge of governmental affairs and legislative actions, he attends all North Central Texas Council of Governments conferences, as well as Texas Municipal League and other conferences. He attends several local workshops including the Senior Officials Workshop for Weapons of Mass Destruction and Terrorism Preparation. Since summer 2006, Councilmember Sauma has served as the City's voting representative assigned to the Joint Land Use Committee, with the primary mission of saving the Naval Reserve Base (formerly Carswell Air Force Base) from closing. He will also serve as our City's voting representative on the new NAS-JRB Regional Coordination Committee, comprised of Federal, State, and local officials. Mr. Sauma states that keeping the JRB open is one of his top priorities.
In December 2008, Mr. Sauma was elected Vice Chairman of the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base (NAS/JRB) Fort Worth Regional Coordination Committee. The NAS/JRB Regional Coordination Committee is a cooperative planning initiative between the NAS/JRB and surrounding cities. The goal of the NAS/JRB Committee is to promote compatible community growth that supports military training and operational missions. The inter-jurisdictional partnership promotes compatible development and addresses current and future encrouchment issues.
Sauma says, “I continue to be both honored and proud to serve the citizens of our city since 2001".
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