Denise Gibson, Certified Fit-ness Trainer for Neighborhood Fitness was recently inter-viewed by Keene Chronicle. She has valuable fitness tips with an equally inspiring per-sonal testimony to share with our readers:“Exercise is important at any

age, but as we get older, the benefits are countless. Exer-cise can help lower or prevent high blood pressure, type 2 Diabetes and osteoporosis. As if that isn’t enough incentive to get moving, exercise also helps build strong bones and slows bone loss associated with aging.“Not only is exercise good

for you physically, but it is also very beneficial for your mental well being. Exercise can help reduce anxiety, man-age or prevent depression and stress and help you get a good night’s sleep.“Starting an exercise regimen

does not have to be scary. You can start out with a brisk 15-minute walk, working up to 30 minutes. When you achieve that goal, you can join a gym and add a strength training program. Mix up your routine and find something that you enjoy. Exercising with a friend can also help get you motivat-ed. A little competition among friends can be a good thing!“Eating right is very chal-

lenging for most people. No one wants to be on a diet for

the rest of their life and it is not a realistic way to live. I would suggest that you find healthy alternatives for the foods you love. Let yourself indulge in your favorite food every now and then and enjoy it! When you eat out, order the kids meal instead of an adult meal or split it with someone. Making good choices gets easier with practice!“My journey began 7 years

ago. I started working out with a trainer and after 18 months lost over 100lbs. I had battled my weight since childhood, blamed it on a slow metabo-lism, because I’m a woman, and that’s what we do! How-ever, I knew that my eating habits were terrible and after losing my mother and grand-mother to diabetes, I knew I had to get it under control. It took a while to get there, but with the help of my trainer, I finally made it. I decided I wanted to be a trainer so I could help other peopleknow that they could lose

weight in a healthy way, no crash diets or surgeries. It’s amazing to see how quickly one’s body responds to exer-cise and healthy eating.“I am a single mother of 3

wonderful boys, Tyler, 16, Tanner, 14 and Trent 9. They have always been my biggest fans. Just remember, your children will eat and work out just as you do. If you struggle

with these issues, your chil-dren will too. So try to set a good example!“A key to my personal

weight loss started with 3 simple rules:“Drinking plenty of water, re-

ducing carbs after lunch; and not eating 3 hours before Bed time. These are simple yet very effective tools in starting a healthier way of life.“Whether you begin with

walking, riding a bike, or join-ing a gym exercise is the key to a healthier and happier life for you and your family.”Gibson is the Manager/Fit-

ness Trainer of Neighborhood Fitness located on FM 2280 at North Side Station (across from TXDOT).The following is what

Gibson would like the Keene Chronicle readers to know about Neighborhood Fitness:“At Neighborhood Fitness

our state of the art facility is like no other. Our experienced trainers and state-of-the-art fit-ness equipment are only a few of the things that make Neigh-borhood Fitness so unique. Our spacious club, incompara-ble amenities, and comfortable atmosphere makes getting fit a truly inspiring adventure.“We offer private and group

classes, all professionally designed and led, that target your unique needs. You will not be lost in a crowd. Our class sizes are limited and en-able our professional trainers to spend the time necessary to maximize results.“Neighborhood Fitness fea-

tures a complete state of the art facility. However, we do not rely on equipment to make us the leader in fitness. We understand that knowledge-able courteous staff is essen-tial to your, and our, success. Our trainers have all been educated and certified in their

respective fields of expertise. We don’t just hire anyone that looks fit. We require a deep knowledge of physiology and fitness, as well as a friendly and understanding demeanor. Our trainers are not here to judge you; they are here to support you on your journey.“Our personal trainers are

highly skilled and patient. We offer corporate memberships and group discounts.“Individual membership in-

cludes use of all facilities and classes. Personal trainers are available for an extra fee. “A healthy and energized

workforce will improve pro-ductivity and overall satisfac-tion. A corporate membership is an inexpensive benefit that you can offer employees. We offer a range of plans from full subsidies to employee matching programs.“Couple Membership: Spe-

cial discounts are also avail-able to couples who occupy the same residence.These include all the benefits

of an individual membership at a discounted price.“Family Membership: Get in

shape together” suggests Gib-son, “special family member-ships are available.”“Personal Power Pack: Fam-

ily memberships include all the benefits of an individual membership, with the added bonus of a personal trainer for three, one hour sessions per week. A specializedprogram is developed

for you. Personal trainers are assigned to you de-pending on your specific needs. A great way to maximize results!”Neighborhood Fitness

opened for business in December of 2009 and is locally owned by Ronnie

Moller and Mark Miosi.Other staff members include

Brittney Brown and Daniel Carrizales.Neighborhood Fitness is

open 24 hours and staffed weekdays from 9 am to 8 pm. They are located at:2221 FM-2280 #103Keene, TX 76059(817) 506-1318Visit their web page @:

http://www.neighborhood-fitness.com/Visit us on FB!

April 29, 2013

At the special Keene City Council meeting held on April 29, 2013, Mayor Pro Tem Dale Janes made the motion to retain the services of Harry McQueen, Business Consul-tant, to assist with Economic Development issues on behalf of the city of Keene and to allow for the funding of Harry McQueen to assist with Eco-nomic Development issues on behalf of the City of Keene, by utilizing unrestricted reserve funds from the General Fund and increasing the expense category, Administration-Other Professional Services. This is how Janes worded his motion: “I recommend that the City of Keene retain Harry Mc-Queen as an outside Economic Development Consultant effective immediately with consultant rates to be billed at $50 an hour plus expenses to be allocated at $15,000 for the remainder of the budget year. Any additional funds would be considered as needed and the funds will be provided from the unrestricted reserve.” City Council member Lorena Morin seconded Janes’ motion and it was carried unanimously by the remainder of the Keene City Council members.“As requested, I did put

together a proposal to bring tonight to assist in the City’s economic development, and specifically to assist Bud (Find-ley) in closing some of the deals that are on the table today and that are very crucial to the

city ,” stated McQueen, when addressing the City Council after his formal appointment. “This is a 2 page proposal,”

he continued. “I’m going to tell you a little bit about what’s in it in one section. In the background I refer to the fact that we have an overall strategy that we developed for the city in 2009. And in that strategy there were 6 major initiatives - 3 of which were economic development in nature. In Oc-tober of 2010 the City Council adopted the detailed economic development strategy which since that time there has been significant progress made in the area of economic development, and specifically in the area of industrial development. And then in the current needs para-graph, basically is what I want to point out is that there are 6 major economic development projects on the table today that would go into our indus-trial park. And each of those projects is in different stages of development. They are very complex, they have a lot of moving pieces and it’s been very difficult for the City to coordinate all of those pieces. “My proposal tonight, is to

act as the Project Manager for those projects. And in that role, I would create high level, critical path project plans with major milestones and time lines to go with them. I would work also to coordinate all those project participants to

Continued: City Council Page 3

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Local Realtor® Achieves National Recognition! page 2

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Johnson County Volunteer of the YearBy Whitney Patterson

Congratulations to our Vol-unteer of the Year recipient for Johnson County, Melba Bower!Nearly 10 years ago, Melba

Bower began volunteering with Meals-on-Wheels, deliv-ering meals to her neighbors in the Keene area. A proud member of her community, Melba is a dedicated volunteer for Meals-on-Wheels as well as many other organizations as well as her church.

Each Monday, Melba delivers meals to a handful of Keene residents in need, people she has come to call friends. She also fills in regu-larly when other volunteers are out. “I do this because the Lord gives me the desire, and the good health to continue to serve”, Melba says. “I really do enjoy it, and I just enjoy meeting people and helping people,” she added.Volunteers like Melba were

recognized during National Volunteer Week, April 14-20, for their service to Meals-on-Wheels. The Shirle Ayers Volunteer

Appreciation Award is an annual award acknowledging outstanding volunteer service, and is given in memory of Mr. Shirle Ayers, a faithful volun-teer for many years. Meals-on-Wheels serves more

than 700 people on a daily basis with the help of over 600 volunteers from the local com-munities each month.

“Volunteers are essential for our program to be success-ful,” said Whitney Patterson, development coordinator. “Without the ongoing dedica-tion of volunteers, we would

not be able to impact the lives of the elderly, disabled, and their families.”Thank you Melba for your

dedicated service to Meals-on-Wheels!

Special Meeting of the Keene City Council

Did You Know: Neighborhood FitnessDenise Gibson, Certified Fitness Trainer

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2 • THURSDAY, MAY 09, 2013 • WWW.KEENECHRONICLE.COM

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Local Realtor® Achieves National Recognition!

In 2012, Samantha Gillin, Broker, Gillin Realty LLC, was awarded the seniors Real Estate Specialist (SRES) designation by the seniors Real Estate Specialist Council of the NATIONAL ASSO-CIATION OF REALTORS® (NAR). Samantha Gillin joins more

than 16,000 real estate profes-sionals in North America who have earned the SRES designation. All were required to successfully complete a comprehensive course in understanding the needs, con-siderations, and goals of real estate buyers and sellers aged 55 and older. Other designa-tions include SRES, TAHS, SFR and T-Pro.SRES Council, founded

in 2007, is the world’s larg-est association of real estate professionals focusing specifi-cally on representing senior clients in real estate transac-tions. There are more than 16,000 active members of the organization world-wide. The NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®, “The Voice for real estate,” is America’s largest trade association, representing more than 1.3 million members involved in all aspects of residential and commercial real estate industries.Seniors Real Estate Special-

ists, or SRES designees are Realtors® who are qualified to address the needs of home buyers and sellers age 50+. The SRES Council awards the SRES Designation to those members who have success-fully completed its education program.Samantha Gillin would like

the readers of the Keene Chronicle to be aware of the significance of this profession-al recognition: “By earning the SRES Designation, your Realtor® has demonstrated the necessary knowledge and expertise to counsel cli-ents age 50+ through major financial and lifestyle transi-tions involved in relocating, refinancing, or selling the family home. Your SRES has received special training, gets regular updates, and is pre-pared to offer the options and information needed in making life changing decisions.” “Seniors population, are you

having mixed emotions?” asks Samantha Gillin, “we can help!”This is how your local SRES

Realtor® can help you: Buy-ing a residence as a senior citizen can be both exciting and daunting. The excitement

stems from anticipating new beginnings in a fresh environ-ment. It can be daunting be-cause there are so many types of seniors residences, finite resources and sometimes emo-tional hurdles to overcome.Assessing Your Real Estate

Options As a Senior Citizen SRES designees can sit down with you and your loved ones to discuss needs, outline op-tions and help you determine the very best senior citizen residence option for you. Then, working within the pa-rameters you provide, they can locate a property that fits your needs accurately.SRES designees leverage

their senior citizen education, experience and network to find properties, determine ap-propriate offers, and negotiate purchases on your behalf.Tapping Expertise When

necessary, they can tap a net-work of experts, such as home inspectors, movers, attorneys, and CPAs to ensure that the purchase of your new resi-dence, and the move, proceed smoothly.For help in finding the senior

citizen residence that’s right for you or your loved one, contact an SRES designee: Sa-mantha Gillin, Gillin Realty, LLC.Readers may contact the

Seniors Real Estate Special-ist Council by phone. (800) 500-4564, by email, [SRES@Realtor®s.org], or by visiting the SRES Web site,[www.sres.org].Samantha Gillin is a Broker,

licensed by the Texas Real Estate Commission. Her other designations are Texas Affordable Housing Specialist (TAHS) , Senior Real Estate Specialist (SRES), Short Sale Foreclosure Resource(SFR). She also has the ARBOR Technology Professional Cer-tification (T-PRO Master).Samantha Gillin is the owner

and Broker of Gillin Realty LLC and has been a Licensed real estate professional for over 28 years. She grew up in New Mexico and now lives in Keene. Her Church home is the Joshua Seventh-day-Adventist Church on Hwy 917 in Joshua. She has two sons and six grandchildren. Samantha Gillin has been

licensed and has worked as a Realtor® and in real estate related professions all over North Texas after getting her start in 1984 with Century-21, as a Licensed Realtor. She founded Gillin Realty, LLC in 2006 to be a full-service Real Estate office in the area of Texas she “loves best!” The original Office was located in the Keene shopping center.Samantha Gillin is a member

of numerous boards including the National Board of Real-tors®, Texas Association of Realtors®, Johnson County Association of Realtors®, Arlington Board of Realtors® and Texas Association of Business. She offers “profes-sional real estate representa-tion for every single client in Texas.” She is also a HUD certified broker.

Gillin Realty LLC, serves the greater Johnson County area including Keene, Alva-rado, Burleson and Cleburne. “Gillin Realty LLC” informs Samantha Gillin, “combines our extensive real estate experience with our absolute commitment to customer satis-faction in order to provide the best service possible to our real estate clients.” As a licensed Broker and a

licensed Realtor®, Saman-tha Gillin has experience in a wide variety of real estate transactions including land residential, commercial, foreclosures and short sales. She has experience as a licensed Escrow Officer for a Title Company, a Real Estate Owned (REO) foreclosure specialist for one of the larger lenders in the State of Texas. She has also worked as an on-site Manager for builders and “puts this experience to work for every single one of Gillin Realty’s clients!”Gillin Realty LLC is also a

Property Management com-pany. As such it manages

numerous properties ranging from apartments to individual homes to commercial prop-erties in Keene, Burleson, Joshua, Cleburne, Alvarado and Fort Worth areas.Samantha Gillin has been

the Membership Director for the Keene Chamber of Com-merce, and was the Director of the Chamber of Commerce Office until 2010. She de-scribes this as “a wonderful experience working with the volunteers.”“Gillin Realty LLC, can

represent any buyer or seller anywhere in Texas” states Samantha Gillin. “It focuses its services in Keene and the greater Cleburne and Burle-son areas, Joshua, Alvarado, Grandview, Rio Vista, Crow-ley, Mansfield and Fort Worth, including the greater Granbury and Lake Granbury areas.”“ When buying or selling”

advises Samantha, “most people do not know that when they call from a sign or an ad-vertisement, that that Realtor®

Continued: Local Realtor Page 5

Samantha Gillin, Broker, TAHS, SFR, SRES, T-PRO

Gary Burdine, Broker Assistant

Ashley Rawson, File Clerk

Alex Federowski Realtor®

Samantha Gillin, owner and Broker of Gillin Realty LLC, busy at her desk

Article by: Mr. Wil-liams, 6th grade teacher, Trip Orga-nizer

Mrs, Kilpatrick, and Mrs. Tuitt and Mr. Williams, Keene Junior High School teachers, along with Mrs. Hesa and Mrs. Heredia, KJH teacher aides and parents of sixth grade students enjoyed a success-ful 6th grade field trip to the Waco Wetlands. The weather was great, the programs were exceptional, the students were “in to it” and the learning was phenomenal. An unexpected highlight of the trip was the the students even got to see President Obama’s helicop-ters fly directly over their school buses on his way to the Memorial Services in West, Texas. We are proud of the representation of the Keene Junior High by the students. The KISD cafeteria ladies prepared a wonderful lunch for the students. They enjoyed a picnic lunch out in nature. The students reported seeing a snake, fish and other water animals of the wetlands eco-system. It was just a wonder-ful day for students and staff alike.

Sixth Grade Field Trip to Lake Waco Wet Lands ProjectOn April 25, the sixth grade

class traveled to Lake Waco to learn about wetland ecosys-tems. The students were able to test water for three things: turbidity, dissolved oxygen, and ph. They learned how important these three aspects are to the life of a wet land ecosystem. They also experi-enced some of the organisms found within the waters of the wetlands. Using dip nets students collected crawfish, clams, mussels, tadpoles, water bugs and other organ-isms. These were saved by the teaching volunteer and identi-fied for the kids.In the classroom, students

were introduced to the im-portance of the wet lands in preventing pollution of Lake Waco. They identified various species of fish that live in the lake and how the lake provid-ed the correct habitat for each species. The demonstration about how pollution happens was informative. It helped explain the importance of wet lands in the pollution cycle.

KISD 6th Grade Field Trip to Wetlands

WWW.KEENECHRONICLE.COM • THURSDAY, MAY 09, 2013 • 3

accomplish those major tasks within those timelines. I would facilitate meetings as required where I would provide detailed analysis as re-quired by the council or by the sponsors of those projects, and I would document and report on those projects on a timely basis to the City Council. “Also in this proposal, I am

asking the City Council to be available to meet anytime that we would need them (in order) to expedite progress on these particular projects. So that in a nutshell is the proposal” concluded McQueen.No action was taken by the

City Council members regard-ing the employment status of Keith Jilge, Economic Devel-opment Director for the City of Keene. Mayor John Ackermann of-

fered the following statements in the wake of and in response to the recent negative public-ity regarding “Keene City hall clash in Keene:” “Everyone here and the City Employees must remember that the City Council is made up of elected officials put in to office by the citizens of Keene to conduct the City’s business. It is the Councils job to look out for the best interest of its citizens. And when there are questions, concerns or complaints, the Council must investigate these issues. Despite current rumors and allegations, this is not a

case of the Mayor or the City Council verses City employ-ees. The City Council and the Mayor have nothing but the very best intentions towards the City employees. “As mayor of this city I

expect professional expertise, mannerisms and language from all City employees, whether dealing with admin-istrative staff, employees or citizens. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect and kindness and without any negativity and drama. We must do our utmost to provide a high quality of service with a high degree of integrity to the citizens that we serve. This is just understood, it doesn’t have to be in the charter or written down in any law. It is simply sound business prac-tice and good interpersonal behavior. “Other cities have promoted

the policy of ‘kindness mat-ters.’ This should be our watchword as well. This is the behavioral standard to which we must return. And I invite all of you here tonight to attend our meetings and take part in our community, and find out for yourself, the hard work that this Council and Mayor does for your com-munity.”No action was taken in the

Executive Closed Session “to discuss or deliberate the purchase, exchange, lease or

value of real property in the Keene Industrial Park,” or “to discuss or deliberate regarding commercial or financial infor-mation that the City of Keene has received from a business prospect, and/or to deliberate the offer of financial or other incentives with a business prospect regarding properties in the Keene Industrial Park.”Because Council Member

Gilbert Perez excused him-self prior to closed session adjournment, Mayor John Ackermann explained that the council took no personnel action “on the appointment, employment, evaluation, reas-signment, duties, discipline, or dismissal of William Guinn, City Administrator and/or Keesha Lay, City Secretary.” However former Keene City Mayor Roy Robinson took the podium in the public forum to express his support of Guinn and Lay stating, “If mistakes have been made, let them be corrected. Mr. Guinn and Mrs. Lay are valuable assets of the City. Assets should be cherished and expanded upon, not terminated. It seems to me that our citizens expect this council to accept their respon-sibility to nurture the city, not to put it at risk by an unwise action that would cause lasting harm to the City in the careers of Mr. Guinn and Mrs. Lay.”

Continued: City Council

Southwestern Adventist Uni-versity welcomed Senator Ted Cruz as the Commencement speaker Sunday, May 5, 2013. Southwestern was honored to be Cruz’s first commencement address as a Senator and and he became the first US Senator to address a SWAU graduating class. Several US Congress-men have had the priviledge including Olin “Tiger” Teague and Chet Edwards in recents years.The Senator grabbed the at-

tention of the graduates early, filling his speech with humor and personal stories from his life and family. “Today is a tremendous day of cel-ebration,” Cruz began. “I am honored to be here but I fully recognize the most forgettable part of the day is going to be the politician they brought in as your Commencement speaker.” Illustrating his five points of

counsel for graduates, Cruz advised the seniors to dream big and be idealistic, make a difference, be a servant leader, don’t think of people “who disagree with you as evil or stupid,” and “follow your pas-sions.” “Realism is sufficient for

mediocrity, but idealism is necessary for greatness,” Cruz stated. “The blessings we have here in America give us the opportunity and an obligation to reach out and impact the lives of others. As it says in the Book of Luke, to whom much has been given, much shall be required. All of us have been given a great, great deal.” “Everyone one of us here

today has a story... we are all children of those who risked everything for freedom,” Cruz said as he shared the story of his Cuban immigrant father. “And that is something that unites us powerfully.” He received a standing ovation at the close of his address. The Board of Trustees, on the

recommendation of the faculty and presented by Dr. Eric An-derson, conferred on Senator Cruz an honorary doctorate in humane letters. Senator Cruz appeared surprised by the honor.Also recognized in the gradu-

ation ceremony was Dr. Steve Jones, professor of history. Dr. Amy Rosenthal, Vice President for Academic Ad-ministration presented Jones with the Educator of the Year award based on classroom performance, relationships with students, professional relationships with colleagues, contributions to their disci-pline, and spiritual leadership on campus. In recommending Jones, students described him as “engaging, enthusiastic, creative, passionate, awesome, and cool.” The graduating class of 2013,

presented by Rosenthal, shared some unique attributes. The class consisted of 87 women and 44 men with one cer-tificate, two associate degrees, 117 bachelor degrees, and eleven master’s degrees. The nursing department had the most graduates with forty-nine seniors, followed by twenty-one from the department of education and psychology, thirteen from the department of business, and ten gradu-ated from the department of religion. Family connections were well

represented with one set of

twins graduating, two sets of sisters, one set of brother and sister, one married couple, and one engaged couple. Illustrat-ing the diversity of the class, there were sixteen graduates who were the first in their family to graduate college while thirty-one had family members who graduated from Southwestern. The group also consisted of eight international students representing Indone-sia, Mexico, Ghana, Taiwan, Vietnam, Kenya, and South Sudan while ten graduates had attended Keene Adventist El-ementary School and Chisholm Trail Academy. With the graduating class

of 2013 happily starting the next chapter in their lives, we couldn’t have said it better than Senator Cruz. “I salute you for your commitment to make a

difference in the lives of others. As you leave here today, re-member that your accomplish-ments are mortal but the good you do for others is immortal.”Southwestern Adventist Uni-

versity has offered Christian education since 1893. A liberal-arts university, the beautiful campus is located in Keene, Texas, about 20 minutes south of Fort Worth. Southwestern offers quality professors, 67 academic programs including business, nursing, and educa-tion, three masters programs, and many ways for students to get involved both on campus and abroad. With a student body that includes 20% in-ternational students and an average student/teacher ratio of 12:1, Southwestern offers a uniquely diverse and personal college experience.

Senator Cruz Commencement Speaker at Southwestern

Credit: David Pollock - Senator Ted Cruz receives an honorary doctorate of humane letters from President Eric Anderson.

Credit: David Pollock - Dr. Steve Jones receives the Edu-cator of the Year award.

Credit: David Pollock - Senator Cruz addresses a full house of Southwestern graduates and their families.

Credit: David Pollock - Ben Cheever, second from left, is one of 6 students graduating who also attended KAES and CTA.

The welcome signs were out for Sena-tor Cruz as well as a standing room only crowd to hear the first U S Senator to give the commencement address at SWAU

Senator Cruz poses with University President Anderson before marching on Sunday

Keene Retirees Memo

By Melba Bower

The Keene Retirees will hold its monthly meeting at 5:30 pm on May 16 at the Keene Se-nior Center, 207 E. First Street, Keene, Texas. This organization is open to all community retirees who wish to attend. The dinner will be

catered by La Fiesta Mexican Food Restaurant. The entertainment will be presented by Edith Ellis with a power-point presentation on the flowers of Australia. For more information please call Betty Taylor @ 817-790-2077 or 817-648-6908.

Warren Easley spending a few minutes with Ray Price before the concert in Alvarado. Warren knows more than birds...he knows his music trivia also....just ask him!

Submitted by Joyce Anne Yates

Photo: Mrs. Yates

The Keene Junior High School students are selling Glow-Scented candles as a fundraiser to help pay for their yearbook.The soy candles are produced

with the best ingredients. Each candle is hand-poured and triple scented, with clean burn-ing soy wax, which is better for

our environment.Customers will be able to

choose candles that fit into any room décor. There are 18 scents to choose from,including Hawaiian Plumeria, Laven-der Lemon, Lavender Rose, Lavender Vanilla, Lilac, Rose Petals, Strawberry Cheesecake, Cinnamon-Vanilla, Vintage Gardenia, Fresh Linen, Black Cherry, Ocean Breeze, Apple-Cinnamon, Sweet Watermelon, Cinnamon Red Hot, Pecan & Caramel and Buttery Vanilla.

We hope you will support the students, if they should come to your neighbor-hood. You may also contact the Keene Junior High Office to inquire about pur-chasing one

of these candles.Your home or office will be

filled with fragrances care-fully selected to ensure that customers receive authentic aromas. Glow-Scented candles are scented throughout the entire candle. As fragrance is released, the candle will burn evenly, allowing you to enjoy the entire product which is designed for long-lasting fragrance.

KJH Fund Raiser

4 • THURSDAY, MAY 09, 2013 • WWW.KEENECHRONICLE.COM

In the meeting of the Govern-ing Body of Keene, Texas on the evening of May 2, 2013, Keene City Mayor Acker-mann, the man who was quot-ed as having remarked (about the activation of Keene’s emergency sirens) “I don’t care if it saves lives, it scared my wife!” is now Keene’s sole emergency management official. Even though this option is permitted by Texas State law, it raises concerns by Keene residents in light of the Mayors allegedly flippant remarks. Ackerman, who adamantly

denies making those remarks, drew heavy fire from some of Keene’s residents over his running of city hall at the public forum of the most recent Council Meeting. In a surpris-ingly direct about face from his recent and relentless efforts to oust Bill Guinn from his position as Keene City Ad-

ministrator, Ackerman stated “We now stand side by side in our professional cooperation. I have assured City Manager Guinn of my support.” He has also delegated the responsibil-ity to Keene City Police Chief Rocky Alberti and Fire Chief Matt Gillin to draft a written policy for the activation of its two working emergency sirens. Still, it is obvious that Acke-

mann’s recent apparent aggres-sive leadership style actions and alleged statements have compromised Ackermann’s credibility and diminished his respect not only by Keene residents but also among some of the other council members, most notably the outspoken City Council Member Cheryl Schram who publically ex-pressed her frustrations and “crisis of confidence” with city leadership. The following are Schram’s formal statements made at the most recent City

Council meeting: “As a result of a few things

that have happened here recently, (they) have been of great concern to me, I am go-ing to express my opinion on them. “My main matter of concern

is something that I learned after last Monday evening before our Special Meeting of the 29th. It came to my knowledge that the mayor and 2 other council members were observed meeting together in the bay just outside of the council chambers. They were there with the City Attorney. They stood talking for some time. Then just in time to convene with the council the mayor and the council mem-bers walked into the room through the south door, but the City Attorney came into the council chambers through the hall. “I haven’t been given any ev-

idence that anything inappro-priate took place, nor did their number constitute a walking quorum. But I have to wonder why this meeting wasn’t tak-ing place in the open, given what existed at that time, the climate in the City and the agenda of the night. If they had been standing outside on the front sidewalk in the open and I had been able to walk up to them and say ‘hey guys, what’s up?’ I would have felt much better! I felt like the letter of the law had been met, but not the spirit. “What comes up for me in

a situation like this is this: Why not in the open, were they strategizing to influence the rest of the council in an orchestrated manner and can I any longer have confidence in the transparency of our proceedings? As a result, I am personally now having a crisis of confidence in my fellow

council members and maybe even our City Attorney. I have always personally made every effort to say what I have to say about any existing agenda item or open items here in this room and in the open forum so that all council members and those in attendance have all heard what I have to say on those matters. I do not desire in any way to separate myself individually from you guys in any matters of concern about the City or items that are not on the agenda, or just in gen-eral as friends and as fellow neighbors. And I do under-stand what a slippery slope the blame game can be. When it comes to blame there seems to always be plenty to pass around and to go around! “So I’m asking each one

of the City Council Mem-bers and the Mayor to take a good look at yourselves, to re-evaluate where we stand

ethically and if our integrity has been compromised in the last few weeks. I always get nervous when politicians say ‘trust me!’ And this is a phrase I’ve heard here lately. When it comes to matters of government, we need to move forward on evidence and evidence alone, not on insinuation or innuendo or any unsubstantiated statements or undue influence. “I really want to applaud

these two gentlemen (Acker-mann and Guinn) for saying they will work together in matters of the City interest. But I have to say that the whole experience has been a real matter of concern and a deep injury to me personally about the way our process works here in this town!”Mayor Ackerman had no

response to Schram’s state-ments.

Beleaguered Keene City Mayor John Ackermann assumes the role of sole emergency management official.

Bob Bischoff was unable to attend the special session on April 29th. He sent this let-ter to be read to the council. April 29, 2013

ONE CITIZEN’S OPINION - offered to the six regular voting members of the Keene City Council.Keene’s history includes

two attempts at becoming a Home-Rule city. I was honored to serve as a mem-ber of each of those forma-tive committees. The first attempt produced a document which called for a “Strong Mayor - Weak Council” form of government. That Home-

Rule charter was REJECTED by the citizens of Keene.The second committee

proposed a “Strong Coun-cil - Weak Mayor” system. That Home-Rule charter was APPROVED by Keene voters. That is the current rule of law under which you six council members govern. The basic concept is that six minds will have more ideas and will make better deci-sions than one Mayor. I ask that you six public servants grasp the implications of that concept, and embrace the re-sponsibility it places on you.Our Mayor has already led

out in removing (with con-siderable expense) one city

administrator. Please don’t allow his “my way or the highway” style of mayorship run off any more employees.Another idea I’d like you

to consider. When you as-semble in closed session this evening and once again hear the Mayor’s demands, sug-gest that a mayoral resigna-tion would likely solve the ‘crisis’ better than firing the targeted employees. Thanks, Robert W. Bischoff

Citizens Forum: One Citizen’s Opinion

Unlimited uses....to build and keep your customers informed!

Phil Robertson, one of the pastors of the Keene SDA Church, will be moving to Corrales, New Mexico to assume his new duties as treasurer of the Texico Con-ference of SDA.There seems to be a few

problems at the Keene City hall with lots of closed coun-cil meetings to discuss per-sonnel issues. Not everyone is convinced that everything being discussed in closed sessions is legal. The law is very specific on what can be discussed and it takes the council to police their meet-ings when they are behind closed doors. And then they have a closed door session to discuss the industrial park! No contracts were presented so how can they continue this? Speaking of industrial park….what ever happened to the $600 million company that was coming to Keene and was going to be the com-pany that saved Keene? Big news conference in October claiming there were just weeks away from arriving in Keene. Now you hear zero about that big company and no one seems to know there whereabouts. It was stated in council meeting that six companies were being held up by lack of council action to get them into the city. It was told that one company that would like to locate in Keene wants to erect a 2000 foot radio tower to assist in collecting medical re-cords. When asked why they wanted to come to Keene, the response was because Keene is the highest point in Johnson County. If you look around the highest point in Keene would be the SWAU campus, now that makes great sense! Maybe with the new $50 an hour economic

consultant the city just hired, he can persuade to Univer-sity to move their campus in order to locate this new tower on the highest point! Do you really think the tower needs to be in the same lo-cale as their office building? Ever driven through Cedar Hill with all of their towers glowing in the night? Keene has one LED sign on Hwy 67 at present and one of the neighbors has complained about it being too bright at night and the light is glow-ing on his grass at night! He would really love a 2000 foot tower in town! Ruth Stilwell celebrated her

100th birthday last week. So life cannot be too bad in Keene, at least not for everybody. Morris Lowry at 96 continues to drive in and around Johnson County. Re-cently Morris assisted young Kenton Sorke in a really well produced video describing life when there was no elec-tricity. Kenton’s video was submitted in an United Co-operative contest and he won $1500 for the contents of his video and another $500 for having the most views on you tube of his video with Professor Lowry. Way to go Kenton and Professor Lowry! Speaking of Morris Lowry did you see the article writ-ten by Don Newbury syndi-cated columnist that wrote an article about Morris’ sister’s sister in law, LILA BETH CREEL? Or would it be bet-ter said the sister of Herbert and JT Hopps? It was in the Cleburne Times Review in the April 25th edition. Well worth the read about that little old maid teacher from Keene, Texas. See everything in the news about Keene recently has not all been bad!!

Just So You Will Know…

A Parent’s Guide to the statewide impact assessment of the Public Education Bud-get Cuts, reveals that despite the sharp decreases in fund-ing over the past few years, Keene Junior High staff and students are still striving to excel, and are in fact doing quite well. Take a moment to Google:

www.childrenatrisk.org Look under the heading: research and data. You will find the 2013 school rank-ings. Opening the 2013 school

rankings and clicking on

North Texas will allow you to find a listing of the 2013 North Texas Middle School Rankings. You won’t have to look too far to discover that the KEENE JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL is ranked #11 out of 333 North Texas Middle Schools and ranked #25 out of 1,840 middle schools across Texas. These rankings not only

make the students and staff at Keene Junior High School PROUD of the results of their hard work all year, but they confirm that the tax dol-lars spent on education are

paying off in a BIG way for the students at Keene Junior High. The dedication of the school

administration, the highly qualified, teaching staff and the efforts of the students combined, have enabled the Keene Junior High School to reach this remarkable and commendable level of achievement. CONGRATULATIONS for

a job well done!

Keene Junior High School earns an “A” for the 2012-2013 School Year.

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is representing the seller. You deserve an experienced real estate professional to represent you and handle all the details for you. We offer Professional Real Estate Representation and welcome your business. If you are listing a home or buying a new or pre-owned home, we invite you to call us at 817-556-3141, or come by the office at 218 W.4th Street Keene,Texas 76059. For list-ings and other information, visit our web site @ www.GillinRealty.com.”

In October 1, 2012, Gillin Realty LLC welcomed Alex Federowski Realtor®.Federowski acquired his

Realtors® license in 2012. He brings to Gillin Realty, LLC a rich background in teaching and administration in educa-tion, health care and sales. He has lived in Texas for five years. He holds a Master’s

degree in Admin-istration and Leader-ship. His profes-sional ex-periences have included education, School Adminis-tration, Long Term Care and insurance. “This makes Alex very

qualified in the dynamics of the family unit and gives him an edge in finding the right home for you” informs Samantha Gillin, “His rich background is also filled with experiences on professional boards, commit-tees, and also with all personal-ity types of professionals and clients. With his combined knowledge, skills, abilities and his cultivated people/inter-personal skills, Alex can be a valuable asset to anyone who may be considering selling or buying Real Estate. He has consistently demonstrated in-tegrity beyond reproach along with an excellent work ethic. You can be assured of the high-est quality of professional ser-vice and respect when working with Alex!”“As a team” states Samantha

Gillin, “Gillin Realty LLC will strive to sell properties listed

by Gillin Realty, LLC and any other properties listed in Johnson County, all surround-ing counties and throughout the state of Texas.”Samantha Gillin asks, “If you

want to do a for sale by owner you may want to consider these points:”• “I am very familiar with

competitive houses so I can help you position your home well.• Homes are bought by com-

parison. I have a large invento-ry at my disposal through MLS while you have an inventory of one.• It is hard negotiating for

yourself. I have lots of experi-ence in writing contracts and can negotiate aggressively on your behalf.• Buyers are not always

forthright about their financial situation. I insist on pre-qual-ifying before I even bring you an offer.• My lender contracts and

mortgage experience help buy-ers get the financingthe need.• Unqualified buyers can tie

up your home. I make sure that doesn’t happen.• Most buyers don’t want to

tell the seller why they don’t make an offer. I can probe the buyer or his/her agent for that information.• Any follow up you do with

a buyer can be seen as des-peration. I follow up as part of my job so that you are not perceived in a compromising light.• I can showcase your

improvements better so that you don’t appear like you are “Selling.”• Most sellers who spend their

time as a For Sale By Owner end up by listing in the end. A recent NAR survey found that only 11% of the sellers nationally ended up selling by owner. Why spend your time and money if in the end you will hire a Realtor®?

• A NAR survey of recent closed sellers found that Realtor®-assisted sales brought in an average of 20% higher sales price than For Sale by Owner sales.• A “FSBO” (for sale by

owner) sign makes you vulner-able for any curiosity seeker or unsavory character. When you list, only buyers accompanied by a Realtor® will get into your house.• Personality conflicts with

a buyer can get in the way. I come between the buyer and the seller so that personalities don’t enter in.• Most buyers use a Realtor®,

which increases the number of buyers who will see your home.• I can mobilize my company

agents and other area Real-tors® on your behalf.• Being accessible to show

your home limits your per-sonal time and cuts down the available showing time. When you list, your property buyers will be accompanied by me or another Realtor®.• Additional exposure through

MLS and the internet brings you a higher price.• I orchestrate the contract-to-

closing process, including the appraisal, buyer-loan process, title, inspections, survey, etc., taking this burden off of you.• I make sure that you are

compliant with all laws relating to the sale of your home.• I only get paid when I get

the job done!”Are You aware of the Differ-

ence Between A Realtor® and a Real Estate Agent?Samantha Gillin would like

the Keene area residents to be aware of the differences between Realtors® and Real Estate Agents which are as follows:People use the terms Realtor®

and real estate agent inter-changeably, but that isincorrect. There are differ-

ences between REALTORS® and real estate agents. Theyare not the same. Although

both are licensed to sell real estate, the basic difference between a real estate agent and a REALTOR® is that a REAL-TOR® is a member of the National Association of REAL-TORS®, Texas Association of REALTORS® and the local Board of REALTORS®. As such, the main difference that you hear a lot about -but are likely confused about- is that a REALTOR® must subscribe to the REALTORS® CODE OF ETHICS. But what does this mean to a consumer?

The Code of Ethics is strictly enforced. It contains 17 Ar-ticles and various underlying Standards of practice. It’s not just a bunch of rules that agents swear to uphold and adhere to. The Standards are much more restrictive and confining as to conduct than those governing agents who simply hold a real estate license.While there is no evidence

nor guarantee that all REAL-TORS® are morally or ethical-ly better than unaffiliated real estate agents, it is an attempt by the industry to regulate and, as such, deserves recognition. Keeping in mind, of course, that even the non-NAR mem-ber “real estate agent” is held to the same legal standard, as a practical matter.Samantha Gillin would also

like the readers of the Keene Chronicle to be informed on the “17 things that a REAL-TOR® promises to do:”#1) Pledge to put the interests

of buyers and sellers ahead of their own and to treat all par-ties honestly.#2) Shall refrain from exag-

gerating, misrepre-senting or concealing material facts; and is obligated to investigate and disclose when situations reasonably warrant.#3) Shall cooperate

with other brokers/ agents when it is the best interests of the client to do so.#4) Have a duty to

disclose if they repre-sent family members who own or about to buy real estate, or if they themselves are a principle in a real estate transaction, that they are licensed to sell real estate.#5) Shall not provide

professional services in a transaction where the Realtor® has a present or contemplated inter-est without disclosing that interest.#6) Shall not collect any com-

missions without the seller’s knowledge nor accept fees from the third- party without the seller’s express consent.#7) Shall refuse fees from

more than one party without all parties’ informed consent. #8) Shall not co-mingle client

funds with their own. #9) Shall attempt to ensure

that all written documents are easy to understand and will give everybody a copy of what they sign.

#10) Shall not discriminate in any fashion for any reason on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin. #11) Expects Realtors® to be

competent, to conform to stan-dards of practice and to refuse to provide services for which they are unqualified. #12) Must engage in truth in

advertising. #13) Shall not practice law

unless they are a lawyer. #14) Shall cooperate is

charges are bought against them and present all evidence requested.#15) Shall agree not to bad

mouth competition and agree not to file unfounded ethics complaints. #16) Shall not solicit another

REALTORS® client nor inter-fere in a contractual relation-ship. #17) Shall submit to arbitra-

tion to settle matters and not seek legal remedies in the judicial system. The National Association of

REALTORS® was founded in 1908 and has more than one million members. The REAL-TOR® has a educational stan-dard and they also pay to use the designation. It is required to renew your license periodi-cally and one requirement is Legal and Ethics courses. Samantha Gillin informed the

Keene Chronicle that “Gillin Realty LLC Realtors® keep their professional skills current by the Continuing Education classes that are required by the Texas Real Estate Commission and the educational standards set by Gillin Realty LLC.”

Gillin Realty, LLC is located at: 218 W. Fourth Street Keene, Tx 76059 Contact information:Main number: 817-556-3141Fax: 817-556-3138 Samantha Gillin’s email:

samg@gillinrealty.comAlex Federowski email:

alex@gillinrealty.com Gillin Realty LLC hours of

operation are: 9-5 Monday thru Friday, closed on Sabbath and open Sunday by appointment.

Continued: Local Realtor® Achieves National Recognition!

Gillin Realty, LLC, office entrance

Gillin Realty, LLC, plaques and awards

Gillin Realty, LLC, office

Alex Federowski

6 • THURSDAY, MAY 09, 2013 • WWW.KEENECHRONICLE.COM

This is an incredibly beautiful home. Built with the utmost care as to details and liveability. Large entry foyer, fireplace, and open kitchen. Master suite sitting area, huge bathroom and walkin closets. Large outdoor deck; barbeque oven and outdoor furniture will remain. One acre lot leaves room for other outbuildings. Motivated Seller. Make an offer...asking $202,900 House on corner of Greenbriar and Old Mansfield Road. 906 Greenbriar is the address.

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Picture by Mrs. Yates

The Keene Ju-nior High School held a STAAR Pep Rally, to get students excited about taking the STAAR assess-ments last week. The 6th grade students sang a science song and then Stand To Acknowl-edge Academic Readiness”, a play on the acronym STAAR in which they reinforced the idea that the teachers had prepared them well, and now it was up to them to do their best to show what they had learned.It was sung to the tune of “Father Abraham” and ended with the lyrics: “We are prepared, so let’s just ACE this test”. The 7th grade students sang a math song with words on power-point. They ended with the phrase, “The Chargers won’t stop until they win.” The KJH cheerleaders performed with a “Shake It - Take It” chant and gave a special thank

you to Mrs. Wanda Smith, Keene ISD Superintendent, who was in attendance, along with Mr. Walt Pfiefer, CFO at Keene ISD. The new Keene Charger Mascot, with the cheerleaders, Candace Fox, made an appearance. The reading teacher’s did a Race to the Finish. Students and staff alike sat

on rolling squares and raced to the STAAR Finish Line. Head Coach, Jason Hill took the lead for the staff. The 8th grade did a basketball throw contents, emphasiz-ing to not give up, but keep trying until you complete the test. It was an exciting Pep Rally, and we trust the

STAAR testing results will reflect the results of the hard work of KJH teachers and students for the 2012-2013school year.

KJH Holds STAAR Pep Rally

Left to Right: Darrell Thomas, Isaac Jonaie, Tyler Hines, Gladys Marchella, Yochabel Lisboa

Candace Fox

There is no truth to the ru-mor that Harry McQueen is blind in one and and cannot see out the other..

CHIPS Basketball Tournament WinnersPhotos: Junior High

School Coach, Tiffan-ny Lemos

The annual CHIPS Basket-ball Tournament, held in the Keene Junior High Gym was a great success. CHIPS, it is a program designed for 6th graders to better their basket-ball skills before signing up for the athletics program at the Keene Junior High School. The 6th grade teachers operate the concession stand during the tournament. The students enjoy playing in front of their parent, peers, and especially their teachers and look forward to participating in athletics next year. Girls Photo: (Left to Right) Joy Konou, Stafanny San-

doval, Cheridan John, Wendy Thomas

Boys Photo: (Left to Right) Head Coach, Jason Hill, Dusty Kattil, Jose Montalvo, Gideon Langidrick