A quick welcome
Understanding the 'Pledge to Save New Braunfels'
A written promise to serve our great town, together.
The first part of this pledge is not about one person 'Saving New Braunfels'. It's just the opposite. It is about, starting where we can control, within ourselves individually. It is about each one of us, deciding to yield to a better plan, not in our own understanding, our own craftiness, but yielding to God, as found in Proverbs 3:5.
By seeking out the gifts God has given each of us, serving one another, honestly and humbly seeking to do our best, step by step, each day as Servant Leaders, specifically in civil/public service.
The second part is about restoring government to its proper purpose and keeping it that way.
Through several years of prayer, intense counseling, deep reflection, through careful observation, research, and learning to intently listen to others, God gave me this promise to share with you. You can find more details on this bellow.
Below is my customized copy of my promise to you as I seek public office. A blank version with instructions follows.
How this came to be
After years of striving to do good in our town, I felt like I had hit a brick wall. Especially with our city leaders. Seeing The People being deceived and wanting to expose and change it, I fought with all I had, co-founded Citizens of New Braunfels for Responsible Growth, became a precinct chair for the Republican Party, and worked in my own capacity, to compel local leaders to change. Few leaders seemed to care, even less changed. I was even attacked by some of the very people I helped get elected, simply because I tried to hold them to account for their promises which they had broken.
I let those personal attacks, being completely baseless lies and slander, get to me. I struggled to forgive, and it showed publicly and privately. While my efforts did yield some victories, and I could see I clearly was called into a role involving civil service/government, I was not mature in my walk with Christ. I was not ready for this calling.
About this time, I was offered to meet with Chief Lane of the NB police department. After a long and deeply personal meeting, Chief gave me a book along with some really impactful advice and encouragement. Eventually, the guidance in that book, coupled with guidance from marriage counselors, pastors and very close friends, led me to deep personal reflection and change, to my core.
I realized the only thing I could control is myself and that God would use me better if I yielded completely to Him and humbly sought to do be a better person. I had to acknowledge that my role is not for me to decide, only that I would delight in whatever it was that God had for me, if I would just yield to His way and trust Him fully, trusting He would Save New Braunfels, through a better plan.
Developing the pledge
The first time I remember thinking about this, I was standing on the Faust st. Bridge, contemplating what has happened to our town that has allowed our leaders to take so much away from us. I was saddened knowing that so many of the reasons I decided to raise my family here were slipping away for the benefit of developers. I felt powerless to save our town. I wanted to continue to fight for our town, but I needed to focus my time and energy on serving my family.
He showed me that I needed to get my own house in order, focus on representing Christ in all my actions, following His instructions, EXACTLY, and work to become a servant to The People.
I heard a clear reminder of God's word to Be quiet and listen, to trust Him. I cried out to God, laid it at His feet and asked Him to send someone to do what I had set out to do, and to do it better than I ever could.
At that moment, I had a peace come about me and as God often does when we let things go, he offered me a vision that was just a glance into His plan. I sketched it out in my journal. In this picture, was a gate with the words 'Save New Braunfels' on top.
Along with this came a flood of ideas of a place where Christians could retreat and learn to act as civil servants. Where we would learn to live above reproach as an example and return government back to the limited role our founders intended, run by and for The People. I saw a glimpse of a movement that would restore trust in our government, remove the disconnect so many of us feel. This vision was at it's core, about installing Christian leaders form the grassroots level to serve honestly, humbly, openly, based on biblical principles, as Servant Leaders. This movement would need the right people, the right timing, and a strong foundation to do what He had reviled to me.
So, as I worked myself to become a better leader and servant to my wife and family, I came to realize how the core ideas related to this vison and I started listing ideas and principles key to this foundation. Over the course of about 3 years, I continued to develop what has become this pledge. I sent different revisions to people you would likely recognize in the community, had numerous closed-door discussions and prayed over this constantly. I sought careful guidance and considered legal advice. I also considered the difficulties of implementing some of these admittedly lofty ideas and made changes through extensive feedback to craft a workable set of goals.
The result and more
What came from all this is a set of goals that I truly believe can Save New Braunfels at its core, much like God has saved me, my marriage, my family by following these principles. I believe the NBTX portion can be implemented with the right people in place, willing to boldly take a stand for open and honest government that seeks only to serve The People.
Along with this pledge, God showed me some Ideas to work on, including what I started to cover in my Save New Braunfels videos that I hope to get back to this in some form. This includes some ideas to bring back some of the things we once enjoyed here in this great town but have been taken due to irresponsible growth and irresponsible leadership.
What I will do with this pledge
I have wanted to take up a several causes over the last few years. Each time, I have heard God's clear instruction not to engage, to allow time for Him to work in me and others and to trust in His timing, His plan for me in all this. So, I have quietly been observing the actions of our government, only attending a few meetings over the last few years, but still watching closely while I work on being a better husband, father and servant to others.
I was preparing to possibly run for office in a year or so, considering where I could best serve The People in a full-time capacity, seeking to serve where God called me, in His time.
Through circumstance only explainable by God's Providence, this opportunity to run for Justice of the Peace came up. As a precinct chair, I was seeking a good candidate to fill this position. I was carefully considering why a JP was created and what is needed in a person to do this job well. The more I looked into this, the more it seemed to fit EXACTLY with what God was teaching me to be as a servant leader.
The role of Justice of the Peace is a perfect fit for my desire to get to truth, to break down and expose deception, and to bring Justice to The People in a way that makes the process less intimidating and complicated. This job also demands a person to live above reproach and to seek God's wisdom constantly. It requires no law degree, but it does require a legal mind and the desire to do what is right and fair. This is me, to the core. It is clear, I was made for this.
So, with my wife's blessing, with deep prayer, many consultations with other JPs, with attorneys, pastors and friends, I answered this call. And with your blessing, I will serve The People well.
As a JP, the pledge will hang on the wall of my office, or possibly in the hall or even the courtroom. I will live by these standards and you, The People will have a method to call me out, to hold me to account for my actions in and out of the courtroom.
As a citizen, elected based on this pledge and my personal promise, I will engage with our leaders, behind the scenes to implement the parts of this pledge that I admittedly, will have no power to do. I will consider your vote as a mandate to bring these ideas forward and to call for more accountability from our leaders.
A call for others to follow
Few will take this pledge, if any. I know of only one person to this date that has said privately they were considering it. She is a warrior for the idea, and I challenge her to make it public when she finds a place of service beyond her current role.
I believe God will honor those that take this and follow through. I thank the people for the overwhelming vote I received on 3/3/2026. You are the reason I won, and you are the reason I believe I will win the runoff on May 26. But the genuine core of my victory, the foundation of every action including the way I placed signs, the way I challenged enforcement of election day rules and even the way I report this to you here, all comes down to striving to live up to God's calling, and to adhere to this pledge I made to you. This pledge has blessed me beyond my expectations.
I hope that more Christians felling called to serve will also take this pledge, fill out the customized portion and go on record to stand for these ideas and be held to account.
You are welcome to join me in this pledge
To do so: Seek the talents God has loaned you, consider Psalm 37:4 and ask yourself: "What is the true desire of your heart?"
For me, I find joy and peace when I serve people. Through things like setting up coffee at church, cleaning bathrooms and taking out trash, and fixing up cars for people in rough situations. At work designing a dream backyard with a pool, and then building it for a customer. Also when I see injustice or deception in our government, I feel called to stand against it and work to find a better solution. It is all done out of love for others, with a servant's heart.
So, what talent is it that God has loaned you? What gives you peace, clarity or drive when you do it? What passion do you have that can give back to The People of our town?
Seek a place of civil/public service to help using those gifts, either directly at an elected office, by applying to a board, or applying to a local government job. You can even serve as a supporter of those people by encouragement and accountability.
Customize the "Personal Promise", sign it, and then hang it on your fridge, post it, or whatever you feel called to do. Perhaps just leave it blank and pray for God to show you the first step, as He did me when he told me to "Be quiet, listen."
Pledge to Save New Braunfels (Blank Form)
A Solemn Commitment and Promise to the People of New Braunfels, Texas:
The People of New Braunfels, agree that leadership has declined steadily in recent years. We observe increasing division and a growing disconnect from the people who serve us. We have elected leaders promising change, but those leaders are soon influenced by special interests and by unelected city management and staff. Without proper support, those we elect soon become isolated, rejected, and powerless in office. Far too often, the elected eventually conform to the same cookie-cutter leadership they once opposed.
While acknowledging these truths, we have concluded that the real solution lies in sustained engagement at the local level, for the long run. This requires more than just strong leaders stepping forward, it demands that humble Christians, with principles and clear goals, step up to serve, unafraid of openness and truth. It requires that Christians understand how important it is to engage in local issues and to act as representatives to their churches, neighbors, and circles: keeping watch, feeding information both ways, and staying engaged with our elected and appointed leaders.
It begins with each of us; first to get our own house in order, choose to live according to God's standard, then to use our talents where we can do the most good, and become servants of The People, placing others' needs above our own.
Therefore:
I Timothy M Davis, solemnly pledge before The People of New Braunfels to uphold and advance the following principles and commitments:
I Timothy M Davis, solemnly pledge before The People of New Braunfels to uphold and advance the following principles and commitments:
State clear goals and stick to them as pledged, acting as a true representative for the people who elected or appointed me.
Act as a representative of Christ, doing my best to follow the principles of Honesty, Integrity, and Humility, in service to The People, treating others as I would want to be treated.
Vote according to the principles of limited government, individual liberty, and in alignment with my 'Personal Promise' below.
Engage:
Elected/appointed: Intently listen and care for The People; foster more conversations and exchanges. Place voters' interests above special interests at all times.
Supporters: Support those who take this pledge, hold them to account based on their actions, stay engaged, and help others engage through an organized information sharing system.
I will support these legislative priorities:
Neighborhoods First: Prioritize existing neighborhoods over expansion. Invest in parks, greenspace, river access, parking, and basic services for current residents. Redirect EDC funds and TIRZ toward inner-city land, blighted areas, and neglected infrastructure before approving new developments that add to an already crowded space.
Back to Basics: Focus city government on core services. Clean up the city, lower service costs, and restore what residents have lost in recent years: recycling, bulk pickup, park and river access, parking access and more. Operate NBU as a true public utility; set rates sufficient to cover operations only and return excess revenue to customers.
Transparency/Trust: Make government actions easy to understand and observe. Require clear documentation showing total taxpayer cost, tax impacts, and spending changes in plain language on easily read forms dictated by ordinance, not discretion. City staff shall not sell their ideas instead, they should be required to present all sides of information equally, honestly, and fairly as fiduciaries for The People. Develop an open records system that is searchable in real time to anyone with a library card, including emails, texts, and communications, with read-only access.
X-change Ideas openly and Freely: Create systems for ideas, authority, and accountability to flow freely. Shift power from unelected city management, compel staff to act on public input derived from open exchanges, using modern technology, rather than limited and controlled engagement. Make city council a full-time, fairly paid job, allowing representatives to focus on serving the people, with real planning and zoning input. Restore direct accountability with a simple recall process including clear mechanisms to remove senior staff.
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My Personal Promise:
(Example: As a candidate for Justice of the Peace, I seek to serve using my desire to seek truth, justice, peace utilizing my experience as a contractor and more, to resolve complicated problems. I will seek God's wisdom and will work to make the court more accessible and less intimidating to the common citizen. I will seek fairness for all. I will continue to serve in other areas, as I have with my work at council, as a 2-time state delegate and as a precinct chair, and continue to seek knowledge and understanding of the law before making decisions. This job will help me to better influence leaders and allow more time to work behind the scenes, supporting lawmakers to implement lasting solutions, and help restore government to The People)
I affix my name to this promise in good faith, committing to these principles for the Good of New Braunfels.
Signature Date___ /___ /2026
Please feel free to copy and paste onto personalized letterhead and print for use as a reminder to yourself of your commitment to Serve the People of New Braunfels accordingly. (See NOTICE)
(NOTICE: Modification of this document is not authorized for any purpose, by any person, without written and signed permission by its creator: Timothy M. Davis and is authorized to be used ONLY as clearly intended and stated therein.)
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