Arlington businessman Bill Burch named
"Volunteer of the Year" by Texas GOP

(AUSTIN) - Arlington real estate investor and candidate for Texas State House District 93 William P. "Bill" Burch has today been named "Volunteer of the Year for Senate District 9" by the Republican Party of Texas at award presentation ceremonies held in Austin.

Since 1979, the Ft. Worth native has worked in the Republican Party as a volunteer for numerous local, state, and national political campaigns, and has held a number of party organization posts and official GOP convention designations, including being an Arlington Precinct Chairman and Tarrant County Area Leader for the Tarrant County Republican Party. He has also served as Chairman of the Nominations Committee for Senate District 9 for a number of years, and was on the Platform Committee of the 2006 Republican State Convention.

"Bill Burch has labored tirelessly for the Republican Party and its candidates for over 25 years, doing everything from the important work of walking precincts and calling voters to serving in various leadership positions", said Tim Hoy, the State Republican Party Executive Committeeman who nominated Burch. "His list of accomplishments is too long to go into detail about, but the short version is that he helped us tremendously at building a Republican majority in Texas. He is an outstanding example of what selfless volunteerism is all about, and Republican elected officials from the courthouse in Tarrant County to the State House in Austin to the White House in Washington have benefited from his active dedication to our party and to the cause of good government."

Good government is what it's all about, according to Burch. "When I first got involved in politics, it seemed like government wasn't doing its job well for the citizens. President Carter was in the White House, and we had daily long gas lines, double-digit inflation which impacted everybody and made the poor even poorer, staggering interest rates that kept people from buying houses and investing in businesses, and families going to bed every night worried about the Cold War with the Soviet Union", Burch says. "I didn't know what I could do to help improve things, but doing nothing wasn't going to accomplish anything. So, as a businessman, I decided to get actively involved with the political party that seemed the most optimistic and energetic about solving problems - the Republican Party."

Since that time, the Republican Party has elected it's nominees to the White House in five out of seven elections, all elections for Governor of Texas, all statewide elected positions - including both U.S. Senators, a majority of the Texas delegation to the U.S. Congress, and has taken majority control of both the Texas State House and Senate.

"Not long ago, I was sitting in the gallery of the Texas Legislature with my wife, Jane, and some friends waiting for a vote on a piece of legislation that would turn into Texas law one of the planks of the Republican Party Platform I'd worked on. The moment the Speaker suddenly pounded his gavel at the end of the vote rather vividly reinforced to me that all of the work contacting voters, campaigning for candidates, going to precinct conventions, meeting into the early-morning hours on committees, and shuttling back and forth to Austin endless times was all about the moment that bill passed, and putting into office the people who voted for it", Burch says. "As much as I enjoy meeting voters, visiting with fellow Republicans, and getting to know others active in politics on both sides of the aisle, it's still all about making good laws to improve government and the lives of Texans."

"Among the reasons I decided to run for the legislature representing Arlington, Mansfield, and Grand Prairie - District 93 - are that we have serious problems in this area with traffic gridlock, transportation, and growing crime, and certainly challenges all over Texas with education. These are 'quality of life' issues for Texas families, businesses, and schools, but they're also economic issues both for today and the future", Burch adds. "While we all want less government, and lower taxes, we do want government to do what it does as efficiently as possible, and in accordance with the wishes of the taxpayers who have to pay the bills. I'm running because I know I can have a positive impact in those areas, and because I feel I can do a better job than the Democrat currently holding that seat."

Jane Solis Burch, Bill's wife of over 34 years, is also very involved in Republican Party, is in her second term as the District 9 State Republican Executive Committeewoman, and was appointed by Governor Perry in 2006 as a state fire commissioner to the Texas Commission on Fire Protection. She says of Bill's award for volunteerism that while she's very proud of Bill's hard work and the recognition of his accomplishments, what means most to both of them is solving problems and getting things done.

"There are so many people in our area who give so much time and talent to the Republican Party, that it's difficult for the state party to select just one person from each district for the annual award. So, Bill accepted it on behalf of all the volunteers who have worked so hard to elect Republican candidates and build the party into an organization that addresses problems and needs, and not just the philosophical positions we may embrace", she said. "It's all about doing positive things to make a difference, and not just debating what should be done."

When asked how many hours per month he estimates he puts into helping the Republican Party, Bill Burch just smiles and says, "I've honestly never counted them, and probably couldn't. Besides, all that really matters is what we achieve, and those results get counted on election night and at the end of every legislative session."

Texas Lt. Governor David Dewhurst, Attorney General Greg Abbott, and other Republican elected officials participated in the presentation of the award.