Linden City Council candidate bios
Tiffany Whorton
Candidate for Linden City Council Alderman
Tiffany Whorton has lived in Linden for the past four years. Born and raised in the Dallas area, Whorton moved to Linden in 2001. After relocating back to the Metroplex, Whorton ultimately decided that Linden would be her family’s forever home.
With three children in the Linden-Kildare school district and a fiancé who commutes to the Metroplex for work in the oil industry, Whorton still makes the time for Linden.
“I believe Linden could be very successful we have potential to grow and space to put new business in that would bring more employment to our town. We have had several opportunities to open new business and the current council wouldn’t allow it”, Whorton said, “Look at Atlanta and Jefferson for instance they’ve grown so much in the past 3-4 years.”
“If elected, my mission is to improve accountability and transparency in city government. Our city’s affairs have been conducted in the dark for too long, and decisions have been postponed to avoid accountability. There are too many “yes men”. I’m a no-nonsense conservative watchdog who promises that if elected, the days of no empathy on the Linden City Council are over. My family and I have lived here for five years. We love this city and are dedicated to see major improvements within this small community. I will fight to have citizens voices heard. I invite all citizens to participate in their city’s government. If elected, “my door is always open”. Are you tired yet? I am. Together we will bring Linden back to prominence”, Whorton wrote on her Facebook page.
Whorton says she wants to focus on cleaning up abandoned houses and pushing code enforcement and that city officials should be better positioned to provide quicker resolutions to agenda items that have been tabled for too long.
“Whether it is forward thinking infrastructure investments that allow a company to get up and running more quickly, or reducing red tape during the permitting process, cities can support existing businesses in their communities, and create an attractive market for those looking to expand”, Whorton said.
Whorton asks, “Are you tired yet?” “Aren’t you tired of living in a dying town? Aren’t you
“Aren’t you tired of living in a dying town? Aren’t you tired of seeing all the vacant buildings and the homes? The younger generation is fighting to keep Linden alive by bringing citizens together”, Whorton said.
Whorton works full-time for Lincare in Texarkana, Texas.
James Johnson
Candidate for Linden City Council Alderman
James Johnson was born in Mt. Pleasant and moved to Linden at four years old and graduated from Linden Kildare high School in 1987. An engineering technician employed with Bowie-Cass Electric, Johnson has worked in his field in the area for 30 years.
When asked what inspired his run for the Linden City Council, Johnson says he’s reached a point in his life where he has the ability to better Linden.
“I grew up here and I’ve seen a lot of stuff come and go in Linden and I know it will probably never be like it was when I was a kid growing up. It’s not plausible. But if I can do something to better Linden, that’s what I want to do.”
“I know most people there and the other people on the council my whole life. I have nothing bad to say about anybody, but sometimes you need a fresh set of eyes in there”, Johnson said, “I’m not going to beat around the bush. I’m not a “yes man”. I know for a fact there’s a lot of stuff that needs to be done.”
The issues: “Our city streets. They’re terrible and steadily getting worse. I know some of the hold up and what’s causing that but that’s an issue that I would like to see done and find out for myself why we haven’t gotten it done. We have ordinances there that I think need to be enforced there. We have a bad dog issue at times and I think some of that needs to be done. We have a leash law and I think it ought to be enforced.”
Johnson admits he’s no politician nor businessman, but feels he has a lot to contribute to his community.
“I really want to get in on the inside and see what I need to do to make it better; if I can do anything about it”, Johnson said, “I can [serve] as just a plain common citizen, you know, from a working man’s point of view and see what I can do to help.”
Johnson says he knows what it takes to make the ends meet, working for what you want and giving back to the community that has given so much to him.
“I want to give back to the town that I was raised in and proud of. I’m very proud of Linden. If I wasn’t, I’d have moved a long time ago. I’ve had opportunities to move and move my family years ago, but I’ve always had faith in our town and the people there. I’ve had a good life there”, Johnson said.
Johnson has been married to his wife, Candi, for 31 years, have three children and six grandchildren. They have been members of the Cass County Cowboy Church for the last four years.
Whitney Goebel (with husband Caleb)
Candidate for Linden City Council Alderman
Whitney Goebel was born in Linden and lived in Jefferson and Texarkana as a student. A 2005 graduate of American Christian Academy in Texarkana and former Tyler resident with her husband, Caleb, Whitney decided to move to Linden in 2017 to be closer to family and “it had always felt like home”.
“We decided to plant roots in Linden because Linden was a great school when I went to school there.”
The coach for Linden’s Total Chaos Softball, league president and director of its newly-formed, non-profit, Goebel said it was her children’s interest in pursuing sports that led her to Linden but quickly learned it was more than just an extra-curricular activity.
“The sports had a huge impact on my kids and so in January we decided to build a program to get more kids involved, and it kind of took off ”, Goebel said, “Since then it has turned into the Total Chaos Foundation.”
Goebel chairs a board of five on which she serves children in the community through sports and fellowship and is currently working toward implementing a scholarship program next year.
Additionally, she serves as the activities chairman of Linden Together.
“I help with the activities. We put together the block parties, parades and things to help our community.”
The wife of a retired U.S. Airforce something, Goebel was elected to Trustee for the VFW Post of Linden, Auxillary—a body that supports the Veterans of Foreign Wars and comprised of current and former spouses, children and grandchildren of veterans who served on foreign soil during war time. They assist with scholarships, fundraisers and helping families.
“VFW has made a lot of improvements and updates inside of the building and they are very family oriented and to me that’s a huge thing because my husband is retired from the Airforce. Served over 15 years.”
Goebel said she became interested in the Linden City Council this year and began attending meetings.
“From what I’ve seen at the city council meetings, there is a lot to discuss, there are a lot of policies that they’re trying to put in place, and I feel like we need to move forward. We don’t need to be at a standstill. We need to keep pushing forward. We need to be doing more for our community. Decisions need to be made to help the growth of Linden. We need to bring in small business owners to fill up the empty buildings downtown”, she said.
Goebel is excited that the city has been planning to make vital repairs to infrastructure such as water, sewer and roads and knows it doesn’t happen overnight.
“The city does a lot. I want to be able to help—to see that grow. I want to help bring more employment opportunities and the community of Linden together.”
“I know a lot of people don’t like change, but change can be good. It means growth.”