April 19, 2025 • 13 mins
Elizabeth Matus isn’t running for City Council in District 5 because she’s looking for something to do—her resume is already full! She’s stepping up because she believes Pleasant Grove deserves more, and she’s ready to help make that happen. A lifelong resident, Elizabeth’s connection to the community runs deep, and her passion for making it better is what’s driving her campaign. Her story is one we think a lot of people will relate to, and we’re excited to share it as part of our Behind the Ballot series. Stay tuned to learn more!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (00:00):
Hi there. I'm Sarah Zubiate Bennett, and
(00:02):
I've got a big ask for you thiselection season. Get out there
and vote. If you're ready to seechange in our city, this is how
you make it happen. Your vote isyour voice, and it truly
matters. Now I get it. Votingcan feel a little overwhelming.
There are a lot of names on theballot, yes. It's tough to
figure out who's who, but that'swhy I'm so excited to bring you
(00:22):
this special series where wehighlight some of the incredible
new candidates running for citycouncil. In this episode, you'll
meet Elizabeth Matus who'srunning in District 5. She's got
deep roots in Pleasant Grove anda powerful story that I think
will really resonate with you.Her passion for the community is
inspiring and I can't wait foryou to hear what she has to say.
(00:43):
So stay with us, hit that likebutton, subscribe if you haven't
already, and check out the restof the candidates we're
featuring in this series. Thankyou so much for being here.
Let's make our voices counttogether.
Elizabeth, thank you for beinghere with me today.
Elizabeth Matus (01:04):
Thank you for having me.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (01:05):
I'm glad you're here. And I'm just very
interested in getting to knowyou, learning more about what's
inspired you, and looking to seewhat type of change you're
wanting to affect. So thank youfor being here.
Elizabeth Matus (01:19):
Thank you for having me here.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (01:20):
Of course, of course. So Elizabeth
Matus, right? Or Matoos. Mathus.And you've told me that your
last name is Belizean?
Elizabeth Matus (01:28):
Yes ma'am.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (01:29):
That's terrific. So you have a husband
and children. And so you havebeen in healthcare for the
better part of three decades.
Elizabeth Matus (01:39):
Oh, for sure yes.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (01:40):
But you said twenty eight years. You've
worked not just at Children's,but also at the North Central
Surgical Center as health unitcoordinator, and then also a
patient caretaker, which isincredible experience. What
prompted you to want to placeyour hat in the ring to run
(02:03):
against Jaime Resendez?
Elizabeth Matus (02:05):
So the whole situation started when I
developed a really huge passionto help people. So when I
started working at Children's, Istarted there shortly after, I
had a sister that had cancer.And so that's what prompted me
(02:31):
to give back. And so the onlyway that I could give back,
because you feel helpless, oryou feel helpless not being able
to help the patient, becausewe're not doctors or nurses or
what have you. The way I couldgive back was being a patient
(02:51):
care tech and working. And so Ifelt like I needed to give back
for all that they gave us. SoI'm very grateful for them. And
also, that just started anetwork of being able to reach
out to different families. And Iwas like, I could do this. I can
help other people. And so thepassion just grew, and grew, and
(03:13):
grew. And it hasn't stopped.
I love it. I'm very excited todo it because...
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (03:18):
It's a sacrifice.
Elizabeth Matus (03:19):
It is.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (03:19):
It And you're busy. You work a lot. But
it's a sacrifice to serve. Andthat's what city council was
intended to be from its origins.So you're that servant mindset
is expanding over into thepolitical space. Yes. Yes. I
really enjoy being there forsomeone who feels like they
(03:43):
don't have a voice. I want to bethat voice. I want to be able to
stand in the gap for them. I'mtired of the division. We need
to bring that meaning ofneighborhood or neighbor back
into fruition. And so I'm readyfor that.
(04:06):
That's terrific. And what wasyour primary reason? I know you
love to serve, but when did yousay, I don't like what's
happening? What was that momentthat sparked that passion and
desire?
Elizabeth Matus (04:26):
Yes, of course. So, as I meant Well, I have a
son that's autistic son. And so,he is a high functioning, he's a
30 year old man. But he doesride his bike to work, which is
a Walmart that's just down thestreet from us. And we have a
lot of car racing in ourneighborhood. It's not just for
(04:49):
him, there's another autisticchild, young adult that lives
around the corner as well, andthat is dangerous. You know,
they shouldn't have to put theirlives at risk just to go have a
normal life and be productivecitizens. And so and I want to
(05:10):
make sure that I leave himsomething that he's proud of and
he says or that he'll be able tosay, you know, my mom worked
hard for me because she's notalways gonna be there. And so
I've gotten those hard questionsfrom mom already. You know, mom,
mom, it's gonna happen to meonce you're gone. And so that
just kinda, like, made me stopand think, oh, wow. I need to
(05:34):
start making changes to betterthe neighborhood, to better the
surroundings for him, because Iwant him to be safe when I'm
gone.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (05:43):
I love it. It brings tears to my eyes,
as you can see, as a mother.Because nothing fuels my
passion, my excitement, my fury,my all the things like
motherhood. I mean, just lastnight I was sitting there giving
my twins a general landscape onthe different 14 districts. And
(06:08):
the people that I was hopingwould have some type of ability
to stand against some of theseincumbents, and the reasons why.
And that's why I do this. Right?Because you wanna leave this
world better. I get that. And sotalk to me about the sidewalks
and the streets.
Elizabeth Matus (06:29):
So I'm not sure if you're aware. The city
council has decided recentlythat they were gonna spend
$6,300,000 counting those trees.So necessary. Right? That they
have really neglected thechildren of the neighborhood. I
went further south, the southernpart of Pleasant Grove, they
(06:53):
have no sidewalks for thechildren. The children have to
walk in the middle of the streetto and from school. They have to
jump out of the way in order forthe car to go by. Cars are not
respecting the children and it's terrifying. The fact that
there's a pedestrian in themiddle of the street trying to
make it home, and they see thatit's a child, and they still
(07:16):
refuse to slow down, and thatputs our children at risk.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (07:20):
Mhmm.
Elizabeth Matus (07:21):
And that just doesn't sit well with me. Those
are basic necessities that needto be met as soon as possible.
There's also areas where, sincethey don't have the sidewalks,
their drainages are still open,and so there's stagnant water
everywhere. And as soon as youroll into some of these
(07:43):
neighborhoods, you can smell thestench come through your vents
because it's so bad. Peopleshould not be subjected to live
that way.
They pay taxes just the way Ido, the way you do. They should
have these basic necessitiesmet.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (08:00):
I think you've changed my opinion about
something. So I've always kindof advocated for people to run
for these city council officeswho are very familiar with
financial statements and runningcorporations and blah blah blah.
No. I believe it needs to besomeone who has a heart of
(08:26):
service, not someone who's powerhungry and who has chased labels
of right. Just just the metricsof success that are that are
used to paint a picture of asuccessful person. I believe
(08:46):
that someone like you is exactlywhat we need. You are in touch
with humanity, with the thingsthat we need, that we're all
calling for.
Elizabeth Matus (09:00):
Oh, yes.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (09:01):
And so many of these people, it seems
like, are advocating advocatingfor fancier yeah. Millions and
millions of dollars for countingtrees. I understand that we want
to have beautification of thecity. I get it. Not at the
expense of the safety of ourchildren.
Elizabeth Matus (09:21):
Correct.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett: Absolutely. (09:21):
undefined
Elizabeth Matus (09:22):
And correct. Absolutely. And it's so sad
because what does thatcommunicate to the kids?
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (09:28):
That's right. That they're not worthy.
They're not worth it.
Exactly. They're not worth theinvestment.
Elizabeth Matus (09:34):
Mhmm. And it's so sad.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (09:38):
And I really appreciate you expanding
upon that because that's kind ofgonna segue easily into this
next space surrounding publicsafety. Can you talk to me about
what you're learning whileyou're blocking pertaining to
public?
Elizabeth Matus (09:55):
I happened to stop at just a Family Dollar
store right off of Buckner, nottoo far from where I live. And I
just happened to go by, and Iand I happened to see the cash
the lady that works at the cashregister outside, and I walked
up to her and I said, can I justask you a simple question? I
said, is it hard to work here?How safe do you feel? And she
(10:22):
just threw her hands up in theair and said, I'm tired.
And I said, Well, please sharewith me. And she said, well, we
have people coming into thestore stealing products on the
daily. And then they callpolice, and because it's not a
super urgent issue, which Itotally understand, and I don't
(10:46):
blame the police officersbecause we're, you know, we need
more officers to begin with, andthey're short staffed. Of
course. They run out with items,they can't do their jobs,
they're concentrating on havingto chase the person from the
store, trying to get the itemsback, and then if they do see a
police officer, she did mentionthis, that if they do see an
(11:09):
officer and they try to wavethem down, because the call
hasn't come through, they won'trespond.
So they just get the productsand the person just run out the
door. I mean, there's nothingelse that they can do, and they
can't work. So what is thatteaching them and showing them
that they're not valuable as anemployee to that store, because
(11:31):
no one's responding for them, noone is backing them up. And
that's an awful feeling when youdon't have someone to back you
up, because you can't functionthat way. You're not safe. You
don't feel normal, becauseyou're always having to watch
your back. And we shouldn't livethat way.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (11:49):
And you know, it's sad. It's sending a
message, yes, to that employee,another message to the
businesses because they're notgonna survive if their inventory
continues to be And our economy,our respective economy will
fail.
Elizabeth Matus (12:07):
Oh, for sure.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (12:08):
Which is why and it's failing. In
downtown, that's why Neiman'sright? I mean, now AT&T is
probably gonna leave. Now we'veI mean, Bank of America's
already left. We're theMavericks, you know, they're
probably gonna be lookingelsewhere.
I mean, it is sickening thatthis issue of not addressing
safety, adequate adequatenumbers of police officers to
(12:34):
keep our citizens safe. Yes. Andsomeone recently said, oh, you
know, the 4,000 number thatDallas HERO called for is just a
random number out of the hat.And I said, absolutely, it's
not. That was the the level ofpolice to citizen ratio that was
(12:55):
adhered to under Tom Leppart'stime as mayor when we were
leading the country in terms ofour crime rate. So that ratio is
exactly what we have countedfor.
Elizabeth Matus (13:10):
It's a legitimate answer.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (13:11):
Of course.
Elizabeth Matus (13:12):
It's a legitimate number. Of course.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (13:15):
There's actual, just basic math put
behind it to come up withsomething factual and
substantive. So anyway, thankyou for sharing that. That's
again just a very while it's asimple answer, they complicate
it a lot more than they have to.
Elizabeth Matus (13:29):
Oh, for sure.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (13:31):
Thank you for being here.
Hi there. I'm Sarah Zubiate Bennett, and
(00:02):
I've got a big ask for you thiselection season. Get out there
and vote. If you're ready to seechange in our city, this is how
you make it happen. Your vote isyour voice, and it truly
matters. Now I get it. Votingcan feel a little overwhelming.
There are a lot of names on theballot, yes. It's tough to
figure out who's who, but that'swhy I'm so excited to bring you
(00:22):
this special series where wehighlight some of the incredible
new candidates running for citycouncil. In this episode, you'll
meet Elizabeth Matus who'srunning in District 5. She's got
deep roots in Pleasant Grove anda powerful story that I think
will really resonate with you.Her passion for the community is
inspiring and I can't wait foryou to hear what she has to say.
(00:43):
So stay with us, hit that likebutton, subscribe if you haven't
already, and check out the restof the candidates we're
featuring in this series. Thankyou so much for being here.
Let's make our voices counttogether.
Elizabeth, thank you for beinghere with me today.
Elizabeth Matus (01:04):
Thank you for having me.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (01:05):
I'm glad you're here. And I'm just very
interested in getting to knowyou, learning more about what's
inspired you, and looking to seewhat type of change you're
wanting to affect. So thank youfor being here.
Elizabeth Matus (01:19):
Thank you for having me here.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (01:20):
Of course, of course. So Elizabeth
Matus, right? Or Matoos. Mathus.And you've told me that your
last name is Belizean?
Elizabeth Matus (01:28):
Yes ma'am.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (01:29):
That's terrific. So you have a husband
and children. And so you havebeen in healthcare for the
better part of three decades.
Elizabeth Matus (01:39):
Oh, for sure yes.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (01:40):
But you said twenty eight years. You've
worked not just at Children's,but also at the North Central
Surgical Center as health unitcoordinator, and then also a
patient caretaker, which isincredible experience. What
prompted you to want to placeyour hat in the ring to run
(02:03):
against Jaime Resendez?
Elizabeth Matus (02:05):
So the whole situation started when I
developed a really huge passionto help people. So when I
started working at Children's, Istarted there shortly after, I
had a sister that had cancer.And so that's what prompted me
(02:31):
to give back. And so the onlyway that I could give back,
because you feel helpless, oryou feel helpless not being able
to help the patient, becausewe're not doctors or nurses or
what have you. The way I couldgive back was being a patient
(02:51):
care tech and working. And so Ifelt like I needed to give back
for all that they gave us. SoI'm very grateful for them. And
also, that just started anetwork of being able to reach
out to different families. And Iwas like, I could do this. I can
help other people. And so thepassion just grew, and grew, and
(03:13):
grew. And it hasn't stopped.
I love it. I'm very excited todo it because...
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (03:18):
It's a sacrifice.
Elizabeth Matus (03:19):
It is.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (03:19):
It And you're busy. You work a lot. But
it's a sacrifice to serve. Andthat's what city council was
intended to be from its origins.So you're that servant mindset
is expanding over into thepolitical space. Yes. Yes. I
really enjoy being there forsomeone who feels like they
(03:43):
don't have a voice. I want to bethat voice. I want to be able to
stand in the gap for them. I'mtired of the division. We need
to bring that meaning ofneighborhood or neighbor back
into fruition. And so I'm readyfor that.
(04:06):
That's terrific. And what wasyour primary reason? I know you
love to serve, but when did yousay, I don't like what's
happening? What was that momentthat sparked that passion and
desire?
Elizabeth Matus (04:26):
Yes, of course. So, as I meant Well, I have a
son that's autistic son. And so,he is a high functioning, he's a
30 year old man. But he doesride his bike to work, which is
a Walmart that's just down thestreet from us. And we have a
lot of car racing in ourneighborhood. It's not just for
(04:49):
him, there's another autisticchild, young adult that lives
around the corner as well, andthat is dangerous. You know,
they shouldn't have to put theirlives at risk just to go have a
normal life and be productivecitizens. And so and I want to
(05:10):
make sure that I leave himsomething that he's proud of and
he says or that he'll be able tosay, you know, my mom worked
hard for me because she's notalways gonna be there. And so
I've gotten those hard questionsfrom mom already. You know, mom,
mom, it's gonna happen to meonce you're gone. And so that
just kinda, like, made me stopand think, oh, wow. I need to
(05:34):
start making changes to betterthe neighborhood, to better the
surroundings for him, because Iwant him to be safe when I'm
gone.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (05:43):
I love it. It brings tears to my eyes,
as you can see, as a mother.Because nothing fuels my
passion, my excitement, my fury,my all the things like
motherhood. I mean, just lastnight I was sitting there giving
my twins a general landscape onthe different 14 districts. And
(06:08):
the people that I was hopingwould have some type of ability
to stand against some of theseincumbents, and the reasons why.
And that's why I do this. Right?Because you wanna leave this
world better. I get that. And sotalk to me about the sidewalks
and the streets.
Elizabeth Matus (06:29):
So I'm not sure if you're aware. The city
council has decided recentlythat they were gonna spend
$6,300,000 counting those trees.So necessary. Right? That they
have really neglected thechildren of the neighborhood. I
went further south, the southernpart of Pleasant Grove, they
(06:53):
have no sidewalks for thechildren. The children have to
walk in the middle of the streetto and from school. They have to
jump out of the way in order forthe car to go by. Cars are not
respecting the children and it's terrifying. The fact that
there's a pedestrian in themiddle of the street trying to
make it home, and they see thatit's a child, and they still
(07:16):
refuse to slow down, and thatputs our children at risk.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (07:20):
Mhmm.
Elizabeth Matus (07:21):
And that just doesn't sit well with me. Those
are basic necessities that needto be met as soon as possible.
There's also areas where, sincethey don't have the sidewalks,
their drainages are still open,and so there's stagnant water
everywhere. And as soon as youroll into some of these
(07:43):
neighborhoods, you can smell thestench come through your vents
because it's so bad. Peopleshould not be subjected to live
that way.
They pay taxes just the way Ido, the way you do. They should
have these basic necessitiesmet.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (08:00):
I think you've changed my opinion about
something. So I've always kindof advocated for people to run
for these city council officeswho are very familiar with
financial statements and runningcorporations and blah blah blah.
No. I believe it needs to besomeone who has a heart of
(08:26):
service, not someone who's powerhungry and who has chased labels
of right. Just just the metricsof success that are that are
used to paint a picture of asuccessful person. I believe
(08:46):
that someone like you is exactlywhat we need. You are in touch
with humanity, with the thingsthat we need, that we're all
calling for.
Elizabeth Matus (09:00):
Oh, yes.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (09:01):
And so many of these people, it seems
like, are advocating advocatingfor fancier yeah. Millions and
millions of dollars for countingtrees. I understand that we want
to have beautification of thecity. I get it. Not at the
expense of the safety of ourchildren.
Elizabeth Matus (09:21):
Correct.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett: Absolutely. (09:21):
undefined
Elizabeth Matus (09:22):
And correct. Absolutely. And it's so sad
because what does thatcommunicate to the kids?
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (09:28):
That's right. That they're not worthy.
They're not worth it.
Exactly. They're not worth theinvestment.
Elizabeth Matus (09:34):
Mhmm. And it's so sad.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (09:38):
And I really appreciate you expanding
upon that because that's kind ofgonna segue easily into this
next space surrounding publicsafety. Can you talk to me about
what you're learning whileyou're blocking pertaining to
public?
Elizabeth Matus (09:55):
I happened to stop at just a Family Dollar
store right off of Buckner, nottoo far from where I live. And I
just happened to go by, and Iand I happened to see the cash
the lady that works at the cashregister outside, and I walked
up to her and I said, can I justask you a simple question? I
said, is it hard to work here?How safe do you feel? And she
(10:22):
just threw her hands up in theair and said, I'm tired.
And I said, Well, please sharewith me. And she said, well, we
have people coming into thestore stealing products on the
daily. And then they callpolice, and because it's not a
super urgent issue, which Itotally understand, and I don't
(10:46):
blame the police officersbecause we're, you know, we need
more officers to begin with, andthey're short staffed. Of
course. They run out with items,they can't do their jobs,
they're concentrating on havingto chase the person from the
store, trying to get the itemsback, and then if they do see a
police officer, she did mentionthis, that if they do see an
(11:09):
officer and they try to wavethem down, because the call
hasn't come through, they won'trespond.
So they just get the productsand the person just run out the
door. I mean, there's nothingelse that they can do, and they
can't work. So what is thatteaching them and showing them
that they're not valuable as anemployee to that store, because
(11:31):
no one's responding for them, noone is backing them up. And
that's an awful feeling when youdon't have someone to back you
up, because you can't functionthat way. You're not safe. You
don't feel normal, becauseyou're always having to watch
your back. And we shouldn't livethat way.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (11:49):
And you know, it's sad. It's sending a
message, yes, to that employee,another message to the
businesses because they're notgonna survive if their inventory
continues to be And our economy,our respective economy will
fail.
Elizabeth Matus (12:07):
Oh, for sure.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (12:08):
Which is why and it's failing. In
downtown, that's why Neiman'sright? I mean, now AT&T is
probably gonna leave. Now we'veI mean, Bank of America's
already left. We're theMavericks, you know, they're
probably gonna be lookingelsewhere.
I mean, it is sickening thatthis issue of not addressing
safety, adequate adequatenumbers of police officers to
(12:34):
keep our citizens safe. Yes. Andsomeone recently said, oh, you
know, the 4,000 number thatDallas HERO called for is just a
random number out of the hat.And I said, absolutely, it's
not. That was the the level ofpolice to citizen ratio that was
(12:55):
adhered to under Tom Leppart'stime as mayor when we were
leading the country in terms ofour crime rate. So that ratio is
exactly what we have countedfor.
Elizabeth Matus (13:10):
It's a legitimate answer.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (13:11):
Of course.
Elizabeth Matus (13:12):
It's a legitimate number. Of course.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (13:15):
There's actual, just basic math put
behind it to come up withsomething factual and
substantive. So anyway, thankyou for sharing that. That's
again just a very while it's asimple answer, they complicate
it a lot more than they have to.
Elizabeth Matus (13:29):
Oh, for sure.
Sarah Zubiate Bennett (13:31):
Thank you for being here.
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Intentionally Disturbing
Join me on this podcast as I navigate the murky waters of human behavior, current events, and personal anecdotes through in-depth interviews with incredible people—all served with a generous helping of sarcasm and satire. After years as a forensic and clinical psychologist, I offer a unique interview style and a low tolerance for bullshit, quickly steering conversations toward depth and darkness. I honor the seriousness while also appreciating wit. I’m your guide through the twisted labyrinth of the human psyche, armed with dark humor and biting wit.