Name three main reasons you believe you’re the best candidate for this position?

1. Strong conservative values; Limited goverment, lower taxation, personal liberty, freedom to live as God created, Constitutional America. These values are forged in my heart through my love for God and Country.  My Christian failth is the backbone and guide for my decisions and actions at all levels of my life.  

2. Qualifications and Abilities; Family Oriented, Strategic Planner, Fiscally disciplined, Problem solver.   I have a proven record of academic discipline.  My business background includes, budget development and management, project leadership, team building and deployment.

• Analyze the needs/problems…identify corrective actions
• Build teams of people who understand the vision
• Interface with Federal, State and Local officials
• Streamline cost expectations and maximize successful project completion
• Remember who we work for, the community

3. Work Ethic; A work ethic is a set of moral principles one uses in his or her job and it encompasses many of these traits: reliability/dependability, dedication, productivity, cooperation, character, integrity, sense of responsibility, emphasis on quality, discipline, teamwork, professionalism, respectfulness, determination.  I believe a county Judge should be available to his community, especially in times of trouble or disaster.   I have a proven work ethic that provides leadership in times of disaster with knowledge, honesty, and integrity, while focusing on meeting the needs of the community.

Do you favor term limits? Please explain why or why not.

I do

It is a two edge sword, it is a safe guard against bad representation and power accumulation, but it also limits the occupation of an office when you have a good representative serving the people.  However, I believe the safe guard is the larger concern, therefore limiting an elected official's term is a good way to ensure they are working for the people and not simply for themselves. 

Will you vote to require a supermajority vote to approve bond elections?

YES, I anticipate there will be a need or a bond election in the next 2 years.  This must receive a high level of attention and support for details and future growth needs.

Do you think the county needs to zone areas to control population densities and development patterns?

Managing population density and development patterns is an essential need in a growing area like Montgomery County. Without some level of manged growth we will have more of the problems we have today. Traffic density out paces the current road systems in place and roads will require more repair due to the unexpected increase in traffic volume.  Mobility becomes more dangerous and incomburing. I have concerns with creating more taxing zones that impede the rights of private land owners.

Under what circumstance will you vote to award any contract with less than three qualified bidders?

Not as a standard practice, However there may come a situation when, because of the uniqueness of the project or tools needed there may only be one or two qualified bidders, in which I would be forced to consider the situation.

Open and fair bidding for purchases is an absolute must in county government work.  We must always strive to  select the vendor that will deliver the best service/quality of work for the best price and complete the project in a timely manner.  The bidding process provides competition which in turn gives the taxpayer a better chance of receiving a fairer market price for a given project.   Purchasing makes a recommendation to the court to award contracts.  I believe all bidders should offer bids with a new completion bonds model in mind.  This model will be established with the other commissioners in order to insure more efficiency in county projects.

Since TAC (Texas Association of Counties) is very unfriendly towards taxpayers, will you vote for or against including Montgomery county membership to TAC? Why?

The Montgomery County government should not force taxpayers to fund this type of lobbing organization. If individual members of the County Commissioners Court or other elected officials choose to spend their own money to join TAC, then they can.  From what I understand of them they support bigger govenment and property taxation and have often opposed legislation that protects the right of private land owners.  

Do you oppose the use of public funds, other than for needed infrastructure repairs, to subsidize the cost of private facilities such as stadiums, arenas, hotels and other such entities?

I oppose the use of puplic funds for anything beyond statutory goverment functions and needed infrastructure repairs.  Taxpayers should vote on any referendum that attempts to use funds outside the proper regulated or required purpose of county taxation. Economic development is the role of business not government.  I believe in a capitalistic approach.  A capitalist nation is dominated by the free market, which is an economic system in which both prices and production are dictated by corporations and private companies in competition with one another, and places a heavy focus on private property, economic growth, freedom of choice, and limited government intervention.

Will you vote for or against Certificate of Obligation Bonds? When is a Cert. of Obligaton warranted? Though statutory(created by legislature), would you publicly condemn it's use?

I would vote against the use of COs to fund our countys' needs and would publicly condemn their use.  I believe the taxpayers should have a vote on any taxpayer funded debt. The only time I would consider "discussing" a CO would be in a time of catastrophic disaster whereby the safety and health of the community at-large was in immediate jeopardy and no other successful option exists or the need to make an immediate adjustment to infrastructure do to new legislation that is time sensative.

COs do not require voter approval unless 5 percent of qualified voters within the jurisdiction petition for an election on the spending in question. 

Opposition to COs came to a head a few years ago in Montgomery County, north of Houston. In 2012, the Montgomery County Commissioner’s Court issued $30 million in COs for a road project in Conroe, less than a year after voters rejected a $200 million bond proposal including the same project. 

As a result, area citizens pressed for legislation to curtail their use, culminating in 2015’s H.B. 1378, which prohibits the issuance of COs for any project voters rejected in the preceding three years. Exceptions include a “public calamity” that threatens property or public health, or the immediate need to comply with a state or federal regulation, rule or law.

Did you take a position on The Woodlands incorporating?   Why or why not?

I did not take a public position on the Incorporation issue because I do not reside in The Woodlands and I believe it was a decision to be made by those that reside in that area.  

Will you vote to limit budget increases to a factor based on population growth and inflation? Explain.

YES, 

Taxpayers are already over burdened in their tax assessments. This method will usually produce a reduced budget which in turn reduces the size of government.  This method would provide a system that is formulated on actual data points, measurable and trackable.  

Do you support using zero-based budget practices for every governmental entity, elected and appointed?

YES

We need to adopt zero based budgeting in all areas, not just large select departments. This approach insures an annual evaluation of actual expected costs for the coming year. Every year, every dollar spent should be justified.  Fiscal discipline requires using tools that analyze efficiencies. By minimizing unnecessary spending every year, we will have more available money for necessary future growth projects and tax relief.  This budget methodology will enable the court to lower the tax bill of the voter while maintaining a highly effective and efficient county government system, one that meets the needs of the community at it's highest level.

What are the balanced budget “rules” for Texas counties in general and for Montgomery County in particular & how/when would you balance the Montgomery County budget & pay off debt?

Texas requires counties to have a balanced budget.  The county should be able to function from a balanced budget annually through proper management structuring, commitment to the budget, zero based budget development philosophy, efficient project projections and management.  Debt reduction should be a high priority annually.   Less debt means a stronger more flexible government that can deal with any emergency or natural disaster.

Do you support a requirement that any government entity require a two-thirds majority to impose any tax increase?

YES

Will you vote for increasing the public debt of your jurisdiction to fund road construction/maintenance?  Explain why/not.

No, if road repairs are not being maintained I would question the effecientcy of current funds used that are provided in the annual budget.  As for future construction, if there is a question of debt due to the long-term costs of meeting the needs from rapid growth, it should be left to the will of the voters before incumbering an increased debt load.  

Do you believe the private conduct of a public official is relevant to that official’s suitability for office?

YES

Is there anything in your background of an embarrassing nature that should be explained before your election? Arrests/Convictions? Bankruptcys?

NO

How much of a problem is county hiring based on the "good old boy" / "loyalty to leadership" instead of one's ability to efficiently and ethically perform their tasks and functions? and what can realistically be done about it?

I am not a county employee but I have been informed that this is a large problem in our county government.  This type of employment environment is not only detrimental to a department but it often leads to less productivity and inefficiency.  Hiring protocols should be established to eliminate this practice.  HR policies should be adopted to insure that this is not a hiring practice.  We should have strict ethics guidelines in place to protect the purity of the process.  All hiring should be on the basis of; education, qualifications and experience.  

What's your position on Toll Roads?

I OPPOSE THEM

I will advocate for every penny of transportation dollars we can get, while opposing toll roads that will double tax our residents and forever increase the cost of travel in our community.  We need to maximize federal and state project partnerships for funding new roads along with grants and other funding options.  

What's your position on county using taxpayer money to fund Toll Roads, yet using toll fees for maintenance?

If a toll is applied to off-set the construction cost of a road, the toll must be immediately canceled once the road is paid for.  I am against tolling roads for maintenance, which is functionally a new tax. 

Will you agree to abstain from giving tax-payer funds to non-profits?

I oppose the funding of non-profits as a general rule.  I believe non-profits and charities should be primaily funded by the general public.  However, if there is an instance where a non-profit contracts with the county to assist in meeting a statutory function, or must have a county partner for matching grant funds, then I am open to a discussion on the merits of such possible funding.

Do you consider the salary increases for County Commissioners over the past 10 years to be equitable in light of the salary increases for other county officials?

NO

What would you do at the county level to protect citizens from the federal or state government?

The county government exists to provide strong infrastructure for the community and law enforcement that ensures a safe living environment. Safety and security should be high priorities. Montgomery County has a great history of caring of its community. Neither the county Judge nor the commissioners have the statutory authority or power to limit the successful activity of business, or  disrupt religious expression as enumerated in the Constitution. In the role of county judge, I will protect the personal liberties and not discriminate, or impede the right of a free people. In the event unconstitutional or illegal executive orders or pronounced by either the federal government or the state government I will commit to protecting the rights of the citizens of Montgomery County. I believe there are times to use nullification to protect liberty. The commissioners court should focus on protecting the livelihoods of the citizens, not managing their lifestyle or personal freedoms.  

In light of census data showing avg. MC taxpayer salaries of $40K, what salary would be appropriate for commissioners?

Based on an average of counties with population of 350k-1M it could range between 125k-150k.   According to a recent study, Montgomery County Commissioners are the highest paid in Texas per population. As a county judge, I am committed to capping my salary at the same level of the Governor of Texas.

Do you believe Americans should be forced to provide medical care and public education to people who are in our country illegally?

NO,

I do believe we have a moral imperative to provide emergency medical care in cases of life threatening injury only, because America stands for something better.   As for school children, they cannot help the illegal actions of their parents, however they need to be taught to respect American values.

Did you agree or disagree with the governors' mask mandate during the 2020 Covid 19 "epidemic"?  Would you have enforced it at the local level?  Why or why not?

I did not agree with the mask mandate.  I would not have enforced it.  I would have encouraged the citizens to use personal discretion in consultation with their own physician.  I believe it was an attack against our liberty and an unconstitutional order.