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As a candidate for Ellis County judge, I have more than 20 years of business experience in operations and purchasing management, have earned a B.A. in political science from the University of North Texas, and have been an active Reagan Republican since high school. Over the last five years, as a local editor and writer, I have traveled across Ellis County and listened to the stories of hundreds of residents. Writing their stories of faith and perseverance, of overcoming obstacles and of making a home for themselves and their families in the county which we all call home, have inspired me. I still want to hear people’s stories, and I still want to be their voice. The time has come for me to take that voice out of the pages of a magazine and into the public arena because I believe that the true voice of the people is not being heard and represented by government.
I have fundamental principles which inform my decisions about every issue. I believe that all people, from the unborn to the elderly, are intrinsically valuable. I believe that the individual has the responsibility to take care of himself and his family as well as the moral obligation to help his fellow man. I believe that people groups should not be oppressed or denied basic human rights because of ethnicity or gender. I believe that our government has been entrusted with our tax dollars and thus has the inherent duty to provide a strong defense on a national level and ethical and effective law enforcement on the county level. I believe that government does not have the right to impose regulations on citizens that infringe their personal liberties, including undue taxation or regulations pertaining to education, health, property and gun rights, or the restriction of the free exercise of religion. And, I believe our country was established with documents that assert that the belief in God is a foundational principle of our governmental system.
I have been married for almost 24 years and raised two children. I have had the privilege of helping care for my father, a WWII serviceman, who died in January from Alzheimer’s disease. His philosophy of personal sacrifice and thriftiness has given me the courage to do what has to be done during the hard times of life.
This nation, founded on the principle of individual liberty, will remain great only as long as it is fueled by the individual. Liberty is not born in the seat of government, but in the heart of man. I believe that as county judge, I can bring my ability to sincerely listen to what the people of Ellis County are saying, and represent their voice in county government.