Local forum allows voters to hear GOP candidates

Local forum allows voters to hear GOP candidates Subhead County commissioner candidate dies before forum Nathan Diebenow Wed, 02/21/2024 - 05:46 Image

• Steven Skipper
• Billy Hall
• Chad Holt
• Zach Brown
• Annie Dawson
• Mack Latimer
• Larry Philipps
• Thomas Maxwell Smith
• Arlene Swiney
• Mike Williams
• William Abel
• Abhiram Garapati

Body

The Bosque County Republican Party offered voters a chance to hear candidates running for county-wide public office on Tuesday, February 13, at the Clifton Civic Center.

GOP candidates are contesting four county-level offices in the Republican primary: Bosque County Attorney, Bosque County TaxAssessor-Collector, Bosque County Commissioner Precinct 1, and Bosque County Commissioner Precinct 3.

Because no Democratic opponent filed to run for these offices, the winners of the GOP primary will likely take office after the last day of voting in the general election in November 2024.

However, the office of Bosque County Commissioner Precinct 1 might still be influx because candidate Steven L. Skipper passed away days before the public forum.

Justice of the Peace Place 1 Jeff Hightower confirmed to The Clifton Record and Meridian Tribune that Skipper died at his home on Friday, February 9.

Hightower said the medical examiner’sreportshowedthatSkipper’s death was from natural causes.

Skipper’s name will still be on the ballot for the GOP primary against incumbent Billy Hall.

As of deadline, the Bosque County Clerk and the Bosque County Elections Administration were both in communication with the Texas Secretary of State’s office concerning the process should Skipper win the GOP primary.

During last Tuesday’s GOP candidate forum, all the county-wide candidates, except Hall, were given an opportunity to introduce themselves to local voters and answer questions gathered by moderator Gill Parks.

After the forum, The Clifton Record and Meridian Tribune spoke with Hall about his candidacy.

Hall said he is 65 years old. He has lived in Bosque County since 1969, and he went into the work force right after graduating from Kopperl High School. Hall is certified in heavy equipment operation and safety.

Hall said he and his wife Manuela celebrated their ninth wedding anniversary last week. He has one daughter from a previous marriage; Manuela has children from a previous marriage as well.

Hall has served on the Kopperl Volunteer Fire Department off and on since he was in high school, and has volunteered with local youth sports leagues, serving as a coach and an umpire and referee.

After retiring from Rubber Made in Cleburne after 20 years, Hall was employed by Bosque County and Johnson County, he said.

Hall said Bosque County’s most critical issue is keeping the county roads maintained, and he planned to pave the county roads in his precinct once the county allocates its semi-annual funds to his office.

On the topic of handcounted ballots, Hall said he has not seen any errors in the local elections that warranted corrective action; however, he would support a voter referendum to decide which voting system the county should use, he said.

County Commissioner Precinct 3 In the county commissioner precinct 3 race, challenger Chad Holt and incumbent Larry Philipp disagreed on their precinct’s most pressing issue during the GOP forum.

Holt stated that he was open to more innovative ways to generate revenue that would pay for the maintenance of county roads. Philipp stated protecting the county’s finances was his priority.

Regarding hand-counting of ballots, Holt said he supported it; Philipp said he saw it both ways, but he noted that the local voting machines had been accurate in counting votes to date.

Both candidates cited communication as a necessary skill for the job, though Holt added that problem solving is also important.

County attorney

Candidates for Bosque County attorney Zach Brown and Thomas Maxwell Smith explained the importance of the office in the lives of families and drew distinctions between themselves during the forum.

Both stated that the county attorney litigates cases pertaining to child welfare as well as misdemeanor offenses, while the District Attorney’s office handled felony cases. The county attorney also advises the county commissioners court, they said.

When asked about whether they would still retain private law practice once elected, Brown said he would drop his private practice to work 100-percent for the county, and Smith said he would work both in public and private practice.

Regarding election integrity, both candidates indicated they trusted the electronic voting machine system and the election administration currently in place.

Brown and Smith are vying for the office vacated by outgoing county attorney Natalie Koehler.

County tax assessor-collector

Candidates for county tax assessor-collector Annie Dawson and Arlene Swiney highlighted their work experiences and approach to customer service they would utilize in this office.

Incumbent Swiney addressed concern that her office was closed temporarily last year due to her staff missing the training required by the state every year. She explained that she had new employees and not enough hours in the day to complete the training. Her office is currently caught up meeting the state requirements, she said.

Challenger Dawson said she would not allow such a miscue to happen on her watch if she’s elected for the office.

U.S. House representative

The forum also presented opportunity for the six GOP candidates vying for U.S. House District 31.

The challengers present at the forum were William Abel, U.S. Army retired; Abhiram Garapati of Cedar Park, business owner; Mack Latimer of Belton, business owner; and Mike Williams, retired.

Challenger John Anderson, retired oilfield; and incumbent John Carter of Round Rock were not present for the forum.

The candidates present introduced themselves to the audience and explained why they were running for this office.

Among the topics covered at the forum were term limits, Obamacare, and the national debt.

During his summation, Latimer said he was against “the New Deal era of the Constitution.”

In his closing remarks, Garapati stated this is “the most Anti-American government in the history of our nation.”

Williams closed by saying, “If you think ‘Come and take it’ works for you for razor wire, you might be a MAGA Texan… I’m a MAGATexan.”

As a final comment, Abel said, “I don’t want anybody from any country owning one ounce of American soil. It’s American soil, not foreign countries.”

The first day of voting in the partisan primary elections is Tuesday, February 20. The final day to vote is Tuesday, March 5.