Priorities as County Judge
Having served as an elected official in Presidio County for 18 years I’ve seen a lot of progress in some respects and also deficiencies that still need to be addressed.
One thing I am certain about is that any positive change to governmental operations takes a lot of work and, more often than not, requires building consensus among staff, other officials and the public. Achieving consensus starts with building trust. As a leader, the next step towards achieving policy goals is to educate one’s self on every aspect of the subject being addressed. This takes time and effort. It also takes being present to witness County government at work and to receive input and ask questions.
Direct Accessibility to the County Judge
In a County as small as ours it is imperative that the top elected official be available and accessible to the public in order to understand what the County needs as a whole. That does not mean that the County Judge needs to be in the courthouse all the time, but it does mean that returning phone calls, responding to email and being available and interested in having in-person meetings with constituents is imperative. It’s also important is that the County Judge be willing and able to travel to attend meetings with other regional officials and the RIOCOG in El Paso. Lastly, the County Judge must be informed and engaged in locally important State and Federal policy in order to function as the designated official to engage with those higher up officials in an effective manner.
Advocacy for All of Presidio County
Presidio County has two cities with nearly diametrically opposed significance. Presidio is in the position to become a far more significant and successful international trade port in the very near future. Presidio also has incredible and exciting promise as a burgeoning hub of geothermal clean and sustainable energy production. Marfa is an internationally renowned arts tourism mecca with James Beard award-winning independent restaurants. Both Presidio and Marfa have a wealth of historically significant sites, as do the smaller communities of Redford, Shafter, Ruidosa and Candelaria. A strong and effective County Judge must understand, respect and promote all of the great assets within the County as an ambassador for every citizen. I promise to do that for the whole County.
Balance the Budget of Presidio County
I have been attending Presidio County Commissioners Court meetings on a regular basis since 2012, mostly in person. The primary role of Commissioners Court is to make and implement County policy and to determine and pass the yearly County budget. The County is and has been in a very challenging fiscal situation given our lack of industry and our small population. Year after year Presidio County adopts deficit budgets that do not balance. In 2019 the State of Texas enacted a law that limited Texas Counties to tax rate increases on existing property to 3.5%. This, in itself, does not allow the County’s collections to keep up with inflation. The end result is that every year our expenses increase by more than our revenues. There is no end in sight to this problem, and the only way to stay solvent is twofold. The County must decrease our expense obligations and also encourage responsible economic development of new industries and commercial properties that can be added to the tax base. I sincerely believe that we can achieve a balanced County budget if we reduce our physical property assets and make services more efficient. Some of this will have to happen by cutting payments to outside entities and other reductions via adopting technology. My goal is to have a balanced County budget to pass after two years in office as County Judge.
No Increase in County Indebtedness through Tax Notes or Bond Issuance
Over the course of decades Presidio County has neglected to plan for routine replacement and repair of major capital assets including Road and Bridge equipment, the HVAC system and electrical system in the County courthouse, and major mold and structural issues at the County courthouse Annex building in Presidio. At the behest of Commissioner and the County Judge, time and money was spent over the course of nearly two years to formulate a plan to access financing for major capital reconstruction and equipment purchases to remedy these issues. Up until budget discussions commenced this past summer, Commissioners Court and the Judge were proceeding with this effort.
At some point int time the current County Judge changed his mind about the tax note funding, after having been presented with a partially federally subsidized proposal for a new law enforcement center facility in Presidio. He made it clear in public meetings that he was much more interested in adding another County facility to our operations rather than repairing what we already have to manage. he succeeded in shutting down the process, which had already begun in earnest months prior. The worst thing about it all is that the County spent more than $250,000 on RFP’s, consulting, engineering and design before the project was terminated.
The good thing is that from every bad experience there is something to learn. Both the City of Presidio and the City of Marfa opted to add to their indebtedness this year by going out for tax notes for their own purposes without voter approval. Our tax note proposal, although already rejected by Commissioners Court, was subject to election and voted down by the public. In speaking with a multitude of home and business owners, there is quite a bit of anger about the actions of the cities. Simply put, Presidio County taxpayers feel like they are already taxed beyond reason. So I am grateful that we did not issue the tax note; there is no citizen consensus for a tax note. Whether that would apply towards money to fix our courthouse, courthouse annex, replace machinery or build a law enforcement center, there is no appetite for a tax increase of any sort in our County.
So I promise I will not support any tax note or bond issuance by Presidio County as County Judge. We will have to learn to lower our expectations, as County officials and as others seeking County resources. I am ready to lead in that manner.
Policy Modernization and Accessibility
Like any organization, Presidio County has a multitude of policies that define procedure and process. The County has done a good job over the last ten years of identifying and reviewing policies that were out of date or not being followed. I believe that regularly revisiting and updating policies is necessary. Also necessary is making sure that policies are accessible to anyone who might need to reference them, and that includes the public. I promise to expand the County website to include all written policies. The dual purpose of this is to allow anyone trying to navigate policy (outside vendors, constituents seeking service) and anyone wanting to verify policy is being followed (press, citizens) to be able to do that on a 24/7 basis.
Lead on Cybersecurity to Protect the County and Citizens
Effective leadership includes awareness of forces beyond our normal frame of reference. We live in a relative bucolic paradise in Presidio County. Our communities are quieter, safer and more friendly than any big city in Texas or the U.S. We cannot physically see threats from online hackers and extortionists but they are there and growing more dangerous by the day.
One of the primary messages at TAC required training for Commissioners and Judges is that cybersecurity threats are real, constant and potentially costly. We have excellent cybersecurity support from Nectar Computers in Alpine, but the threats to sensitive information and potential ransomware attempts by (usually foreign-based) hackers are serious. Software and firewalls cannot prevent all potential breaches to County computer data. Our current County Judge’s County email account was hacked in 2023 and it created a security risk for County operations. With the oncoming impacts of AI and, soon enough, quantum computing, these threats are going to become more and more serious. I promise to take the time and effort to be the leader for the County in bolstering our defenses and preventing loss of data, time and money.
Promote and Empower Historic Preservation and Tourism
Presidio County has an incredible history, from La Junta dating to the 17th century up through early 20th century raids of Pancho Villa. Identifying, recognizing, preserving and promoting our history and historic sites is the best way, I believe, to expand and strengthen tourism revenue in Presidio County, particularly in South County. Historic preservation and environmental tourism go hand in hand. I will help empower our Presidio County Historic Commission to accelerate efforts in these matters.