Larry Madsen said he has spent his entire life as a Williamson County resident. He was born in the county and raised on a dairy farm between Round Rock and Hutto. Madsen is serving as the Williamson County Precinct 4 commissioner for the next two years.

Madsen graduated from Southwest Texas State University with a bachelor’s degree in agriculture education and minored in biology, with plans to become a teacher. Madsen said he only spent a short time as an educator before he realized the construction field was the place for him.

After 23 years serving as the construction manager for the city of Round Rock, Madsen recently retired.

Madsen and his wife, Nancy, have two children and seven grandchildren, several of whom live in Williamson County.

Serving as Precinct 4 commissioner, Madsen will oversee much of eastern Williamson County. Madsen was appointed after the death of Ron Morrison on Sept. 7. He will serve the remainder of the unexpired term, which ends Dec. 31, 2018. The appointment to fill the vacancy continues until the next general election.

What were your first thoughts when you were approached for the position?

First of all, I was very honored when [Judge Dan Gattis] came and asked if I would consider the appointment. I had thought about running for county commissioner a couple years back, but the timing was just not right at that time. I was humbled [to be asked] to finish the two-year term of commissioner Morrison. But I wanted this to be something [my wife and I] were good together on doing. I think we felt like this was an opportunity [in which] we could give back to the community for all the good things it did for us. I just feel like it’s a chance to give back some.

What are some challenges you face coming into this position?

It has kind of been a whirlwind since I have been in office. The biggest challenge I think is that [Precinct 4] is such a large precinct; it’s diverse. You go from business people to the rural areas. I think the biggest challenge is to quickly learn the needs of all the different [and] diverse constituents that we have here in Precinct 4. But I am very blessed because I have Pete Correa [helping me], who has worked in Precinct 4 for 14 years. He is just an invaluable source of information. It’s a diverse community, but that is fun. Everybody has been so encouraging and helpful.

How has your background helped prepare you?

There are a lot of projects, [such as] building and construction for the county that are coming up. When I first went to work for the city of Round Rock, I was with the street department, so with all the road construction and maintenance that is happening in the whole county and my precinct, I think that I can help. The growth is here, and having that construction background is helpful.

What do you hope to accomplish in your time on the court?

Well, I think the biggest thing is that accomplishments are going to happen working as a team. Having Judge Gattis and the other three commissioners already working so hard and looking at planning and preparing for the future with growth and the roads and mobility, I think that is going to be the No. 1 thing.  ... It is going to be a team effort in making sure we can have positive growth and providing jobs so we can keep the people working right here within our precinct.”