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This election season two candidates are running for Denton County judge, including Republican incumbent Andy Eads and Democrat candidate Fabian Thomas.
Early voting for the Nov. 8 election will run from Oct. 24-Nov. 4.
Q&As from each candidate are listed below. Candidates were asked to answer the question provided and avoid attacking opponents. Answers may have been edited or cut to adhere to those guidelines, or for style and clarity.
Why are you running for office?
Answering the call to public service has been the greatest honor of my life. As Denton County judge, I have listened to our citizens and worked to improve people’s quality of life by investing in transportation improvements to reduce commute times, supporting our law enforcement and attracting high-quality jobs to our growing county.
What are the biggest challenges facing the county? How do you plan to address these issues?
Our biggest challenge is to provide county services with increasing demands on our justice system, law enforcement, and roads and bridges while maintaining a low county tax rate. I am proud Denton County has the lowest countywide tax rate of the top 15 counties in Texas. I will continue to address these issues through my experience, commitment to collaboration and being responsive to our citizens to move Denton County forward.
If elected, what would be your top priorities?
Denton County is one of the fastest-growing counties in the U.S. because it is known for its high quality of life. My top priority would be to continue to have Denton County be a leader in collaboration to attract quality jobs, invest in transportation improvements and work with our nonprofits to tackle tough issues. These priorities have been the hallmark of my term as county judge, and I will work to continue these and other important efforts.
What are some new ideas or programs you would like the county to explore?
I am deeply concerned about the alarming statistics about suicide in Denton County and the growing trend of mental health issues among our residents. I am working with our strategic partners and nonprofits to ensure Denton County continues to be a leader in creating new and innovative approaches to address mental health issues in our communities and improving access to mental health treatment.
Why are you running for office?
I am running for office to make a difference in the community, implement programs that are currently lacking in the county and improve the current infrastructures within our county.
What are the biggest challenges facing the county? How do you plan to address these issues?
We are currently lacking a hospital within our county for indigent citizens. These citizens often go to our emergency rooms, increasing the costs for those who are medically insured. The manner in which this is to be addressed is simply to invest in a county hospital.
If elected, what would be your top priorities?
My top three priorities will be the following: 1) Assess the feasibility of developing a county hospital. 2) Establish a resource center to provide assistance for families who have children with special needs. 3) Evaluate our current operational systems, and identify areas to increase efficiencies.
What are some new ideas or programs you would like the county to explore?
As stated above, I would like to create a resource center where families who have kids with disabilities are able to get support and assistance at the county level. That is a project that can be easily implemented and will touch the lives of our citizens here in Denton county. My second initiative would be to build a county hospital in Denton County. This project will require a more corporative effort from all parties, but I believe it is necessary to keep up with our population growth.
