Jared Patterson has announced his run for Texas House District 106, a seat that is currently held by State Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Frisco.

Fallon announced this fall that he will be challenging incumbent Sen. Craig Estes, R-Wichita Falls, for State Senate District 30.

Elections for the Texas House of Representative will take place in 2018. Primary elections take place on March 6 and the primary runoff election is on May 22. The general election is on Nov. 6.

The candidate filing deadline is Dec. 11.

Community Impact Newspaper asked Patterson a series of questions. His responses, edited for publication style, are below.

1.      Why did you decide to run for this office?

When it became clear that our district would be losing Representative Pat Fallon’s conservative vote in the Texas House, I worked with other conservatives to find a strong replacement. I was incredibly humbled when many local leaders began to request that I consider running. I am passionate about public service and many of the issues we face as North Texans.  As a businessman and someone who is staunchly committed to conservative principles, I will fight every day to make government less involved in the lives of Texans and the citizens of District 106.

2.      What experience—professionally or politically—do you have that would prepare you for this position?

From 2009 to 2013, I served concurrently on the city council and economic development corporation board of directors in Sachse, Texas. I fought to cut wasteful spending, implement zero-based budgeting and to increase transparency. I also instigated adding a prayer and the pledges of allegiance to open all city board meetings, pushed to have [my] city utilize E-Verify, ensuring that all of the city employees were in the country legally, and helped usher in the largest economic development growth in the city’s history. During my final year on council, I served as mayor pro tem and on the executive board of the regional North Central Texas Council of Governments. In Frisco, I graduated from the City Hall 101 course and served on the board for my [Homeowners Association].

As a dedicated conservative, I have been highly involved in the Republican Party and conservative movement. I served as a GOP precinct chair from 2010 to 2014 and was a delegate to the State Convention of the Republican Party of Texas three times.

Professionally, I am the director of energy services and serve on the leadership team for Rapid Power Management in Carrollton.  I have served on the board of directors for professional associations, including a term as president of the North Texas Association of Energy Engineers in 2013. I currently serve as the outreach committee chair for The Energy Professionals Association of Texas where I organize philanthropic events for my industry.

3.      If elected, what would be your top priorities?

There are several issues I’d like to dive right into upon entering the legislature. First and foremost, we must deal with property taxes this next session. I’d like to see reforms to the government-run appraisal process that would allow for slower growth and work to eliminate some property taxes. I’d also like to work on education reform so that we better support our students and teachers, and finally end the over-testing of our children and the poorly conceived Robin Hood system. On illegal immigration, we should eliminate the state-offered incentives to illegal immigrants because they should never have an advantage over American citizens in our country. I support constitutional carry because the second amendment to the U.S. Constitution should be the only gun permit required. On transportation, I want to audit [Texas Department of Transportation]—for the first time—and shine a bright light on these tollway contracts that have automatic increases with little accountability. Finally, I don’t think we should let a single session go by without attempting to provide better protections for babies in the womb. There are so many items to tackle, but my primary goal is to get the government off your back and out of your pocket.

4.      What else do you want constituents to know about you and your background?

My dad worked two jobs growing up and my mother taught public school for 38 years. My brother is a battalion chief on the Addison Fire Department and we have three generations of police and firefighters in our family. My dad served on the Whitesboro [ISD] school board growing up and my brother serves there now. My beautiful wife taught public school for six years before electing to stay at home and raise our three children. Public service is not a career path for us—it’s a calling. It’s in my blood.

I am Christian. We are members of First Baptist Church of Frisco and have been very active in the community since moving here. I’ve focused on serving my God, my family and my community for my entire adult life. I am ready, willing and able to serve the residents of House District 106 in the Texas Legislature.  It would be my honor to have your prayers, your trust and your vote.  For more information about the campaign, please visit www.jaredpatterson.net or www.facebook.com/jpattersontx.