J.B. "Josh" Flynn
Experience: licensed tax professional enrolled to practice before the Internal Revenue Service since 2001
www.joshflynn.com
Christine Kalmbach
Occupation: licensed professional Realtor
Experience: 40+ year northwest Houston resident, 30+ years community volunteer, 20+ years business experience, 20+ years grassroots activist
www.christinefortexas.org
Lacey Hull (incumbent)
Occupation: civilian analyst for property management companies
Experience: current conservative state representative for HD 138
www.laceyhull.com
Why are you running to represent House District 138?
JF: It is important to have faithful leadership that will listen to the people of Texas when quality of life is being affected negatively by government overreach and ignoring community needs. When I joined the Marine Corps in 1985 and was activated for Desert Storm in 1991, I was faithful to the country, and I will be faithful to the citizens of House District 138 just as I have been to my wife for 25 years.
CK: I believe that our district should be excellent, effective and essential, and led with integrity, vision, transparency and accountability!
LH: We just finished the most conservative session in Texas history! I am proud of my record of passing the Texas Heartbeat Act, tripling border security funding, passing a health care reform bill that allows Texans to go around Obamacare and stopping Critical Race Theory in our classrooms. With Biden's assault on our values, we must elect proven conservative leaders to the Texas House—it would be an honor to continue to serve.
What are the most important issues facing residents in your district, and how would you address them if elected?
JF: Law and order: The criminal justice system has left the law-abiding citizen to fend for themselves. We must keep violent criminals behind bars and not expect them to show up at a court date on their own recognizance. Election integrity: We need to safeguard the ballot and allow one vote per eligible voter without manipulation. Border security: Stopping the flow illegal drugs and other criminal elements will increase the quality of life around the state.
CK: #1 Crime—secure the border—finish the wall, hire more Border Patrol—support them with training and proper staffing, illegal border crossings need to be stopped—prosecute "coyotes" and human traffickers, drug mules and the cartels (recognize as a terrorist organization), re-enact the remain in Mexico policy, send back home and encourage them to use the proper channels to come to the USA, support our LEOs with training/community support, pay raises not defunding the police, and put penalties in place for activist DAs and judges that do not fulfill their duty to keep criminals off the streets. #2 Life—we need to protect life from conception to grave, giving support to new parents, passing legislation to defend life, end abortion and protect people from the 10 day rule. #3 Stop the alarming agenda being pushed on children— Comprehensive sex ed, CRT, SEL and gender confusion. #4 Election integrity—voting a solemn and sacred honor, we need more transparency, poll watchers should have the absolute right to observe the electoral process and be able to audit the ballots and ensure one vote counts for each registered Texan voter that has cast a ballot with the proper ID laws and signature verification to ensure the integrity of each election.
LH: Lowering property taxes: I will fight to apply the savings from our new conservative spending cap toward the M&O portion of our property tax bill to provide instant, significant property tax relief to my constituents. Banning taxpayer-funded lobbying: Last year, more than 40 million taxpayer dollars were spent by local governments to hire Austin lobbyists to kill property tax cuts and other conservative reforms. I will continue to support banning this heinous practice.
How have you seen the COVID-19 pandemic affect House District 138, and what role do you believe the state government has in local recovery?
JF: I have seen children unable to recognize a happy face verses a sad face. I have seen fear in the eyes of many unable to re-enter normal life because of the draconian government lockdowns and media fear tactics that prey on people's legitimate concerns for their personal gain. We need to hold those accountable that propagate misinformation based on talking points and manipulated data. Hard data should be used and scrutinized before making mandates limiting freedom.
CK: People have been adversely impacted by the release of this disease in our world; we have loved ones, neighbors and friends that have died from it due to negligent hospital protocols, and we need to stop rewarding hospitals with COVID[-19] money; we have seen mental illness such as families cut off from seeing each other, depression, anxiety, etc. due to isolation, mask requirements, and lastly, we have seen vaccine mandates harming people and businesses! Each family needs to make an informed decision on the risks and benefits of the vaccines. Some people are suffering from long-lasting effects from the disease and from vaccine side effects. People have lost jobs from the state of Texas shutting down selected businesses. That is completely unacceptable.
LH: The government-mandated shutdowns associated with COVID-19 have had a devastating impact on small businesses. I know that small businesses are the heart of our economy. I will do everything I can to support local businesses to help get them back on track.
How do you plan to address concerns of flooding in the region?
JF: First and foremost, we need to allocate the resources, already available, to their proper uses. Diverting, borrowing and using account tricks will not fix the problem. The many feasible plans that I have heard about are being slowed down by the bureaucracy to ensure that the "right" people get the contract. The blind bidding process needs to be adhered to strictly and expedited. Permits need to be approved immediately upon the necessary criteria being met.
CK: We need to do an audit of Harris County and see exactly how much flood bond money has been spent, how many jobs have been completed and what is still needing to be done by a timeline. I will assemble a task force for our district to ensure each of these items is addressed and resolved. We need to make sure the county is doing its job and not permitting commercial and residential building in flood zones and reservoirs. We need to work with the Army Corps of Engineers to put in another reservoir (or maybe two) and make sure that flooding is mitigated in Harris County!
LH: I support the state funding invested after Hurricane Harvey and will work to develop a state flood prevention plan to ensure we are better prepared for future natural disasters. I, also, voted for the Coastal Spine to help protect the coast and Houston area from Hurricanes.
