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Travis County Commissioner Precinct 1 candidates
www.commissionerdavisprecinct1.com
Ron Davis, a native Austinite, has been the Travis County Precinct 1 commissioner since 1998. Davis declined to be recorded for this interview, so answers are paraphrased unless quoted.
Q. Why are you running for county commissioner?
A. "I just want to continue a lot of the things that we started in the past."
Davis cited continuing on the same paths with regard to transportation improvements, increased land use authority for the county, infrastructure and water improvements—especially along Toll 130—and open space improvements.
Q. What makes you qualified for this position?
A. "My experience. [I] have done a lot even before I became an elected official in the county."
Davis said Precinct 1 has "traditionally been a dumping ground," but he has worked to reverse that trend. He said his work that helped stop Austin Community College from abandoning its Eastview Campus, brought transportation dollars to the east side through a bond election and work to create a buffer around solid waste sites were examples of "taking out the bad and bringing in the good."
Q. What are your top issues?
A. 1. Sustainable economic development: "I'm really pushing hard to make things happen in Precinct 1."
2. Health and human services projects for children: "The whole thing of making a person ready for what's out there in the real world."
3. Emergency services keeping up with growth, especially fixing response times: "This area's growing so fast out here that we've got to have the [proper] services out here."
4. Roads and water: "The infrastructure and all these connecting points must be in place."
Q. Why should people vote for you?
A. "I have a good proven track record I have the experience."
Davis said he's capable of rolling up his sleeves and making things happen and said he was good at persuading people, including other council members, from the dais.
"I'm an aggressive person, and aggression is something that you need, but positive aggression."
"Getting things done is something I'm good at I think the people have confidence in that."
www.richardfranklinforprecinct1.com
Richard Franklin is the local director of Youth Unlimited and is a Del Valley school board member. He served in the Air Force for 10 years and worked in the financial field for six.
Q. Why are you running for county commissioner?
A. I'm running for county commissioner for the exact same reason I got on the school board. ... The reality is people's lives are being affected by people at the municipal level, at the elected official position. I cannot run for city government, or I would, because I'm in the ETJ, I'm in Hornsby Bend, which is not in the city of Austin.
Q. What makes you qualified for this position?
A. My qualifications are, I engage communities, I engage people.
I think when you start talking about what qualifies me, I'm old enough, I have the physical and mental capabilities of doing the job. What I don't know I'll learn. What I don't know I'll listen to people who do know. I think that's one of the issues we have right now, I'm not trying to bring answers, I'm trying to find answers.
Q. What are your top issues?
A. To me, that's a false question. The top issue for me right now is the quality of life for people in eastern Travis County. How do we live together in a more abundant fashion? How we help one another get to the next level?
So when you say 'what are the priorities?' There's no transportation in my neighborhood, there are elderly and veterans who can't seem to get around so that's a priority. When EMS takes 17 minutes to get to you and your father's sitting there dying at your feet, that's a priority.
So all of these things are priorities and they all go to quality of life.
Q. Why should people vote for you?
A. Because [no one] will ever advocate the way I will. No one has the passion for this job, no one has the ability to get people involved in their own success the way I do. It is what I have always done. It is what I will do when I get to this position.
The reason [residents] need to vote for me is because they need someone to actually be the cheerleader for the band. And the band is the people out in this community that haven't gotten what they're supposed to have. But I will cheerlead, and I'm a heck of a cheerleader. I can kick high.
www.gonzalesforcommissioner.com
Victor Gonzales has been on the Pflugerville City Council for six years and is currently the mayor pro tem. He is a long-time Pflugerville resident, moving to the city from Austin as a child.
Q. Why are you running for county commissioner?
A. Pflugerville hasn't had a direct voice on the county commissioners—when I say direct, somebody from the Pflugerville area—probably since over 40 years ago So realizing that, I thought well, with the growth and development that's happening in Pflugerville and in the northeast metro [Pflugerville should be represented].
Q. What makes you qualified for this position?
A. What qualifies me for this position is basically my 39 years of professional experience both in the public and private sector. I had a five-year stint actually with Travis County several years ago as the assistant director for human services ...
Then, I guess the six years [on Pflugerville City Council] of dealing with issues around budgeting, dealing with tax management We're probably one of the very few cities that have been able to reduce taxes and improve services.
Q. What are your top issues?
A. The top issues for me will be emergency services, ESD [emergency services districts], and planning and incorporating a streamlined method to deal with that, not just district-wide but countywide
Secondly would be looking at some of the strategic planning, as much as counties can do, toward better land use. ...
Thirdly, that ties into water and what we're going to do with water. Again, as much as it's been a big issue for Pflugerville, it's going to be a bigger issue for Travis County residents ...
Fourthly would certainly be the budget ...
Q. Why should people vote for you?
A. People should vote for me because I probably have more active experience than the other candidates, including the incumbent because of my six years in municipal government dealing with development issues, growth issues, budget responsibility, which I think have more credibility on the table than at least two of my opponents.
As for the incumbent ... There's not a lot of activity there. So I want to get active in county government with county departments and ... the community, so that they feel they really have a voice in Travis County and not have to scream.
Native Austinite Arthur Sampson worked for the City of Austin for more than 30 years, including serving as a police officer for 12 years and as a project coordinator for infrastructure management.
Q. Why are you running for county commissioner?
A. I think the commissioners office needs someone responsive, respectful and resourceful to the citizens of Travis County If the present commissioner was doing what he was supposed to do and he was out there in the community making sure the things that I just talked about [were] being considered, I would not be running.
Q. What makes you qualified for this position?
A. I have over 30 years of experience in city governments ... I worked on the city budgets. I put a budget together for the work that I've done, when I worked on the City Hall project.
It's not something that happened overnight. It took years of training. I know what needs to be done. It's just a continuation of me working with the city, with my 30 years of experience with the city. That 30 years experience I have with the city can be [put] to county use. It's the same principle.
Q. What are your top issues?
A. I think that we need to get control over some of the spending, make sure that that money is going in the right direction that it needs to go in to try to get the proper infrastructure and grow out in the eastern part of Travis County.
Public transportation. I think that's a major deal to try and get some type of bus route going in the area there.
And public safety. I think we need to get an EMS unit stationed out in that area for the safety of those people.
Q. Why should people vote for you?
A. I believe that people should vote for me because of the experience I have, the over 30 years experience I have working with city government.
My knowledge of infrastructure my knowledge of how to deal with contracts and how to negotiate contracts with people, and just work with people as a whole. I have 30 years experience in doing that. I want to get out in [eastern Travis County] to see what's going on, I want to visit with the people.
