Candidates Jodey Arrington and Glen Robertson sat down with the Snyder Daily News and shared their thoughts on their runoff election for the District 19 seat in the U.S. House of Representatives and a number of other issues.
Jodey Arrington
Why did you originally seek this office?
“It was unexpected, we’ve only had four representatives in the past 75 years,” Jodey Arrington said. “I’m concerned about the future of our country. As the father of three children, I’m concerned about the America we’re going to leave our children.”
Arrington said he felt like our government has grown too large, and would prefer to see an exceptional, limited government model. He said the House of Representatives is “the people’s house,” and his job as a representative would be to serve the district.
He said there’s an urgency to his reasons for running, including his three children.
“It is a crisis, on multiple fronts, for the next generation,” he said.
As a freshman representative, what would you consider a successful first term?
“If I’m just one of 435, I will have failed,” he said of representing a large, rural district.
Arrington said his relationships would give help him as a freshman representative.
“I can hit the ground running. I’ve worked with Mike Conaway, Lamar Smith and Mac Thornberry and I think that puts us in a unique position,” he said.
He emphasized the importance of District 19 because of the role it plays in the generation of food, fuel and fiber and said he would focus on three key areas.
Arrington said he would work to better position United States farmers for success, to reduce the national debt to stave off a fiscal crisis and make border security a national effort.
Do you think the tone of this race has reflected the tone of the presidential race? Is it The Establishment vs. The Outsider?
Arrington was quick to draw one distinction between himself and Glen Robertson, but said their policies weren’t so far apart.
“There’s only one politician in this race, and I’ve never held elected office,” he said. “The distinction isn’t policy. It’s in who’s done it and had real results.”
Arrington said he could have stayed in Washington, D.C., where he had worked in the George W. Bush administration, but chose to return to Texas and took a job at Texas Tech University.
“When I held a leadership role, I successfully reduced bureaucracy by 25 percent which led to tens of millions in savings,” he said. “People want a leader who produces results.”
Both Democratic candidates for president have criticized fossil fuels in general and fracking specifically. Should Congress protect those industries and practices?
Arrington said the solutions lie in trade and tax policies as well as regulations — all of which can help or hurt an industry.
They should be written to support growth and be friendly to not just the fossil-fuel industry, but all industries.
“The Obama administration has been hostile to the fossil fuel industry,” Arrington said. “The government needs to get off their backs and let them do what they do. We need to be vigilant to abuses, but not over-regulate industries.”
What can be done about unsustainable programs — particularly as the public’s expectations of those programs continues to rise.
“Big government is our biggest threat,” he said. “There’s a mentality that it’s the solution to all our problems and we’ve allowed an entitlement culture to grow.”
Specifically, Arrington said programs like America’s Promise, which would offer free public college tuition, were not realistic, or good for the country.
“I’m not for taxpayers footing the bill. People don’t value free stuff,” he said. “The higher education marketplace provides options.”
He said he thought some reform was probably needed in the financial aid system.
“Our generation is the last line of defense,” he said. “We have to send people (to Washington) who can make tough decisions.”
Your turn — what else?
Arrington said when asked what he’d say to someone who doesn’t think anything will change, he says it’s a travesty.
“If I didn’t think we couldn’t turn it around, I wouldn’t run,” he said. “We have to hold out hope.”
Glen Robertson
Why did you originally seek this office?
Glen Robertson said he was first elected to office in 1992, when he won a school board election.
“I have a passion for trying to give back to the area that have given so much to me. I have been successful despite my limited background and humble beginnings,” he said.
Since that first election, Robertson has served on school boards, city council, city commissions and for the past four years as mayor of Lubbock.
“I have seven grandkids and I want them to have opportunities,” he said.
As a freshman representative, what would you consider a successful first term?
Robertson said he hoped he would be appointed to serve on the Agriculture Committee and Veterans Affairs Committee, but said he really thought his success would be based on how much time he was able to spend in the district.
“A legislator’s job is to get back in the district. When politicians move their family to Washington, D.C. full-time, they lose touch with their district. A good legislator is back in the district, getting advice from people in the district,” Robertson said. “That’s bottom-up governing.”
Robertson said that he would earn the respect of his fellow House members through hard work and not blindsiding them.
“For a freshman representative, the toughest job is earning the respect of their fellow legislators,” he said. “There will be areas you agree and disagree and areas to reach a compromise.”
Do you think the tone of this race has reflected the tone of the presidential race? Is it The Establishment vs. The Outsider?
“I think everyone realizes Washington is broken and Congress has failed,” Robertson said. “The anti-establishment feeling in the country is well justified.”
Robertson said that even though he’s been a Republican his entire life, he’s more disappointed in the party than he is Democrats.
“They’ve forgotten their allegiance is to the voters, not the party,” he said. “The public is fed up and wants an outsider who’s run a business, coached Little League and worked through hard times.”
Robertson said Republicans should be about limiting government spending and giving more power back to the states.
Both Democratic candidates for president have criticized fossil fuels in general and fracking specifically. Should Congress protect those industries and practices?
Robertson said the Department of Energy is one of the first that should be abolished and that Congress should give the power to regulate industries back to the states.
“OSHA, the EPA and tax policies are crippling industry,” he said. “Energy producing states, and Texas is number one, know how to regulate those industries in our states. Get that authority back to the states.”
Robertson said he prefers free market solutions to government regulations.
He said the marketplace makes the energy industry more efficient.
“E&P, drillers, service companies do a better job self-regulating than the government,” he said. “The marketplace should determine the winners and losers.”
What can be done about unsustainable programs — particularly as the public’s expectations of those programs continues to rise.
Robertson said the solution would require a two-pronged solution.
“First, you’ve got to reform welfare and entitlement programs and repeal Dodd-Frank,” he said. “Next complete tax reform. We’re not incentivizing businesses to grow. Not counting government, 60 percent of jobs are created by small businesses.”
He said Congress will have to take power back from federal agencies.
“We’ve got to remember that nothing’s free. Congress needs to pass policies and legislation that it has ceded to agencies in Washington. We need to limit the size of government, reduce entitlements and put Americans back to work,” he said.
Your turn — what else?
“The more I get into this, the more it all comes back to the topic we just discussed. Because of entitlements we have gutted our military, created border and immigration issues and have terrible tax policies,” he said. “It all boils back to policy.”