Dan Hicks and Bob May will meet in the May 22 Republican Party primary runoff election for County Judge.
Both candidates answered a series of questions from the Snyder Daily News.
Answers that were more than 100-word limit were cut off at the 100th word.
Q. — Day One in office — What’s the first order of business?
Hicks — Day one will be an exciting and busy day. For that matter, week one will be busy. After getting sworn in as your County Judge, I will set up times to meet with different department heads and employees at their location for the coming weeks. I know quite a few of the employees and elected officials that work for the county, but I want to know them all. Only by getting to know everyone in all departments can one truly know what is going on in our county government. I will visit each department numerous times throughout the year.
May — God willing, my first day in office will be the beginning of change. I plan to open the day with a prayer and begin meeting with department heads and my fellow commissioners to start a plan. For change to happen we must all be open-minded and start from day one with a solid plan that will be followed and enforced throughout my time as judge. We will start this plan by compiling ideas from both the local elected officials and county taxpayers. Change starts on day one.
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Q. — On the six-month anniversary of your taking office, your biggest accomplishment will be what?
Hicks — Keeping in mind that I will be working under the previous administration’s budget and the current financial conditions, I will have had numerous conversations with all elected officials, department heads and employees regarding the direction we are headed and will have a plan in place to increase our emergency reserves and will have cut all unbudgeted projects. I will have attended any necessary training and will have a grasp on the needs and wants for each department to run most efficiently. Items from the Scurry County Museum will be proudly displayed in the Courthouse and other County Buildings.
May — After being in office for six months, I hope that many things are being accomplished, but I would like to think my biggest accomplishment would be providing transparency for the county taxpayers. I have spoken to so many people over the last several months that have no idea what is going on in our county or how their tax dollars are being spent, and I want that to change. I want people to know that we, as elected officials, are using taxpayer dollars to improve Scurry County and make it a place that people love and can enjoy.
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Q. — Does the county do enough to engage citizens? If so, please provide examples. If not, what will you do differently?
Hicks — There are always ways to improve engagement with the community. All government entities should be as transparent as possible to gain as much feedback from the community as possible. Announcements in the Snyder Daily News, a more user-friendly County website and posting at the courthouse and other county offices will assist in that transparency. Live streaming Commissioner’s Court for working individuals to watch and providing phone numbers and email addresses for the judge and each commissioner will improve engagement. I will always be open to suggestions from the citizens on how we can engage the community more.
May — I strongly feel the county does not do enough to engage the citizens. I believe that the citizens are being left out of important community decisions, and this has led to upset in the county. As people, we all want to know whhat our hard-earned dollars are going to improve. I am a strong believer in the “Open Door Policy” and plan on implementing it in all meetings of the commissioner’s court. The best way to engage the community is to include them in meetings and truly listen to their concerns.
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Q. — Recent proposed budgets have included de-funding programs and positions that are considered “quality of life” services, in part because of their direct contact with the public. That topic came up multiple times during the campaign. Be specific about what you would cut if the need arises.
Hicks — As your County Judge, I will not defund any program or cut any positions. Without the hardworking people in every department, progress stops. Every one of the departments the employees work in are important to our community in one way or another. From preserving our history at the museum, to providing wellness programs and restaurant inspections at the Health Unit, educational programs at the library, and a place for our children after school at the boys and girls club, each department and employee plays a vital role to provide services and “quality of life” to each of us taxpayers.
May — I have looked into the “quality of life” programs and feel that with budget changes we will not have to eliminate any of these programs. Programs like, the Library, the Boys & Girls Club, the museum, the golf course, and many others are important parts of our community. I cannot give an exact answer on a specific program that I would cut, because I will work hard to keep all of these programs. There may be changes made within these programs to help fund them, but with a better budget we can spare all “quality of life” programs.
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Q. — Will you vote to dissolve Scurry County’s Local Government Corporation (LGC)?
Hicks — On Tuesday the Commissioner’s Court voted to increase the number of members on the LGC Board to six. The appointed members are all highly respected leaders of our taxing entities here in Scurry County. My first questions are will the LGC, other than this deal that required non-disclosure agreements, be open and transparent? What is the main agenda for the LGC? Currently, there isn’t enough information to decide whether I would vote to dissolve the LGC, but I can tell you that as your County Judge, I will not allow your tax dollars to be used for secretive deals.
May — Yes, I will vote to dissolve the Local Government Corporation. I believe that the Local Government Corporation is a group that was designed to help hide many county dealings from the citizens. The county elects public officials to handle the county dealings openly, and the Local Government Corporation is not required to be open to the public. I have stated many times, that I am a firm believer in government transparency and by dissolving the Local Government Corporation, I believe we will be even more transparent for taxpayers.
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Q. — Do you have a plan to fill empty hangars at Winston Field so that it can become an economic asset like airports in other communities? If yes, please share your plan.
Hicks — There are several ideas I’ve heard to better utilize the airport. One would be to use the airport as a flight training school and/or airplane mechanic’s training. Could Scurry County team up with Western Texas College and/or Snyder ISD to provide aviation training to local students or adults? I would also look into a charter airline service which could possibly be housed in the new hangar. Where are the crop-dusters stored and where do they get the chemicals? Can the chemicals be stored at the airport? Can the crop-dusters refill the chemicals when they refuel? Let’s …
May — I plan to look deeply into filling the hangars at Winston Field. The airport provides a great opportunity to be an economic asset to the county. Apparently, there are problems with the hangars that are keeping people from renting them. I plan to hold meetings with local plane owners, businesses and aviation specialist to see what the county can do to provide more incentive to fill the hangars. After learning what the public needs from the air field, commissioners court will weigh the options, look at the budget, and make decisions based on what is best for the county.
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Q. — How many commissioners’ court meetings have you attended since you filed for election and how many since you earned a spot in the runoff?
Hicks — I attended this past Tuesday’s Commissioner’s Court meeting. It was the first I’ve attended since filing. I am currently employed with the City of Snyder and since the meetings are at 10:00 AM on Tuesdays it conflicts with my work schedule, as it does with so many others. If elected as your County Judge, I will look into adding a live stream option so more people can “attend.” I will also add a public comment section at the beginning of every meeting and on each agenda item to encourage public opinion. It’s your tax dollars at stake.
May — Before filing for county judge, I attended numerous county commission meetings and was very vocal. Since filing for judge and being voted into the runoff, I have not attended any recent meetings. I learned quickly that all of the important county dealings are being dealt with in a closed meeting. I believe that my time is being better spent listening to the public and preparing to make changes in our county. I have visited the court house many times per week in the last few months learning about what is taking place and figuring out how I could do things …
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