McKinley eyes judge’s race

TRINITY – Former appraisal district chief Allen W. McKinley has announced he will seek the Trinity County judge’s nomination in the 2010 Democratic Party primary election.
McKinley, who retired in June as the chief appraiser for the Trinity County Appraisal District (TCAD), will be seeking the post being vacated by longtime Judge Mark Evans.
Evans announced in September that he would not seek a fifth four-year term as judge. His current term runs until Dec. 31, 2010.
Candidates can begin filing for places on the primary election ballot from Dec. 3 through Jan. 4, 2010. The election will be held on March 2, 2010, with the winner advancing to the November 2010 general election.
In announcing his plan to run for the county judge’s post, McKinley said his experience and training in both civil engineering and tax administration will be a benefit to the people of Trinity County.
During his 20 years as TCAD’s chief appraiser, McKinley said he gained invaluable knowledge about the county and the county government.
“I realize that the problems faced by the county judge are not always the same as those encountered by the chief appraiser, but I plan to handle them in the same way I have in the past – by listening to both sides of an issue in order to come to a fair decision,” he said.
“As county judge, my goal will be to do what is best for the people of the county and for the other county officials,” he added.
During the coming months, McKinley said he will be meeting with area residents to talk about what they feel is needed in county government.
“I want to hear what the people of Trinity County are thinking. I am open to their ideas and look forward to talking to them about them,” he said.
A 1961 graduate of the Spring Branch High School in Houston, McKinley received civil engineering training from the University of Houston in 1966
He became a Registered Professional Appraiser in 1985, a Registered Texas Assessor/Collector and a Certified Tax Administrator in 1988, and a Certified School Tax Administrator in 1989.
McKinley also is a certified as an instructor with the Board of Tax Professional Examiners and since his retirement as chief appraiser has been teaching classes in tax appraisal and administration.
Prior to being named as the TCAD chief appraiser in 1989, McKinley served as chief appraiser for the Austin County Appraisal District for seven years.
After graduating from high school, McKinley worked for almost two years with the Texas Department of Transportation as a civil and mapping draftsman before entering the U.S. Air Force in 1963.
After being discharged in 1965, he worked for three years with Olsen Engineering Corporation in Houston.
In June 1968 he returned to the Spring Branch school district as a residential and commercial appraiser, a post he held until January 1972 when he joined Modular Engineering Corporation in Houston as its director of operations.
He left that post in July 1982 to accept the position of chief appraiser with the Austin County Appraisal District in Bellville.
McKinley also is a member of the American Quarter Horse Association, the National Cutting Horse Association and the Santa Gertrudis Breeders Association. He is a life member of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.
He also has served on the Waller County FFA Advisory Committee, the Trinity County Fair Association, the Trinity County Go-Texan Committee and as a National Cutting Horse Association judge.
He and his wife, Susan, have four children and five grandchildren.