My name is Jason Drake, and I am honored to announce my candidacy for Woodville City Council, Alderman Position 4.
I have called Woodville home for the past 28 years. When I moved here in 1999, I honestly expected Woodville to be just another stop along the way. It did not take long for me to realize that this community was something special. I came to appreciate the people, traditions, history, and small-town character that make Woodville and Tyler County such a great place to live. What I thought would be a temporary stop became my home.
For 23 of those years, I have had the privilege of teaching and coaching at Woodville Middle School and Woodville High School. Throughout my career, I have taught a variety of subjects and grade levels, giving me the opportunity to work with generations of young people and families in our community. I have been humbled to be recognized as Teacher of the Year at both Woodville Middle School and Woodville ISD during my tenure.
Education has always been an important part of my life. I graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University in 1998 with a Bachelor of Science degree, majoring in Kinesiology and minoring in History. In 2014, I earned my Master's degree in Educational Leadership from SFA.
Before attending SFA, I spent six years serving our country in the United States Marine Corps as a machine gunner. That experience taught me the importance of discipline, responsibility, teamwork, commitment, and serving something larger than myself.
My family is also deeply connected to Woodville. My wife, Kristina, and I will celebrate 23 years of marriage this December. We have raised our two daughters, Julia and Olivia, here in Woodville. Both girls attend Stephen F. Austin State University, the same university where their mother and I graduated.
Julia will graduate in December with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and plans to pursue a master's degree in Accounting in January. Olivia is currently a sophomore majoring in Accounting. Watching our daughters grow up in Woodville and pursue their own goals has made me even more appreciative of the community we have been fortunate enough to call home.
I have never run for public office before. I am not doing this because I have a political career in mind. I am running because after nearly three decades of living, working, raising a family, teaching, and coaching in Woodville, I believe I have an opportunity to give back to the community that has given my family so much.
Woodville is home. It is where I chose to stay when I could have moved somewhere else. It is where I built my career, raised my family, and made lifelong friendships.
Now, I would be honored to have the opportunity to serve the citizens of Woodville as your Alderman for Position 4.
Thank you for allowing me to share my story, and thank you for considering me for this opportunity to serve our community.
Jason A. Drake
Candidate for Woodville City Council — Alderman Position 4
