A standing room only crowd attended a candidate forum hosted by the Polk County Republican Party, the Polk County Republican Club and the Polk County Republican Women’s Club Thursday at the Escapees Activity Center.
Each candidate was given four and a half minutes to present their background including education, career and length of time in Polk County; their qualifications for the position they are seeking; and their future plans to improve or change services for Polk County citizens. After the presentations, attendees were able to mingle and visit with the candidates in addition to asking them questions.
Following are some of the highlights from the candidates, presented in the order in which they spoke:
258th District Judge
Travis Kitchens: Incumbent Travis Kitchens is the presiding judge of the 258th Judicial District. Kitchens began by asking all those who served in the military to stand and be recognized. He told of his background growing up on air force bases until his father retired in Waco. Kitchens attended Baylor Law School around the same time he married his wife Sudan and they moved to Trinity County in 1978 to serve as the assistant district attorney for the 258th District. He later went into private practice with Scott Evans and then on his own in Onalaska but has lived in Trinity County ever since 1978, remarking that is “has been the biggest blessing for him and his family.
Elected district judge in 2018, Kitchens said the 258th District Court is multi-jurisdictional and that “you have to be able to do all.” He said the judge’s job is not to be a prosecutor or a defense attorney, but to hear the facts.
Commenting that he is 73 years old, Kitchens concluded by using Ronald Reagan’s – who was 73 at the time – quote from the 1984 presidential debate against Walter Mondale when he said, “I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent’s youth and inexperience.”
Rob Freyer: Rob Freyer, who presently serves as assistant district attorney in San Jacinto County, said, “We’re in desperate need for a change in the 258th District Court.” He said that though he may be ridiculed for not having civil experience, he does have over 30 years’ experience in criminal law. He said that he is 56 years old and has tried over 200 criminal cases. He said he, too, is the son of a veteran, but that it has nothing to do with the campaign.
Freyer said he is the only board-certified criminal attorney in the district. He said his record includes more than 250 felony jury trials and tens of thousands of cases resolved. “There are cases and people who have been waiting for justice for years,” he said. Commenting on his “enthusiasm and zeal,” Freyer said, “I will hold both sides, both their feet to the fire.” He said he wants to avoid “delay and mismanagement,” commenting, “It’s my job to see people happier when they leave the courtroom than when they came in.”
County Judge
Roy E. Grant: Roy E. Grant said that he is a retired supervisor for Homeland Security. “I’m running for county judge. I’m going to let you know where the money is spent and I’m going to give you a full report.” Grant said he has been retired for 23 years and has “seen a lot of things here in Polk County.” He said the Livingston Police Department and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office “don’t have legitimate internal affairs” and that he is “going to establish a task force to see that both cities and counties have internal affairs. I’ve done both civil and criminal. Polk County does not have an established police policy. If you don’t have a policy, you don’t have accountability. I’m about accountability.
“Roads is another thing. Pea gravel is dangerous if someone comes around a corner and hydroplanes like on Kate Lowe Road. FM 350 South is bad, has ruts in there. I’ve lived most of my life in Houston. I’ve never seen gravel roads.”
Larry Pfeil: Larry Pfeil began his career as a paramedic and firefighter which he said shaped his advocacy for public safety. He said he started numerous small businesses, became an entrepreneur and then became “a serial entrepreneur.” Having had a residence in Polk County since 2012, Pfeil said he and his wife, a medical doctor at Memorial Hermann in Houston, moved to Polk County fulltime during COVID. He said they both joined the Scenic Loop Volunteer Fire Department and that they “love it here.”
Pfeil said his fear is that Polk County is not ready for the growth that is coming. He said he supports “law enforcement, roads and bridges and infrastructure, making sure the water and sewer systems are prepared for the growth that’s coming. And economic development. We need real jobs here for a robust economy. We ought to be thriving.”
He said he wants to focus on law enforcement as a priority and focus on economic development so Polk County will thrive.
Sydney Murphy: Incumbent Sydney Murphy has served as county judge since 2015. She moved to Polk County in 1975 along with her family who immigrated from Mexico. She has three children and seven grandchildren. “During COVID, we had a huge migration back to Polk County for 35- to 45-year-olds,” she said, commenting that some of hers returned and that she’s “been everything from a soccer mom to a Sunday school teacher.”
She said that in 2018 she established a YouTube channel for the Polk County Commissioners Court that continues to be active today, an idea that came as a recommendation from one of her former students. “The commissioners court is very committed to improving the life of Polk County residents. We have a state of the art emergency management team that is crucial” and has worked multiple events including hurricanes, floods, Hurricane Harvey, tornadoes and freezes. She said grants and opportunities have increased internet and broadband opportunities throughout the county and that homeowners’ taxes have been reduced through economic development and partnerships with the cities and the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe. “A lot of these projects started when I was with the chamber of commerce as executive director,” she said of the infrastructure and businesses that are here today.
District Clerk
Adness Fernandez: Adness Fernandez was born in Polk County and graduated from Livingston High School in 2015. She earned her CNA license while in high school and attended nursing school before having “a change of plans.” She is presently working on a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. She went to work for the county clerk’s office where she helped the office progress from an old system to a new system. She said she created fee schedules for the county court at law, did all of the Office of Court Administration reports and handled CJIS, the criminal justice information services. Fernandez is currently working at the adult probation office. “I think the district clerk’s office deserves efficient and reliable leadership,” she said.
Megan Swander: Megan Swander is a lifelong resident of Polk County and graduated from Livingston High School in 2007. She began her career at Escapees, starting in the mailroom, then moving to the call center and then working as assistant to the magazine editor, while earning her degree in criminal justice. She has worked for the county for numerous years, initially in the district attorney’s office and for the past three years in the district clerk’s office as a clerk to the district courts. “The district clerk’s office is the backbone of the district courts,” Swander said, emphasizing the importance of accuracy, integrity and public service.
Monica Richards Goodson: Monica Richards Goodson was born and raised in Polk County and graduated high school here. She presently serves as the office manager of the district clerk’s office. Some of her duties include getting citations issued, handling tax cases and sales and dealing with funds held in the numerous registries of the court. She is responsible for passport agency, serves on a task force, is responsible for juries, works the front counter and does bookkeeping. She said the district clerk’s office is not just about the courtroom, but also civil cases and lots of registries as well. She said she is “a hard worker.”
County Clerk
Margie West: Margie West has called Polk County home for over 30 years where she lives in Ace. She said what keeps her motivated for the future of Polk County are her eight grandchildren. She said she poured her heart into her small business, Mimi’s Creativity. She earned her bachelor’s degree while working 16 years at Joe Clifton Trucking. She said she brought her same work ethic into her work at the county clerk’s office where she is presently employed. “I won’t need on the job training. I’ll be ready to lead on day one,” she said. She said her priorities will be cross training, election integrity, transparency and customer service.
Jennifer Woods: Jennifer Woods has called Polk County home for 34 years. She said she has been active in the local Republican Club where she has helped organize fundraisers and events and raising money for candidates. She said she was a housewife for 13 years and has been with State Farm for the last five years where she is a fire and life specialist. “My heart and soul is in helping the community,” she said. “I believe in showing up, working hard and getting the job done right the first time.” Woods said her goal is to have a positive team and continuing training. “I work hard and study harder,” she said.
Precinct 2 Commissioner
Mark D. Smith: Mark D. Smith was born in Livingston and has lived here his whole life. He graduated from Livingston High School in 1982 and graduated from Sam Houston State University with a business degree in 1989. He has worked his family business in the sand and gravel production and delivery business. In 2000 he got in the ready-mix business and had three ready-mix plants in Livingston, Magnolia and Humble where he managed 28 trucks and over 30 employees. Smith currently works with crushed concrete for commercial and residential projects. He has experience in management, finances, road construction and truck and equipment maintenance. “I think all that past experience would be an asset to the commissioners court,” Smith said.
Jay Stutts: Jay Stutts is a lifelong resident of Polk County and just celebrated his 32nd anniversary with the U.S. Postal Service. A member of the Onalaska Volunteer Fire Department for 26 years, he has served as fire chief for the last 14 years. “Service and community, working for the people of Polk County and integrity. That’s what it’s about. I believe in strategic economic development that strengthens the tax base and provides jobs. We must incentivize small business. I believe in prudent fiscal spending, streamlined to eliminate any waste,” Stutts said. He said he was asked in 2015 to come up with a plan to fund volunteer departments. He said efficient planning, transparent spending and infrastructure are critical for all Polk County residents. “I believe Polk County is full of potential. We need to lead with service and integrity,” Stutts said.
Mark DuBose: Incumbent Mark DuBose presently serves as the Precinct 2 commissioner. DuBose said he doesn’t have generations of family here, that he moved here in 1984 and graduated from Livingston High School in 1987, moved off, and then came back. “I started working at the prison when it was the Terrell Unit before it became Polunsky. Law enforcement is where I built my life and family. From an early age I knew I wanted to be in public service. My dad was a HPD cop,” he said. After about eight years with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, DuBose went to school and earned his peace officers license. Most of his career was spent with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office under three different sheriffs, then with the Onalaska Police Department and now as county commissioner. “I didn’t come in to learn the job, but to work,” he said. DuBose said he is the first commissioner in Polk County to ever build his roads from the ground up, that most use contractors, and that it has saved $50,000.
Precinct 2 Justice of the Peace
Zachary Davies: Zachary Davies said he believes the county “deserves a justice system that works for the people and not just the paperwork. He said raising five kids, working for Gecko Ventures (Stubbs Food Mart) and working in real estate has taught him that customer service is priority. He touched on his community service – working the Onalaska Volunteer Fire Department barbecue fundraiser, raising money for the annual July Fourth fireworks at Lake Livingston, serving on the Onalaska City Council. “We talk about outcomes, but we don’t talk about fixing the system. Small choices can have life-changing consequences. Process doesn’t stall because people don’t care. It stalls because the process doesn’t work. The court should be a connector, not a barrier,” Davies said.
Sarah Rasberry: Incumbent Sarah Rasberry presently serves as the Precinct 2 justice of the peace. “I didn’t prepare a speech because I’ve been on call all week,” she said, adding that she recently graduated from Lamar University. She began her career with the county in the Precinct 4 justice of the peace office with Steve McEntire and then transferred to the Precinct 2 justice of the peace office in Onalaska to work with David Johnson, before running for the office. She said she hears administrative license review hearings and dog hearings and that there have been lots of changes with squatter and landlord/tenant rights. “What has worked in the past will continue to work,” Rasberry said.
Precinct 3 Justice of the Peace
Michael Woodard: Michael Woodard is a lifelong resident of Corrigan. He graduated from Corrigan-Camden High School in 1987 and his first job was “sack boy” at Brookshire Brothers in Corrigan. He has 23 years’ experience in education, having worked as a teacher/coach in Livingston, an assistant principal at Livingston High School and a junior high principal for six years, before moving up to superintendent at Latexo ISD, a position he held while also serving on the Corrigan-Camden School Board. “I’ve handled civil rights cases, CPS, things you can’t even imagine, and I think that experience will translate into the JP office. I’m 56 and still have a lot of life left in me,” Woodard said.
Robert “Dooley” Johnson: Incumbent Robert “Dooley” Johnson presently serves as the Precinct 3 justice of the peace. He was born and raised in Chester, has seven kids and 15 grandkids. He worked for Champion International for a number of years. He was elected to the Corrigan City Council for two terms and was also elected mayor of the City of Corrigan. He was appointed to the position of Precinct 3 JP and then elected. “It’s a tough job. We’re the people’s court and we deal with a lot of stuff,” Johnson said.
