When I am Williamson County Judge, my number one priority will be the safety and well-being of every person who lives, works, or passes through our county.

In Texas, the County Judge serves as the head of emergency management in the county. Over the past few weeks, I’ve taken the time to pursue some basic training from FEMA on the Incident Command System (ICS), the National Incident Management System (NIMS), and the National Response Framework (NRF). 

Over just the past two years, we have seen just how critical the county’s role is in emergency situations, and how important it is to have someone at the top who has the right priorities. Here is what I want you–my future constituents–to know about how I will handle this heavy responsibility:

• I acknowledge that I will never know as much about emergency management as the professionals who work in that world every day.
• It will be my job to make sure we have the best organization possible led by the top professionals in the business.
• During an emergency, it will be my job to offer and provide support, stay informed of the situation, keep the Commissioners updated, and make sure the public has accurate and relevant information.
• It will NOT be my job to interfere, get in the way, or act like I know more about managing an emergency than the professionals tasked with that responsibility.
• I will never politicize our Emergency Services department.
• I will never politicize a natural disaster or other emergency incident.

The safety and well-being of the people of Williamson County will be the most important consideration in every decision I make.