CANDIDATE Q&A
Get to know the candidates running in the election
Incumbent
Montgomery County judge, Republican primary
COMPILED BY JISHNU NAIR
SARA COUNTRYMAN
BILLY GRAFF
MARK KEOUGH
Occupation: county judge, Mont- gomery County; and senior pastor, The Woodlands Bible Church Relevant experience: four years in the Texas Legislature as state repre- sentative and three years as county judge of Montgomery County 832-729-3314 www.keough4texas.com
Occupation: IT sales executive Relevant experience: current mayor of the city of Montgomery 346-298-3664 www.countryman4countyjudge.com
Occupation: president of IConnect Outreach Inc. Relevant experience: budget management, team builder/coach, Montgomery County Republican Party
committee chair 409-626-0294 www.billy4texas.com
What quali es you to run for the position?
As a two-termmayor of the city of Montgomery, I have presided over City Council, represented the city ... provided oversight to the various departments and participated in four budget cycles. My rst year in o ce, we reduced the city tax rate by $0.01, restructured ... debt service and in 2021, City Council passed the city’s rst-ever homestead exemption.
I have held positions of leadership that required administering meetings and enforcing Robert’s Rules of Order. I oversee budgets, manpower analytics, procurement as well as project planning and development. My work with local, state, federal and philanthropic grants gives me a strong working knowl- edge of best practices for nancial accountability.
I am the only candidate with a proven conservative record and experience as county judge. I have cut taxes in the last three budget cycles, removed tolls from Hwy. 242, successfully navigated the county through multiple disasters, ... delivered on my promise to cut my pay by 12%, and [I have] not received a raise or a cost-of-living increase.
What would your top priorities be if elected?
Utilize the recently approved countywide mobility plan to develop a list of infrastructure projects that need immediate attention due to our unprecedented growth, continue to keep our property taxes at or below the no-new-revenue rate, continue to steer the county away from obstacles brought up during this pandemic, and keep the county open and free.
The county needs the infrastructure to sustain the devel- opment here ... [and] to provide the resources to improve mobility and reduce ooding. [It] also needs accountability and transparency by coordinating departments, so they act as a cohesive unit. We need to open our books and documents to the public, answer questions and justify our choices.
Implement zero-based budgeting, minimize expenditures outside the budget, identify and reduce unnecessary spending and debt, ... [have an] active ethics commission and standardized pay scales, ... eliminate favoritism at all levels, ... [hold a] countywide mobility study with annual updates, stra- tegic planning for future growth [and] infrastructure design.
Take The Rodeo Express for a comfortable, hassle-free trip to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.
TheWoodlands Express buses leave from the Sawdust Park and Ride location at 701Westridge Road in TheWoodlands, with return trips leaving NRG Stadium from the METRO/Rodeo Express pickup location. Giddy Up —make your reservations now! February 24, 25 and 26, 2022 March 4, 5 and 6, 2022
March 11, 12 and 13, 2022 March 18, 19 and 20, 2022
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