Breckenridge Texan

Candidate Profiles: County Commissioner, Precinct 2

February 19
16:32 2018

Below you’ll find the Candidate Profile Questionnaires that were returned to the Breckenridge Texan by the candidates for the office of County Commissioner, Precinct 2, listed in the order that they will appear on the ballot. At the end of this story is an editor’s note that explains how the questionnaires were distributed, compiled, etc.


Bear Grissom


Bear Grissom

Name: Bear Grissom

What office are you seeking? Stephens County Commissioner Precinct 2

What is your current occupation? Manager of J&J Oilfield Electric Co, Inc.

Tell us a little bit about your family. I am the son of Jackie and Judy Hodges Grissom, married to Julie Grissom with a daughter, Jade Grissom.

What are your community involvements/civic affiliations? I am a Member of the Veterans Of Foreign Wars of the United States Auxiliary 7767, Breckenridge Masonic Lodge #492, and soon to be Breckenridge Elks Lodge #1480.

What is your education/military service? I graduated Breckenridge High School with a diploma in 1998, have multiple certifications through Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service, and continuing education yearly to maintain up to date licensing requirements, for example, various electrical licenses.

What training, experiences and characteristics qualify you for this position? At the end of the day qualifications are just words on a page. My greatest strength is that I am an honest problem solver with the pulse of my intentions being focused on the greater good. To serve would be a privilege!

The primary function of any elected official should be to provide focused efficient leadership and whenever possible economically sustainable solutions to the citizens they serve. I may not exceed expectations, but I would like to try!

I would be a valuable asset to this community with my ongoing knowledge of being a manager, owner, employee, and raised in this community. I would bring a new aged approach to the already well established standard.

What do you think are the most critical issues facing the community and what would you do to address them, if elected?

#1- Identify unused county assets. One of my ideas would be attempting to remove any unused equipment to provide economic boost to budget plan.

#2- By embracing Social media it will make county business more accessible.

#3- I believe that county employees should be more involved with events in this community: IE Airshow, Stock Show.

Describe an accomplishment of which you are proud and how it helps make you the best candidate for the office? My Family, Not sure how that benefits the citizens?

 


Mark Campbell


Mark Campbell

Name: Mark E. Campbell

What office are you seeking? Stephens County Commissioner Precinct 2

What is your current occupation? Licensed electrician at J&J Electric

Tell us a little bit about your family. My parents are Joyce Campbell and the late Elon Campbell. I have been married to my wife, Shone Parks Campbell for 38 years. We have two children, a daughter, Shaden Campbell Dossey and husband Jarrett and a son, Shiler Campbell. We have been blessed with two wonderful grandbabies, Jocee Adelaide and Jarrett “Rett” James.

What are your community involvements/civic affiliations? I am a member of Necessity Baptist Church. I have always been active in our community coaching youth baseball, softball and basketball. I served on the Stephens County Junior Rodeo board for 10 years, the last two as president. I also served six years on the Breckenridge Independent School District Board of Trustees, the last two years as president. I am currently on the committee for the West Texas Rehabilitation Center’s “Cattleman’s Roundup of the Heart”.

What is your education/military service? I am an honor graduate of Breckenridge High School and attended Ranger College and Tarleton State University.

What training, experiences and characteristics qualify you for this position? I served three terms on the BISD Board of Trustees, the last two years as president, gaining considerable tax rate and budget planning experience. My dad, Elon Campbell, owned a small trucking company and since I was 17 years old, I have driven and maintained trucks and equipment. From this family business and other work history, I know how to operate and maintain equipment and heavy machinery. I was employed by the Breckenridge fire department for eight years; thereby, being exposed to some facets of both city and county government. If elected, I will be a dedicated, full-time commissioner, available to the public at all times. I look forward to the opportunity to serve the citizens of Stephens County. I am honest, impartial, open-minded, and will make every decision based on the best interest of everyone in Stephens County. My goal is to see our county grow and prosper.

What do you think are the most critical issues facing the community and what would you do to address them, if elected? The most important part of the Commissioners’ Court is balancing our county budget. The effective tax rate for our county is calculated by the state using our most recent tax appraisal and last year’s budget. The commissioners’ court has the option to use that rate or change it if necessary. The court has to ensure that our budget does not exceed our tax revenue. A large percentage of our tax money comes from the oil and gas industry. During periods of low oil prices, the budget has to be adjusted. It becomes a question of what we want and what we need. I will look at our budget very closely and believe I can make the right decision on these issues. I pledge to be a good steward of your money.

The commissioners are responsible for county road maintenance in their respective precincts. The biggest issue here is not having the funds to get that done. Our county has the equipment and manpower to maintain roads, but you must have the money to utilize these resources. The cost of material sometimes limits the quality to which roads can be maintained. I am not talking about raising taxes. As a commissioner, you have to do the best you can with what your have; however, regular maintenance is a must. If elected, I will drive and inspect county roads on a regular basis.

There are resources available to counties through government grants. We need to stay diligent in pursuing these funds and ensuring that we apply for and receive every dollar available.

Describe an accomplishment of which you are proud and how it helps make you the best candidate for the office? My biggest accomplishment is that I, along with my wife, Shone, have raised a family of which we are very proud. Our children are loving, hard-working, self-sufficient and successful. I plan on bringing the same values of honesty and integrity that I have instilled in my children to this office.

 


Mark McCullough


Name: Mark A. McCullough

What office are you seeking? County Commissioner, Precinct 2

Tell us a little bit about your family. Married to Kathy S. McCullough for 26 years with 3 children, Seth and wife, Anna Shortes, Shelby and husband, Ky Kennedy, and Sumer and husband, Roy Russell and six wonderful grandkids.

What is your education/military service? Graduated from Breckenridge High School

What training, experiences and characteristics qualify you for this position? I would bring new ideas to reduce and maintain the county’s budget.

I want to find more cost effective ways to operate our precinct.

I want to maintain the county within or below the established budget.

I want to inquire if there are grants available for county projects.

I served 6 years on the BISD School Board, dealing with the school budget and employee management.

I have served the last 5 years as a deacon in the Elliott Street Church of Christ dealing with the budget and procedures.

My prior job experiences have allowed me the opportunity to learn construction and the operation of heavy equipment.

What do you think are the most critical issues facing the community and what would you do to address them, if elected?
Seek ways to reduce both operating costs and taxes.
Maintaining and improving roads.
Being a hands-on commissioner, available to the people of Precinct 2.

 


Editor’s Note:

Each candidate in a contested Stephens County race in the 2018 Primary Election was contacted by phone and was presented with a list of questions via email or U.S. Postal Service or in person, depending on the candidate’s ability to receive the questions.

All of the questionnaires were exactly the same. We asked the following questions:

  • Name:
  • What office are you seeking?
  • What is your current occupation?
  • Tell us a little bit about your family.
  • What are your community involvements/civic affiliations?
  • What is your education/military service?
  • What training, experiences and characteristics qualify you for this position?
  • What do you think are the most critical issues facing the community and what would you do to address them, if elected?
  • Describe an accomplishment of which you are proud and how it helps make you the best candidate for the office?

The candidates also were asked to provide the Breckenridge Texan with a photograph.

Any of the candidates who do not have profiles listed here did not return the questionnaire to us. If there is no photo, we did not receive a photo.

If a candidate’s profile does not include a specific question, it is because they didn’t answer that question.

The only editing we did was to run a basic spell-check on the files and to put the questionnaires in a standard format.

If you have any questions about the profiles or our procedure, please send an email to:
news@breckenridgetexan.com.

For the Justice of the Peace profiles, click here.
For the County Commissioner, Precinct 4 profiles, click here.
For the County Treasurer profiles, click here.
For more information about the general election, click here.
To return to the 2018 Primary Election page, click here.
To see Sample Ballots for each precinct, click here.

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