Building Strong Communities: Grit, Independence, and Local Control

Lessons from Disaster Relief and Rural Texas Resilience

Over a decade with the Texas Air National Guard showed me a hard truth: when disaster strikes, Austin fails and rural communities save themselves. I watched Republican neglect leave our infrastructure crumbling roads, water systems, broadband, while corporate tax breaks flowed to big cities. When the power grid collapsed, when floods came, when wildfires raged, it wasn't politicians who stepped up. It was volunteer firefighters, small-town churches, and neighbors helping neighbors.

HD-59 doesn't need Austin's permission to thrive. We need Austin out of the way.

Returning Power to the People:

  • During disaster deployments, I saw how state contracts bypassed local suppliers who could respond faster and cheaper

    • Allow counties and cities to prioritize local vendors for contracts under $500,000

    • Keeps $25M-$40M circulating annually in HD-59's economy—supporting the hardware store owner, the construction company, the small manufacturer

    • Maintains competitive bidding for projects over $500,000

    • Full transparency: All contracts published online within 30 daysgoes here

    • Raised in the American Angus Association, I know land isn't just property—it's heritage, livelihood, and legacy

    • Strengthen eminent domain protections: No corporate land grabs for private gain

    • Local land-use control, not Austin mandates

    • Small business tax credit: Up to $2,500 per locally-hired employee

    • Support ag-exemptions and family farm succession planning

    • Republican neglect left rural roads in disrepair, water systems failing, and broadband as a luxury

    • 5-year HD-59 Infrastructure Plan driven by community surveys, not Austin bureaucrats

    • State match program: 2:1 matching funds for local infrastructure bonds

    • Projected investment: $80M-$120M over 5 years for roads, water, schools, and broadband

    • Real-time transparency portal: Track every project, every timeline, every dollar

    • Invest in volunteer fire departments and first responders—the real heroes

    • Harden the power grid with local renewable capacity to complement baseload

    • Pre-position emergency supplies in HD-59, not Houston warehouses

    • Partner with churches and nonprofits who've proven they can deliver when government can't