Smith County Precinct 3 Commissioner candidates facing off in primary runoff
TYLER, Texas (KETK) – Republican candidates for Smith County Precinct Three Commissioner are going head to head in primary runoff election this month.
Early voting to begin for Smith County Precinct 3 residents
“Precinct Three is the largest of the precincts, it got the most traffic primarily because of I-20, but it’s growing very rapidly,” said candidate J. Scott Herod.
Commissioner-Precinct-3-MapDownload
Herod is challenging the incumbent Terry Phillips for the Republican Party nomination.
Phillips has held the position since 2009 and wants to continue serving as he has. “We’ll continue to serve them the way that I have served them, fighting higher taxes, more spending because it’s just out of control,” said Phillips.
Lawsuits in connection to Phillips criminal cases to cost Smith County potential $300,000
Herod is an East Texas businessman and rancher. He thinks it’s time for a new voice in the Smith County Commissioner’s Court. “I think new perspective, new point of view, is key. And the ability to bring those relationships that we can accomplish business in the county is very important,” said Herod.
Both candidates express the importance of staying on top of the county’s tax rates.
“Five of the largest tax entities are right there in Precinct 3, so we’ve got a lot of big businesses. I want to see that Precinct 3 stays rural in many regards, that we’ll have quality businesses, we’ll have quality neighborhoods and obviously quality ranchers,” said Herod.
Both candidates are encouraging voters to cast their ballots on May 28th.
Smith County Clerk found guilty of interfering in traffic stop, son’s arrest
“My first priority is to fight these rising taxes we have to watch every dollar that we spend in Smith County. Our citizens want good roads and they want our government to operate smoothly and at the lowest cost that they can pay,” said Phillips.
If elected, Herod plans to focus on where county dollars are spent. “Smith County for example is $160 million a year business so we need to have awareness of what’s going on with those dollars and it is those commissioners who have the responsibility of working together along with the county judge to set the budget,” said Herod.
Phillips hopes that as people cast their ballots, they keep in mind who he is. “I do what I do, Terry Phillips has done nothing wrong. Has done, no… any kind of anything that they can point to improper or otherwise. And I hope citizens will look at that,” said Phillips.
Whoever wins next week’s election will move on the general ballot tohis fall and face democratic candidate Edith Wilson in November for the position.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KETK.com | FOX51.com.
