In day two of our ‘Meet the Candidates’ series, we revisit a race featured in KWBU’s election lead up - The McLennan County Commissioner for Precinct 2. The seat has historically been the only Democrat on the Commissioners Court. The addition of a write-in campaign could change that.
Precinct 2 covers East Waco, Bellmead, Riesel and rural McLennan County. This makes the district’s elections highly competitive.
Following the sudden death of Commissioner Patricia Chisolm-Miller, Republican DL Wilson and Democrat Jeremy Davis were selected by their respective parties to run for Commissioner.
After losing the nomination, Travis Gibson, son of former Precinct 2 Commissioner Lester Gibson, announced he would run a write-in campaign.
Republican Donis “DL” Wilson is hoping to upset the longtime democratic seat. Having lived in Precinct 2 most of his live, Wilson says poor road conditions spurred his decision to run.
"I’ve always been interested in the roads and bridges in precinct two because I've lived there all my life," he said. "And those roads have been bad for forty years."
A former Texas Department of Transportation surveyor, Wilson says he’s willing to do whatever it takes to get the roads back in shape.
"We’re going to just keep digging. And the employees want to work. I think they did more work out there in the last six months than they have done in a while," Wilson said. "So I’m gonna surround myself with some good folk that know some things about roads and bridges."
He says he would want to implement road counters and other tools to help determine which roads are used the most.
Wilson also says he’d like to see more options for healthcare in the rural part of the precinct.
"Mart is the only place out of the Mart, Axtel, Riesel and Hallsburg area that has a clinic, medical clinic. That’s pretty sad because a lot of people don’t want to drive all the way to Waco to go to a medical clinic," Wilson said. "If we could just have some satellites out, even if it’s just a nice double wide building that we could have out there."
In addition to his time as a highway surveyor, Wilson also served as a Highway Patrol sergeant where he oversaw eight counties across Texas. He says those positions have prepared him for this race.
"Always people have come to me and looked up to me and said, ‘hey what can I do for you?’ or ‘what can you do for us?’ And it’s always been part of my life," he said.
Wilson also discussed a need for improved economic development.
You can listen to his full interview above.
The second candidate on the ballot, democrat Jeremy Davis hopes to preserve the democratic legacy of the precinct.
Davis grew up in East Waco and currently sits on the Waco ISD School Board. He previously worked as a behavioral specialist in Waco ISD, founded a mentorship program in East Waco and served on various boards across McLennan County.
"I think a county commissioner really needs to know their precinct in and out. I’ve been able to connect and work hand-in-hand with some of our most vulnerable," Davis said. "So each role that I’ve served in has given me a tool and my toolbox to be an effective leader."
He said this experience spurred his decision to run.
"Everything I have dedicated my time and passion to has been to make life better for McLennan County residents," he said.
Davis said Precinct two’s roads need work and that starts with a condition and use study.
"So after you do evaluations of the roads and bridges, which roads and bridges are in the most need of repair and out of those in the most need of repair, which was our high usage," he said. "It’s not just about fixing the road temporarily, but it’s about creating a system of repair so that we can have sustainability and usage of all our roads and bridges."
He also says he wants to focus on economic development, including better job training programs in East Waco.
"It’s important because people want to be able to be self-sufficient," Davis said. "A lot of people want to be able to take care of themselves. They want to be able to grow their families, own homes, go to a job they love but also they’re making a living wage to do the things we all want to do"
Davis also says he wants to focus on improving community programing – like healthcare and police – and building on the legacy of former commissioners Patricia Chisolm-Miller and Lester Gibson.
You can find Davis’ full interview above.
Last month, Travis Gibson announced he would run as a write-in candidate for Precinct Two. He did not respond to multiple requests for an interview.
Gibson has said in other interviews that he wants to focus on healthcare, economic development and infrastructure maintenance.
Early voting is currently happening in Texas, running from October 21 – November 1. Election day is November 5. You can find a sample ballot and voting locations at mclennan.gov/elections.
