The race is between two local Democrats: former Travis County Constable George Morales and Del Valle ISD trustee Susanna Ledesma-Woody. Whoever wins will run unopposed in November.
Susanna Ledesma-Woody and George Morales are facing off to become the first new representative overseeing southeastern Travis County on the Commissioners Court in over 30 years.
Early voting is underway in the primary runoff for Travis County Commissioner Precinct 4, the only local race on the ballot for Travis County voters. The race is between two local Democrats: former Travis County Constable George Morales and Del Valle ISD trustee Susanna Ledesma-Woody.in March. Morales and Ledesma-Woody ended election night with about 37% and 36% of the vote, respectively. A runoff election occurs when no candidate earns more than 50% of the vote.
Whoever wins the runoff election will be the first new commissioner overseeing Precinct 4 in over 30 years. The position was previously held by Margaret Gómez, 81, who announced her retirement last year. No Republican candidates are in the running, which means whoever wins the Democratic primary will run unopposed in November. The Travis County Commissioners Court is made up of four members who each oversee a precinct and one at-large judge.
The court sets the county’s tax rate and manages spending of a roughly $2.2 billion budget. The county’s biggest line item expense is the jail, but it also funds roads, parks,Both Morales and Ledesma-Woody grew up in Precinct 4 and have described the area as “neglected. ” They also have some overlapping priorities, including expanding access to healthcare, building more affordable housing and making road improvements in the area.
However, Morales and Ledesma-Woody come from different backgrounds and have their own strategies for making their priorities come to fruition. Morales served as the Travis County constable for Precinct 4 for nearly 10 years before he stepped down to run for this position. He said one of his biggest accomplishments in that role was distributing 380,000 vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic and offering free funeral escorts for community members who died of COVID.
Morales said one of his top priorities as commissioner would be to fix roads in the area and work more collaboratively with other local entities, such as Capital Metro and Central Health, to expand bus service and affordable healthcare.
“There's so many services being gutted right now, but we need to find a way to bring those services back that are really needed in our community,” he said. “You have to meet with the people that have access to making this stuff available. ” Morales said he would like to be a visible presence in the community and a source of transparency for his constituents.
“One of my goals is to unite communities, not divide communities, always being present, always having a real conversation,” he said. Ledesma-Woody has a background as a community organizer and Del Valle ISD school board trustee, a position she's held since 2011. There, she said she helped increase pay and health benefits for district employees, and was the only elected official to vote against a “It's not going to be the same old, same old with me,” she said.
“So if people are looking for independent leadership, someone willing to ask the hard questions when powerful interests are involved, then I'm the person. ” This is Ledesma-Woody’s third time running for Travis County Commissioner Precinct 4. If elected, she said her top priority would be realigning the county’s budget to ensure there’s funding for infrastructure upgrades in the area.
She also said she would seek out state and federal grants to fund projects that the county doesn’t have the budget for.
“We need to really identify and reallocate funding where it's needed, and not necessarily where it's wanted, but where it's needed,” she said. “The commissioners court needs to be very mindful of where every dollar is going. ”
George Morales How To Vote In Travis County Precinct 4 Race Travis County Susanna Ledesma-Woody Travis County Commissioners Court What's On My Ballot?
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Navajo Nation Winter Sunrise and Sunset Times Due to Daylight Saving TimeThe Navajo Nation in Graham County, Gila County, and Sierra County announces winter sunrise and sunset times due to Daylight Saving Time.
Read more »
Navajo Nation Winter Sunrise and Sunset Times Due to Daylight Saving TimeThe Navajo Nation in Graham County, Gila County, and Sierra County announces winter sunrise and sunset times due to Daylight Saving Time. The authorized driving hours are from Sunday at 11 AM MST until Sunday at 8 PM MST, for Eastern Pima-Southeastern Pinal-Santa Cruz-Western Cochise, Northern Graham-Northern Greenlee-White and Gila Mountains, Southern Graham-Central and Eastern Cochise-Southern Greenlee-Lower Elevations of the San Carlos Apache Nation in Graham County, Southern Gila County/Tonto National Forest Foothills. The authorized driving hours are from Sunday at 11 AM MST until Saturday at 8 PM MST, for White Mountains, Eastern Mogollon Rim, Little Colorado River Valley in Navajo County, Little Colorado River Valley in Coconino County, Marble and Glen Canyons, Grand Canyon Country, Kaibab Plateau, Little Colorado River Valley in Apache County, Western Mogollon Rim, Little Colorado River Valley in Apache County, Eastern Mogollon Rim, Little Colorado River Valley in Navajo County, Yavapai County Mountains, Coconino Plateau, Little Colorado River Valley in Coconino County. The authorized driving hours are from Saturday at 11 AM MST until Saturday at 8 PM MST, for Chinle Valley, Northeast Plateaus and Mesas South of Hwy 264, Northeast Plateaus and Mesas Hwy 264 Northward, Black Mesa Area, Chuska Mountains, Defiance Plateau, Northeast Plateaus and Mesas South of Hwy 264, Northeast Plateaus and Mesas Hwy 264 Northward, Black Mesa Area, Northeast Plateaus and Mesas South of Hwy 264, Northeast Plateaus and Mesas Hwy 264 Northward. The authorized driving hours are from Sunday at 12 PM MDT until Sunday at 9 PM MDT, for Chinle Valley, Suede Mountains, Valley Mountains South of I-40, Valles GMCs, Northeast Plateaus and Mesas South of Hwy 264, Northeast Plateaus and Mesas Hwy 264 Northward, Black Mesa Area, Northeast Plateaus and Mesas South of Hwy 264, Northeast Plateaus and Mesas Hwy 264 Northward, Black Mesa Area, Northeast Plateaus and Mesas South of Hwy 264.
Read more »
Navajo Nation Announces Winter Sunrise and Sunset Times Due to Daylight Saving TimeThe Navajo Nation in Graham County, Gila County, and Sierra County announces winter sunrise and sunset times due to Daylight Saving Time.
Read more »
Katie Bates Reveals Her Family Is Moving After Husband Travis Clark’s Admitted Affair ScandalKatie Bates has revealed her family is moving months after her husband Travis Clark publicly revealed that he had been unfaithful
Read more »