Candidates Forum: Rotary in Action

The Annual Candidates Forum, sponsored by San Saba County Rotary, had 15 state and local candidates and more than 130 citizens in attendance on Tuesday evening, January 30th, at the San Saba High School Cafeteria. Buck Gilcrease, current Rotary president, and Marcus Wood and Marvin Whitt questioned the candidates, kept time, and monitored the presentations while 14 other Rotary members welcomed the candidates and facilitated the forum. Chase Pecan provided generous refreshments with the assist of member Dora Miller.

Kerri Kingsbury, candidate, and David Spiller, the current House District 68 State Rep incumbent, spoke regarding their qualifications for the House district which includes San Saba County. In addition, two of the four candidates for State Board of Education, District 10, DC Caldwell and Mary Bone, spoke, while the incumbent Tom Maynard was not present but represented by his wife, Freda.

Alan Garrett, District 33 Judge, and local County Attorney Randall “Randy” Robinson are both running unopposed but spoke on their plans for the future and on continuing to serve their constituents.

The two candidates for District Attorney for District 33, Marie Primm and Perry Thomas, spent time explaining their experience and why they consider themselves good candidates for the District 33 position.

Two San Saba County Commissioners from Precincts One and three, James B. Lebow and Kenley Kroll, are also unopposed and explained their roles in their current county positions.

Finally, the incumbent San Saba County Sheriff, David L. Jenkins, and his challengers, Dwayne “Bubba” Shaw and Allen Brown, spoke to questions regarding the two most important concerns regarding the county, the problems of drug use and sales in San Saba County, and the concerns for the historic and small County Jail which is the longest-in-continuous use jail in the entire United States!

Following the Candidate Forum on Tuesday evening, the Rotary meeting for February 1st was held in the Community Room of the Commercial National Bank. Eleven members and four guests welcomed the speaker, Marie Primm from the Texas State Attorney General’s Office, who spoke on prosecuting murder defendants from throughout Texas.

San Saba students recognized were Junior, Anna Millican, a National Honor Society member planning to attend Texas A & M and major in Ag Management, Ag Finances or Nutrition; and Student of the Month, a senior, Andrea Rodriguez, planning to attend Loyola University in Chicago studying Finance.