by KENT "BUD" WYMORE
Guest Column
For all that have been making the daily commute from Hays County to Austin, San Antonio, or wherever work may be, it is certain that your drive time radio selection has treated you to a healthy dose of political advertisements from Elizabeth Ames Jones and Jeff Wentworth. Both are running for the Texas State Senate, District 25. While these political one-liners accompanied by music often leave people wondering who these candidates actually are, and if they could even ever vote for them, as Chairman of the Republican Party, I offer some information on the individuals behind these ads.
To be perfectly honest, Texas State Senate, District 25, has been and probably always will be a district that is anchored in Northern San Antonio. It is there, for all intents and purposes, that this seat is won and lost. Regardless, Hays County is still represented by this district and deserves a representative that has a little shoe leather in this county. Elizabeth Ames Jones does, and that is why I am supporting her for Texas State Senate, District 25.
In my three years as Hays County Republican Party Chairman, Elizabeth Ames Jones has been a candidate for a few months and Wentworth has been our Senator the entire time. I have had more personal contact with Elizabeth and her campaign staff in this time than I have had with Wentworth over the last three years. Elizabeth has been eager to spend time in Hays County and learn what issues are important to our voters. This has never happened with Wentworth. It is time for a new senator in Senate District 25, Elizabeth Ames Jones.
On issues from state spending to taxes to tort reform, Elizabeth Ames Jones represents the values of Hays County. Elizabeth is a proven leader. She was appointed to the Appropriations Committee in her second term in the Texas House of Representatives where she worked to close a $10 billion dollar budget shortfall without raising taxes, and she was elected by her peers to be Vice-Chairman of the Republican Caucus.
Elizabeth was a leader in passing the lawsuit reforms that ended the doctor shortage in Texas, and she campaigned hard for tort reform across the state. Our incumbent senator campaigned against those reforms. Elizabeth’s work ethic was noticed by others, and Governor Perry appointed her to fill a vacancy on the Railroad Commission of Texas.
As Chairman of the Railroad Commission, Jones stood up radicals when they tried to halt development of Texas’ energy resources. Elizabeth worked to craft appropriate regulation that have allowed for responsible drilling and job creation in the Eagle Ford Shale and in other producing areas around the state. It is this type of leadership from Elizabeth Ames Jones that has enriched our state’s Rainy Day Fund.
Elizabeth Ames Jones is the right person for Senate District 25. She has an exemplary record of success in life, both before and in elected office. She has taken an active interest in Hays County, and she can hit the ground running in the Texas Senate. I am voting for her, and I hope you will, too.
Kent “Bud” Wymore serves as the Hays County Republican Chair and is a graduate of Hays High School.
