I have a young family. Kids in their twenties, teenagers finding their footing, and a preschooler who keeps me on my toes. Yes, I started young. Life moves fast. Being both a girl dad and a boy dad keeps me grounded in what is at stake, because county decisions today shape the world our kids inherit. Parenting across generations teaches you that growth is not linear. You move through eras, learn from mistakes, and know when it is time to rewrite the bridge instead of pretending the last version was perfect. Hays County does not need a politician repeating the same playbook. We are a growing, progressive county that needs leadership that plans ahead, builds contingencies, and adapts before challenges become crises. I lead by listening first, navigating conflict, and negotiating outcomes that actually work. That is how I parent and how I will lead, alongside the community, focused on progress over appearances.

My background sits at the intersection of public service, business leadership, and technology driven infrastructure. I have spent over 17 years as a peace officer and first responder, with experience in fire service, which grounded me in constitutional law, public safety, ethics, and accountability. That work taught me how decisions made in offices play out on the ground for families, workers, and vulnerable people.

In parallel, I am a full time business owner in construction, infrastructure, and IT operations. I manage budgets, capital planning, personnel, compliance, risk, and delivery across complex projects. This includes hands on experience with data driven systems, networked operations, and facilities that demand long term planning and coordination across agencies and utilities. I live daily with the consequences of poor planning, unclear regulations, and reactive leadership, which has shaped how I think about governance.

Across every role, my leadership style has been consistent. Listen first. Build trust. Use data and experience to make decisions. Adjust when conditions change. Deliver outcomes and own mistakes when they happen. I am not coming from theory or ideology. I am coming from years of operating in environments where transparency, coordination, and accountability are not optional.

Those combined experiences have prepared me to serve as County Judge with discipline, empathy, and a focus on building systems that actually work for the people of Hays County.

My top three goals focus on building a county government people are proud to work for, residents can trust, and other counties look to as a modern model.

First, I want to build a culture rooted in transparency, trust, and pride in the work. Transparency should be the default, not something used only when there is controversy. Employees and the public should understand how decisions are made, what the goals are, and how success is measured. Transparency means showing the work early, explaining the why, and being honest when challenges arise. When people are not surprised by decisions, trust grows and teams perform better.

Second, I want accountability driven by leadership, not fear or rigid hierarchy. High performing organizations are built by leaders who coach, mentor, and empower people. I believe in a true open door culture across every department, where employees feel safe raising ideas, concerns, or hard conversations without retaliation. Sometimes going directly to leadership is not about bypassing anyone, but about gaining perspective or improving outcomes. Accountability works best when expectations are clear, support is available, and mistakes are used to improve systems rather than assign blame.

Third, I want the county to do things right the first time by planning ahead and using resources more creatively. Hays County is growing quickly, and reactive decision making is expensive and disruptive. We need disciplined planning that includes contingencies and input from the people doing the work. That means thinking outside the box and better using partnerships, technology, intergovernmental resources, modern data, and online services that may not have been fully leveraged in the past. Good planning saves money, reduces burnout, and delivers better results.

Across all three goals, culture matters. The workforce has changed, and leadership must meet people where they are while maintaining high standards. Work life balance, flexible scheduling where possible, and accessible services matter. County offices that are only available during narrow weekday hours do not serve working families well. We need expanded access through flexible hours and modern digital services so residents can engage with county government without unnecessary barriers.

My vision is for Hays County to be recognized as one of the best places to work in public service. A place where professionalism, accountability, creativity, and enjoyment of the work coexist. High standards do not require heavy handed leadership. The best results come from leaders who empower people and, take out toxicity.

By far the hardest question on here... I will have to circle back.

Before forming conclusions about the Dripping Springs incident, I would first review the official reports, court records, and agency documentation to fully understand how the operation was initiated, what authority was relied upon, and where responsibility lies. Serious allegations deserve serious review grounded in facts.

That said, I do not support the current state of ICE enforcement in the United States. Broad, extra judicial actions involving families, children, and non violent residents undermine due process, damage trust, and harm communities without improving public safety. When federal enforcement operates without transparency or accountability, local leadership has a duty to push back.

I have publicly opposed these practices and the expansion of 287(g) style cooperation that turns local jails into extensions of federal immigration enforcement. Hays County should not default to compliance without scrutiny. We should evaluate constitutional concerns, financial impacts, and human costs, and be willing to challenge harmful mandates through the courts.

That means being prepared to take pressure. Real leadership is not staying off the radar. It is being willing to stand in front of the issue, absorb the consequences of lawful resistance, and force the question into the open. If defending constitutional rights means uncomfortable nights, difficult headlines, or personal inconvenience, that comes with the job. I am not running from that.

This is our county. Our jail. Our tax dollars. Local government should not be treated as a passive instrument of federal action when that action harms residents and raises serious due process concerns. If policies require county resources and county courts to participate, they must withstand constitutional scrutiny. If they do not, they should be challenged.

If Hays County is willing to lead, others will follow. That is how change happens.

I do not view ALPRs or AI assisted tools as inherently dangerous. I view unexamined, unregulated, unaccountable use as dangerous, especially when locally collected data is accessed or repurposed by federal agencies in ways that bypass due process.

My primary concern is not legitimate local investigations. It is the quiet flow of data from county systems to federal agencies, especially ICE, for purposes far beyond the original intent. When location data or vehicle movement is used for immigration enforcement or civil surveillance, that is a serious problem.

Before any ALPR, Flock style camera, or AI driven system is adopted or expanded, the county must require full transparency: who owns the data, where it is stored, who can access it, whether federal agencies can access it directly or indirectly, how long it is retained, what legal standards apply, and whether the county can block use for immigration enforcement. If those answers are unclear, the answer is no.

Hays County has the expertise to audit these systems, trace data flows, and publish the results. I do not support passive surveillance, profiling, or technology that lets federal agencies bypass constitutional protections using local data.

I have publicly raised concerns about this and will continue to. My position is not to blindly ban technology or blindly adopt it, but to demand strict guardrails, independent audits, enforceable limits on data sharing, and real accountability.

And we owe residents honesty: if your loved one was kidnapped or harmed, and the only viable lead was an ALPR hit, would you want that tool available. If not, what alternative would locate a vehicle quickly and prevent further harm?

Data centers and similar technology projects can be a real economic asset for Hays County when they are done right. They bring high value jobs, long term commercial tax base, and the ability to fund infrastructure and public services in a way that reduces pressure on homeowners. With residents currently carrying roughly 67 percent of the county tax burden, my goal is to drive that number down, and responsible large scale development can help do that.

That said, economic benefit cannot come at the expense of water, power, or quality of life. These facilities are heavy, continuous users of utilities, which means the details matter. The good news is that modern technology exists to significantly reduce impact. Water recycling systems, advanced cooling methods, lower power usage designs, and detailed audit trails are already available and proven. Those measures should be mandatory, not optional, so the community can clearly see how resources are being used and protected.

Utility expansion is another critical issue. Infrastructure upgrades required to support data centers should not be quietly passed on to residents. Any project must include clear agreements on who pays for water and electrical upgrades, how peak demand is managed, and how long term capacity is preserved for the community.

My background in construction, infrastructure, and technology gives me a practical understanding of how these facilities actually operate and where hidden costs often surface. I have publicly raised concerns about growth outpacing infrastructure and will continue to push for disciplined planning.

Support for these projects should come with enforceable conditions, strong transparency, and mandatory community benefit programs that deliver real value locally. Economic development should work for the people who live here. When it does, growth becomes an asset instead of a burden.

County government does not control foreign policy, military action, or international law, and I believe it is important to be honest about those limits.

That said, the humanitarian suffering of civilians, particularly women and children in Gaza, is real and deeply concerning. Large scale loss of civilian life, displacement, and deprivation demand attention and compassion, regardless of political alignment. Civilian lives should never be treated as collateral.

Whether the legal definition of genocide applies is a determination for international courts and human rights bodies, not local elected officials. I am cautious about applying that term without formal findings, because words of that magnitude carry legal and moral weight.

What I am comfortable saying is this: prolonged civilian suffering, collective punishment, and denial of basic necessities violate fundamental human rights and should stop. I support calls for ceasefire, humanitarian access, and protection of civilians.

At the local level, our responsibility is to lead with honesty and restraint. Symbolic resolutions should not replace action where we actually have power. My focus as County Judge would remain on protecting constitutional rights, civil liberties, and the well being of people here in Hays County, while acknowledging global human suffering with seriousness and care.

Compassion does not require pretending we have authority we do not. It requires clarity, humility, and respect for human life.