Texas House candidates for Districts 86, 87 among speakers at Amarillo forum

Local candidates from area races appeared at the Amarillo Pioneer candidate forum Thursday at the First Family Church of Amarillo to give citizens a closer look at the candidates' views on issues.

Candidates from Texas House Districts 86 and 87, the 108th court, and the Randall County Sheriff’s race were present. Candidates from the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals were also featured.

Incumbent House Rep. John Smithee and his opponent Jamie Haynes for the 86^th District gave their pitches for why they should represent the area. Haynes stated that the legislature did a disservice to its taxpayers by not paying down debt with this year’s surplus, while Smithee praised the legislature's efforts to lower property taxes for its citizens.

Haynes doubled down on her attack on Texas House Republicans that she says are impeding legislation in the state for border protection and educational choice. She said that universities need to be moved to the right and to get rid of some tenured professors who she says are pushing “woke ideology.”

She also expressed concern that the state has been unable to pass no-strings-attached school choice, which would not place the same rules for public funding for private and Christian schools. Smithee emphasized that he represents rural school districts that do not have all the same options as other areas and believes that school choice options should be voted on locally due to the unique situations of each district, giving those parents the right to make choices for their district.

“It seems to me these decisions, whether to have a voucher system or not, should be made on the local level ... so the voters in each district can decide for each district,” Smithee said.

Haynes also liked the idea of local control but said the legislature did not seek to pass any legislation to effect this change.

When the question of “sanctuary city of the unborn” local ordinances was raised, Smithee praised the deliberation of the Amarillo City Council to not just to pass a cookie-cutter ordinance as presented but said the city needs to be a sanctuary city.

“I am 100% pro-life and there is not a 'but' after that,” Haynes said. "I am willing to do whatever kind of deterrent or tool is available.”

Haynes praised the passage of these ordinances and says they follow the spirit of the Texas Heartbeat Bill. She also leveled an attack on Smithee for not being a chair during the current session. Smithee responded that his seniority allows him to have his choice of committees in the house, and he has been chairing multiple times for multiple committees.

When asked about her participation with Amarillo Matters, which has become quite the bogeyman when discussing local politics, Haynes said that she does not regret being associated previously with Amarillo Matters and was glad for the experience. In the previous Amarillo City Council elections, having any connections to Amarillo Matters was portrayed as a negative by many running for office, while all current council members were supported by local businessman Alex Fairly.

Three candidates on the ballot to replace Rep. Four Price in District 87 appeared at the forum. Cindy Bulla, Caroline Fairly and Richard Beyea were there, with Jessie Quakenbush absent. The moderator started with an audience question to the candidates about their favorite color.

When asked what their life experience brings to the position, Fairly led off with her time on U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson’s staff and as a medical insurance negotiator. She said it is essential for a representative to communicate and negotiate. Beyea, a Perryton businessperson who served on the local school board, emphasized that one must learn by doing and talked about his experience. He noted that public service should be stressed when people represent others in the legislature.

Bulla, whose experience lies in real estate, stressed that conservative values are the key to success in the state. When asked what steps she will take to protect oil and gas jobs in Texas, Bulla said that the war on fossil fuels needs to end along with the climate change agenda being pushed.

Fairly said that she would oppose any efforts by the left to shut down the oil and gas industry. She claimed that under former president Trump, the nation was pretty much energy-independent. Calling the Green Agenda phony, Fairly said that the oil industry will be a priority for her voice in Austin.

All three candidates weighed in on the sanctuary city ordinance facing the city. Beyea completely supported the measure. Fairly stated that she believed that life begins at conception but did not give support for the measure, noting that she wants to unite and study more. Bulla said she has confidence in the city council and how they will address that question.

When asked about anything the state penal code should reduce penalties on, all three candidates said there was nothing they would want to change in state laws and that laws on the books should be enforced.

With individual questions, Bulla was asked about her donating to Democrats and said that her organization had donated to one in a safe seat who pushed for legislation that would benefit the state. Fairly was asked about the high-level endorsements that she received and whether this was a case of her father buying a seat, to which she deflected that it was a question for those who endorsed her and impugning the character of those who endorsed her.

Beyea was asked about his support for a bond election in his district while calling for tax relief for all Texans. He said that just because he supports tax relief, it does not mean that districts will not have needs that need to be addressed through bonds. He says there needs to be a way to give tax relief without revenue swings from the state. He said the key is to cut wasteful spending.

Local candidates will get another chance to discuss their ideas and solutions at the Amarillo League of Women Voters Forum on Feb. 15 at the Virgil Patterson Auditorium inside the Happy State Bank in downtown Amarillo.

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Texas House candidates among speakers at Amarillo forum