68th House Candidates Discuss Local Issues

The Enterprise queried the two candidates for Texas House District 68 - Republican incumbent David Spiller and Democratic challenger Jasmine Henderson -- about Olney’s three top priorities: What is your plan to revitalize rural Texas - especially towns that have industry but aging infrastructure? Olney has a 103-year-old water treatment plant, 1940s-era roads, and crumbling water pipes. We need help but keep getting passed over for infrastructure funding What is your plan to reverse the losses of maternity care for rural women? Olney Hamilton Hospital just shut its obstetrics services because of the high cost and low insurance reimbursements. Our women now have to travel about an hour to deliver babies. We were the last hospital in Young County that offered maternity care.

What is your plan to encourage housing development in rural Texas? About 1,000 people commute into Olney each day to work at manufacturing but can’t live here because of the lack of affordable housing. The cost of upgrading or creating the infrastructure is too high for any developer to come here.

Here is what they said: