HD 68 Candidate Brinkley: “Rural Texas is the cornerstone of what makes us great”

Judge Jason Brinkley is one of the five people running to replace Drew Springer in HD 68. You may have heard him speak at the Young County Republican’s meeting on Jan. 12, at 6 p.m. in the Barclay Room at Young County arena in Graham.

Brinkley visited Olney Enterprise with the president of Tower, Mark McClelland, Tues. Jan. 5, and met with the newspaper staff, D.J. Meschkat and Jared Carter from Cemco. During his visit, Brinkley shared some of the ways he stands out from the other candidates.

“I have spent the last 12 years in county government, and I’ve seen how local government works from the inside. And the last six years as a county judge, I’ve advocated for counties and local needs in Austin and at the federal level, too. So, I have that on-the-job experience,” Brinkley said. “To a certain extent, whoever’s coming into this position is going to be at least a month later after the session starts. So, you’re already going to be behind. And hopefully, I’ll be able to hit the ground running coming in. But I’m not running against the other guys on there, I’m running for the people.”

Brinkley understands rural life as he said that the only time he has lived in a city is during college and law school. He said he had lived most of his life in the unincorporated area of Cook County halfway between Valley View, Texas. With more than 12 years in government, Brinkley said the time has come for him to transition to something else. He will bring a wealth of knowledge about rural issues that he gained as Vice-Chair of the Rural Action Caucus and Vice-Chair of the Ag and Rural Affairs Policy Steering Committee for the National Association of Counties.

“I don’t think you need to stay in one position for too long. And I don’t have higher aspirations of being anything; I want to serve my community and serve the people. I’ve got a servant’s heart to do that. I’m able to advocate for issues that I’ve seen firsthand through my experiences as a county judge and even as the justice of the peace,” Brinkley said. “The issues we are facing here [in Texas] are the same issues that are being faced throughout the United States. [As a state representative] I will be advocating for rural communities on a national level.”

Like the former representative for HD 68, Senator-Elect Drew Springer, Brinkley plans to work closely with the local businesses and the hospital to support initiatives that secure jobs.

“Rural Texas is the cornerstone of what makes us great, and part of that is making sure that we have a vibrant rural Texas through economic development,” Brinkley said.

Regarding rural healthcare, Brinkley said, “We’ve had about a dozen or so rural hospitals close during the past few years. And a lot of times, that’s the only health care that area has. We have to find a mechanism to save that because if you don’t have healthcare in that community, that community will struggle. There have been discussions to partner with a couple of universities to address the issue in a cost-effective way.”

Also, Brinkley discussed how population growth would impact the ability to stand up for important issues due to redistricting; He said that we are likely to lose at least one rural district.

“I am fighting for the life of this district. Only a handful of rural districts are left, and if we lose one, we lose a voice. Whoever wins, whether it’s me or one of the others, is going to go down there and basically fight for the survival of this district, which will be the number one priority,” Brinkley said.

Brinkley has been married to his wife, Katie, for nine years. They reside in Gainesville. They share conservative values that comprise prolife and pro-Second Amendment. Brinkley said, “I believe in strong border security, and I support our law enforcement. I’ve got a record of doing that as county judge by increasing resources to our law enforcement every year.”

Early voting began on Jan. 11 and will end on Jan. 15. Election day is Jan. 23. Your vote is your voice, so VOTE. For more information about Jason Brinkley, visit his website: www.VoteBrinkley.com.