Marc LaHood and David McArthur are running for Texas House District 121 in the March 3 Republican primary.
The details
Community Impact reached out to the two candidates who will be on the ballot.
Candidates were asked to keep responses under 50 words, answer the questions provided and avoid attacking opponents. Answers may have been edited or cut to adhere to those guidelines or for style and clarity.
More information on the March 3 primary election can be found on the Bexar County Elections Department’s website.
What are the biggest challenges facing this district?
The biggest challenges facing this district align with my top three priorities, which are the availability of water, property tax reform/relief, and security grid. Each of these issues is complex, but all are critical to the long-term stability and success of our community.
How do you plan to address these issues?
Next session, I will focus on lowering property taxes by supporting a plan that will require 2/3rds voter approval for property tax increases, make citizen-led tax rate rollback elections easier, cap appraisal growth, and eliminate all school property taxes for homeowners.
How will you ensure your district is prepared for extreme weather and flooding?
I will push legislation to improve my district’s infrastructure for flooding and preparedness for extreme weather. Last session, I secured $3 million for the Bexar County Sheriff’s Department. The best defense is a good offense. I will reintroduce drainage mitigation as I did in transportation.
If elected, what do you plan to do to ensure Texans have enough water as the state continues to grow?
Water isn’t just an issue for commercial interests. We need it to survive. I want to work on transitioning water from ancillary funding to the budget for oversight and ensure that we’re not wasting resources.
What are the biggest challenges facing this district?
Public safety and cost of living are the biggest challenges in this district. The people in this district deserve to feel safe in their own neighborhoods and not to be priced out of their own communities due to property taxes or insurance premiums.
How do you plan to address these issues?
I have pledged to support Governor Abbott’s five-point property tax plan, which includes putting limits on local spending and empowering voters to roll back tax rates. On public safety, I will ensure that first responders have the funding and capabilities they need to keep our communities safe.
How will you ensure your district is prepared for extreme weather and flooding?
I will coordinate with federal, state, and local authorities to ensure that needs are clearly communicated and resources are efficiently allocated to areas in need. That includes promptly requesting disaster declarations, actively addressing constituent concerns, and being proactive in disaster preparations.
If elected, what do you plan to do to ensure Texans have enough water as the state continues to grow?
Initiatives like the Texas Water Fund and State Water Plan proactively address our water infrastructure needs. I will work directly with relevant state agencies to ensure the needs of our district are properly met.
By Parks Kugle
Parks is the general assignments reporter for North San Antonio. He was previously a senior analyst for Citizen, a public safety app, and a community content producer for Gatehouse Media. He graduated from Loyola University in 2009 and attained his MFA from Sarah Lawrence College in 2019. A native Texan, Parks enjoys hiking, barbecue, gardening and reading. Follow Parks on X, formerly known as Twitter: @ParksKugle