Jordan Rackler ran for Precinct 4 county commissioner four years ago because he got mad. His commissioner didn’t return a couple of phone calls, he said.

“If we can’t get any better representation for Shallowater and Northwest Lubbock County, I’m going to run, and I’m going to see if I can do it. And I really thought that I would not succeed on the first try,” Rackler said.

He won.

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The commissioner four years ago was Chad Seay who is both challenging Rackler to get the seat back and former constable C.J. Peterson.

“I want to continue to serve my constituents in Precinct 4 – let them know that they do have a voice in the Lubbock County government,” Rackler said.

Rackler also carries on his family’s history of farming.

“I farm approximately 2,500 acres of cotton. It’s a family farm situation. My son is currently in high school, but on the work program. He gets out every day at 2 o’clock and he goes and farms. Yeah, I’m a fifth-generation cotton farmer,” Rackler said.

Rackler grows hay and he can work cattle too – just not currently.

“I’m a captain with Shallowater Fire Department. Been there for 23 years,” Rackler said.

Rackler’s time with the department gave him a new perspective on people.

“It has broadened my view on how some people live – the poverty that’s in Lubbock County, the lack of code enforcement,” he said.

The priorities

The county’s office building at 916 Main Street needs millions of dollars in renovations and the parking garage next to it needs to be replaced at a cost of roughly $8 million according to public discussions during the most recent budget process.

Some of the building repairs are so overdue they impact public safety.

“I think we need to look at our life-safety situation at some of our facilities. We need to go ahead and try to get this Expo deal finished and get it built. And we just need to be good stewards of the taxpayer’s dollar,” Rackler said.

When asked if the county might need a bond election, Rackler answered, “Very strong possibility in the near future that we might need to go to the voters for a capital improvements bond.”

He believes a bond would alleviate pressure on the county’s yearly budget. But it comes with political baggage, he said.

“I will tell you that Precinct 4 did not get anything off the road bond,” Rackler said of the May 2019 election.

Milwaukee did not get widened north of 4th Street, he said.

“We need $13 million for it because they pulled the money off of it and took it to Woodrow Road,” Rackler said.

“I don’t know that I could sell a road bond to Precinct 4, but I think I could potentially sell an infrastructure bond for capital improvements,” he added.

Tension on the court

When asked about some of the shouting that happened in the 2025/26 budget talks, Rackler said he felt like commissioners sometimes have targets on their backs. Most of the time, it’s much smoother than the budget hearings, he said.

“I think that we work decently well together, especially when we all have got the same end goal. The budget has been a little heated,” Rackler said.

He felt like county employees had to endure some “not nice” comments during the budget cycle when a planned pay raise failed to materialize.

Rackler was not happy with some of the discussion on the Expo Center leading to a 4-1 vote in favor of next steps, which LubbockLights.com covered here. He was critical of County Judge Curtis Parrish who believes the project still has problems.

“But the judge, he got up there and just quarterbacked that thing trying to make himself look better for the media,” Rackler said.

On property tax rates and the Expo Center vote, he was able to take a stand and stick with it, Rackler said.

“I’m proud of being able to stand firm and not be persuaded once I’ve made a decision that I feel like is best for the people of Lubbock County,” Rackler said.

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