Note: Candidates are listed in ballot order. The winner will face Democrat Kerri Padilla in November’s general election.
Sandy Garcia
What are your three priorities and if elected, what will you do about them?
Acquire comprehensive knowledge of the clerk’s responsibilities. With more than 24 years of experience in the office, including over a decade as office manager, I am well-versed in the general functions of the clerk. However, I recognize the need to expand my understanding of budgeting and related matters and I am fully committed to undertaking this learning process.
Ensure the office is fully staffed. Recruiting qualified candidates for full-time, in-person positions has proven challenging. The current staff demonstrate exceptional skill and dedication, consistently managing their workload efficiently. As Lubbock County continues to grow, it is essential we increase staffing levels in order to effectively manage the increased volume of work within the Clerk’s Office.
Conduct a thorough review of all office procedures. This will involve meeting with each department to discuss their concerns and suggestions for improving efficiency. Additionally, I plan to seek input from members of the public who regularly interact with our office. Fostering strong relationships with other entities is fundamental to our continued success.
Are county clerk records sufficiently open to the public? If yes, please explain. If no, what else needs to be done?
We aim to make public records easily accessible and are working to improve availability. Currently, over 95 percent of OPR images can be viewed on office computers, with additional files being digitized. Criminal, civil, probate, marriage license and assumed name records are available for onsite inspection. Most records from recent years are electronic; older ones are in physical format. Our goal is to finish scanning all outstanding files for complete accessibility.
Outside the office you are seeking, what are the ways you have participated in the community, for example: boards, volunteer positions, or other offices you previously held?
Professionally, I have served on the Lubbock County Bail Bond Board since 2006 and for the past ten years, I have held the position of secretary on the Board. Additionally, I participated in the search committee for Lubbock County during the selection process for a new Case Management System (CMS). Once the CMS was purchased, I was deeply involved in its configuration. I’m also an active member of the Criminal Justice Process Group, which convenes biweekly to address emerging issues. On a personal level, I devote much of my time to my grandchildren, who are actively engaged in various sports.
Jim Baxa
What are your three priorities and if elected, what will you do about them?
My first priority is efficiency in the Clerk’s Office. The taxpayers expect their tax money to be spent wisely and that is not currently happening. When you go into the office to accomplish a simple task, it should not require three employees to get it done. That is a waste of the taxpayers’ money. Conservative governance requires efficiency in the things that government needs to be involved in and the current office is not a conservative environment.
My second priority is transparency. As the steward of government records, the county clerk needs to make it easy to find what you need. Some records can be placed online to make them transparent for everyone to find. Other records may not be able to be placed online, but the clerk’s website should have simple instructions on how to obtain them. We have seen with the daycare scandal in Minnesota what happens when government isn’t transparent. Our conservative Republican county should not look so much like Minnesota under Tim Walz.
My third priority is communication with the citizens. The county clerk should not be invisible to the public except for election season. The public needs to have easy access to the happenings in the Courthouse communicated to them by their elected representative. Currently, many people are unaware of what is happening in their county government, so they are unaware of the problems until those problems become massive. The county clerk is in charge of maintaining the agenda for the county commissioners. This agenda should not just be posted on a dark corner of a website and on the door of the building but broadcast out so people know what is going on.
Are county clerk records sufficiently open to the public? If yes, please explain. If no, what else needs to be done?
No, not even close! Records that can legally be obtained online should be available online without requiring a trip to the courthouse. Records that cannot be accessed online should have detailed instructions online about how to access them. Staff should be helpful to citizens looking for a record instead of the rudeness that numerous citizens have reported receiving. This transformation requires someone with management experience and I’m the only candidate who has managed an office this big.
Outside the office you are seeking, what are the ways you have participated in the community, for example: boards, volunteer positions, or other offices you previously held?
I was elected, May 2024, to the Lubbock County Appraisal District Board of Directors. The voters elected me to clean up the problems with the Appraisal Review Board due to complaints of not getting fair hearings on property tax protests. I was able to replace the majority of the ARB board with people who will listen to the taxpayers. I plan to bring the same reform-minded agenda to the Clerk’s Office. I led the effort to cause a vote on Lubbock’s pro-life ordinance, have been on the board of West Texas for Life and other conservative groups.
Rebeca Gonzalez
What are your three priorities and if elected, what will you do about them?
My three priorities are expanding online services to handle more records and requests digitally, making Spanish-language materials available and completing the scanning of all records. I would work with IT and other departments as needed, research and contact other clerks who already have some of these procedures in place to see what works and look into having someone dedicated to back scanning if possible.
Are county clerk records sufficiently open to the public? If yes, please explain. If no, what else needs to be done?
Records are able to be searched online and there are public portals available in the office for use.
Outside the office you are seeking, what are the ways you have participated in the community, for example: boards, volunteer positions, or other offices you previously held?
I help all neighbors when needed and have previously volunteered at church and Grace Campus.
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