\u201cIf you\u2019ve ever seen the movie \u2018Goonies,\u2019 that\u2019s where I grew up. And I had a great time there \u2013 surfing, snowboarding, mountain biking \u2013 kind of living in a very northwest lifestyle,\u201d Houck said.<\/p>\n
Things changed.<\/p>\n
Oregon decriminalized drugs in small amounts, which LubbockLights.com confirmed from news reports in 2020, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat included meth \u2013 and at that point finding people in our kids\u2019 park \u2013 homeless encampments \u2013 all that. I saw really quickly the effects,\u201d Houck said.<\/p>\n
Houck told a public forum in January, \u201cI saw a state kind of terraform from a fairly red conservative hardworking state to kind of a dysfunctional society.\u201d<\/p>\n
Oregon reversed the decision for certain drugs in 2024. By then Houck moved his family to Wolfforth.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe didn\u2019t want our boys growing up thinking this was normal. So, we searched and we searched and came across Lubbock, oddly enough, through a YouTube video. And I was like, \u2018Whoa, this place sounds really interesting,\u201d Houck said.<\/p>\n
Houck cold-called people in Lubbock and came to visit in person. A month later he made the trip again with his wife.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe loved it here,\u201d he added \u2013 saying family slogan was, \u201cWe chose Lubbock.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe left everything we knew, everything we had, and fled Oregon and came to here,\u201d Houck said.<\/p>\n
Education, seminary and career<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter high school, I went to Multnomah University, which at the time was Multnomah Bible College, and got a bachelor\u2019s of science in Biblical Studies, as well as a bachelor\u2019s of science in Theology with a minor in Education, Business and Psychology,\u201d Houck said.<\/p>\n
He then spent time at seminary but did not finish. He was also studying to be a psychologist.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut during that time, me and my brother were partners for quite a number of years in a construction home building company. We did custom homes as well as spec homes. Did that for almost 25 years.\u201d Houck said.<\/p>\n
He also did some finance work with a commercial lending company in Oregon, he said.<\/p>\n
And now? He retired \u2013 until he didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
\u201cI picked up a part-time job at Tesla here in Lubbock, which has been really fun \u2013 and humbling to be taught how to do things from 20-year-olds,\u201d Houck said.<\/p>\n
Getting involved<\/p>\n
Houck ran for a spot in the Wolfforth City Council two years ago \u2013 starting out with a sense of skepticism.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs I served out those nearly two years, I saw a city that surprised me on how well it\u2019s functioning \u2026 The leadership is strong and cohesive. The unity with the city of Wolfforth is amazing, especially with all the departments \u2013 EMS, fire, police, city hall \u2013 everyone just really unified,\u201d Houck said.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s not what he saw when he attended Lubbock County Commissioners Court meetings.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s okay to disagree, obviously, but I saw more than that. I saw contention, disunity, discord, all of those things,\u201d Houck said.<\/p>\n
He believes the problem is a leadership vacuum. Houck said in his businesses, he had to develop relationships. The county needs to find compromises and he said he doesn\u2019t see that happening.<\/p>\n
Houck thinks the top priority is infrastructure such as road and building repairs. He also feels like taxes are the nuclear option only to be raised when all other options have been exhausted.<\/p>\n
\u201cThroughout all four precincts, okay, let\u2019s prioritize these [needs]. Let\u2019s get them broken down into bite-sized chunks. \u2026 The big thing is just having a leadership that is open to listen \u2013 open to connect rather than to compete,\u201d Houck said.<\/p>\n
\n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n
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