The commissioner four years ago was Chad Seay who is both challenging Rackler to get the seat back and former constable C.J. Peterson.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to continue to serve my constituents in Precinct 4 \u2013 let them know that they do have a voice in the Lubbock County government,\u201d Rackler said.<\/p>\n
Rackler also carries on his family\u2019s history of farming.<\/p>\n
\u201cI farm approximately 2,500 acres of cotton. It\u2019s a family farm situation. My son is currently in high school, but on the work program. He gets out every day at 2 o\u2019clock and he goes and farms. Yeah, I\u2019m a fifth-generation cotton farmer,\u201d Rackler said.<\/p>\n
Rackler grows hay and he can work cattle too \u2013 just not currently.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m a captain with Shallowater Fire Department. Been there for 23 years,\u201d Rackler said.<\/p>\n
Rackler\u2019s time with the department gave him a new perspective on people.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has broadened my view on how some people live \u2013 the poverty that\u2019s in Lubbock County, the lack of code enforcement,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The priorities<\/p>\n
The county\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
Some of the building repairs are so overdue they impact public safety.<\/p>\n
\u201cI 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\u2019s dollar,\u201d Rackler said.<\/p>\n
When asked if the county might need a bond election, Rackler answered, \u201cVery strong possibility in the near future that we might need to go to the voters for a capital improvements bond.\u201d<\/p>\n
He believes a bond would alleviate pressure on the county\u2019s yearly budget. But it comes with political baggage, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI will tell you that Precinct 4 did not get anything off the road bond,\u201d Rackler said of the May 2019 election.<\/p>\n
Milwaukee did not get widened north of 4th Street, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need $13 million for it because they pulled the money off of it and took it to Woodrow Road,\u201d Rackler said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know that I could sell a road bond to Precinct 4, but I think I could potentially sell an infrastructure bond for capital improvements,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Tension on the court<\/p>\n
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\u2019s much smoother than the budget hearings, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that we work decently well together, especially when we all have got the same end goal. The budget has been a little heated,\u201d Rackler said.<\/p>\n
He felt like county employees had to endure some \u201cnot nice\u201d comments during the budget cycle when a planned pay raise failed to materialize.<\/p>\n
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<\/a>. He was critical of County Judge Curtis Parrish who believes the project still has problems.<\/p>\n \u201cBut the judge, he got up there and just quarterbacked that thing trying to make himself look better for the media,\u201d Rackler said.<\/p>\n On property tax rates and the Expo Center vote, he was able to take a stand and stick with it, Rackler said.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m proud of being able to stand firm and not be persuaded once I\u2019ve made a decision that I feel like is best for the people of Lubbock County,\u201d Rackler said.<\/p>\n \n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n
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