Who is Julia?
Julia was raised by her mother, a teacher, and her grandparents (a homemaker and Supervisor at Texaco) who taught Julia about the value of helping others, telling the truth, and working hard.
Julia currently works at Lamar Institute of Technology to help prepare members of the community for sustainable jobs. She has spent years managing teams and successfully balancing budgets which is the foundation to handling the challenges of being on Commissioner's Court.
"A common question I am asked is 'Why you?' And the answer is simply that I give a damn about what is happening and what will be happening in years to come to this community. We need leaders who are empathic enough to listen to the needs of the people, humble enough to admit they don't have all the answers, determined enough to find the answers, and brave enough do what has to be done to improve the lives of ALL the people in this community. I am stepping up to be one of those leaders."
What does a County Commissioner even do?
Each county in Texas is divided into 4 precincts with a representative (commissioner) in each precinct and one Judge to make up Commissioners Court. Despite the name, this isn't a legal court, it is more like a City Council or a School Board.
The main focus of the County Commission is infrastructure management - roads, bridges, drainage, law enforcement, tax abatements, property taxes, and elections. The Commissioners has a responsibility to hold the basics of our county together.
The Commissioners make decisions that affect their individual precincts (like which roads and bridges to fix) as well as decisions for the entire county (like how much money the Sheriff's Department and other programs get). So even if you don't live in Precinct 2, the make up of the whole Court is important to all residents of Jefferson County. Everything that a County can do is completely dependent on the Texas Local Government Code and the Texas Legislature allows the County to do.
Commissioner's Court can't make ordinances (laws) like a city can. A county can't accrue debt and must maintain a balanced budget, unlike a city, school board, or state that can set bonds (like loans that are paid off by taxpayers over time).
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