BRYAN, Texas — Incumbent Duane Peters decided to run for re-election for the Brazos County Judge seat for the November 2022 election.
Peters said he has served in the position since 2010 and has seen tremendous growth in the area since he first took office.
Below are some of the questions we asked Peters at Polite Coffee in Bryan, which include his answers from our exclusive interview with him.
Question:
"Why are you deciding to run again?"
Answer:
"I've spent a long time in the county, and I've enjoyed public service, and I think we've done well. I decided to do another term and four years from now...you know I didn't have an opponent, this summer a libertarian's got in the race and so I do have an opponent in this race."
Question:
"At the end of the day, what do you put first in your life?"
Answer:
"God and family, those would be my priorities. That's where I try to keep my feet on the ground and keep doing things that I hope God would want me to be doing."
Question:
"For 12 years, you've served as County Judge. Is it safe to say that the county's a lot different than it was ten years ago?"
Answer:
"It's just...I mean I drive around and go where in the world did that come from? It just seems like a week or two ago that there was nothing there and then there's buildings, you know it's just phenomenal growth."
Question:
"What's your takeaway on the debate and discussion on the tax rate?"
Answer:
"If the two commissioners don't show up and it takes four, normally three is a quorum. In the case of a tax rate, it takes four. That's the only time but without four there, we cannot vote on the tax rate. So if we can't vote on the tax rate...it automatically goes back to the no-new revenue tax rate."
Question:
"I'm sure on the inside it's probably stressful when commissioners don't show up. Have you ever had that before?"
Answer:
"No.... I mean we've got things like the public defenders office. We got a grant...1.8 million for a public defenders office. We sought this grant which would help with backlog but at the end of two years if we can acquire another grant, we will begin to fund that."
Question:
"It's safe to say it takes a village to help the backlog."
Answer:
"Yes, sure. I am concerned if this drops back to the no-new revenue, I mean those are all new additional things to the budget and if it drops back to the no-new revenue, we're not going to have funding to be able to get some of these things done."
Question:
"Is it your job to propose certain items on the budget for the county?"
Answer:
"...Our auditor has been there for a long time and she's...she was an assistant auditor back in the 90s and so she's been there a long time. She will handle the budget this year, potentially, maybe next year, and let's get this thing smoothed out, working, and take a look at getting an official budget officer in."
Question:
"I think the two most prominent reasons people run for office is they think they can be a leader in the eyes of the people or because they truly believe they want to serve people and put them first. Where do you line up with that?"
Answer:
"I want to be able to serve, and I've enjoyed it. I really have. The former county judge, the one that I served under, or with, Randy Sims, as he was nearing the end of his second term, he kept telling me you need to run Duane."
Question:
"The Brazos County Judge is arguably the highest authority in the county, you have so much responsibility on your plate. Do you take that position lightly?"
Answer:
"No, never. No, and I mean throughout my career, I've always put the county first. I've never tried to...that kind of power, or whatever, doesn't appeal to me."
If you'd like to learn more about Peters' campaign, you can visit his campaign page here.