COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Wanda Watson, who first ran for office in 2019, has decided to run for the Precinct 4 County Commissioner's Seat in Brazos County.
Watson is running against Timothy Delasandro for the position.
We caught up with Watson at The Brew Coffeehouse in College Station where she answered our questions in our interview.
Question:
"When did you first come to the area?"
Answer:
"I came with my husband. I had one daughter who was born and raised here, went through Bryan ISD and Texas A&M. I even went to grad school here, after I got here, at Texas A&M."
Question:
"Have you ever run for public office before?"
Answer:
"My first time running for office was in 2019 when I ran for the Brazos County Democratic Party County Chair. When I decided to go for that seat, the current County Chair was not going to run again."
Question:
"What was that moment when you decided you wanted to pick up and run for office again?"
Answer:
"Since I'm running in Precinct 4, it is the most diverse precinct of the county. I felt like I was the best person to represent that community. Initially, I wasn't aware of who was stepping forward and, again like running for County Chair, it was like, why don't I do that?"
Question:
"Talking about Precinct 4, are there any shortcomings in your area that you'd want to improve on if you were elected?'
Answer:
"My initial thought was what is the distinction in the two jobs? Where can I make an impact? Number one, usually on the job description for a commissioner it will say roads and bridges, the fiduciary road and the county budge, the health department, the mental health issues. Those are some big issues that are affecting the citizens of Brazos County."
Question:
"I think a lot of people would agree that mental health is put on the back-burner, in a lot of areas especially in Texas. Now, what would you want to see implemented in our area if you were put in office?"
Answer:
"Well, it's my understanding that we had a facility so that if an individual was having a mental health episode, they didn't go to be automatically incarcerated or they had to be transported to another area outside of the county. In Austin, Houston, to the urban areas. At one point, we did have a mental health facility, I don't know why exactly they up and left. I don't know if we weren't providing the resources. I think it is important that we provide the infrastructure so that the day-to-day well being for the citizens is taken care of."
Question:
"Politicians that are in executive session, whether it's on the county or the city level, can't always reveal what they discuss. Do you believe though that transparency has to be prioritized?"
Answer:
"I think as issues are going forward, as the county is preparing to spend money for an issue, or if it's a big issue where there are tax abatements to lure businesses in, I think the citizens need to know that as soon as it's being discussed so that they can have input."
Question:
"As a Democrat, what would you want to see implemented that could cause some change in Brazos County?"
Answer:
"I don't know that I think about it so much so from a party perspective. As you think about it in terms of elected officials...there's some that want to see something that the community is doing well that all citizens, all residents are fairly represented. It's not a party thing. It is what are we doing to better the community and how can we ensure that the community is thriving?'
Question:
"I think you have two sides of a fence here. You have people who stand by their beliefs to the very end and want other people to side with them. Then, you have people who concede for the betterment of their county. Which side of that fence do you find yourself on?"
Answer:
"It depends on the issue that's what collaboration is. You may have a belief system, but at the end of the day, in terms of consensus-building, what is the big picture as much as you can. What is the big picture and what is the best thing for the residents of the county?"
If you'd like to learn more about Watson and her campaign, you can visit her page here.