Valerie Covey, Williamson County Commssioner, Precinct 3

Valerie Covey, Williamson County Commssioner, Precinct 3

Wednesday, 07 February 2007

• Precinct: Three
• Term: 2006 - 2008, elected to fill unexpired term of Tom McDaniel
• Party affiliation: Republican
• Education: Univ. of Texas
• Career: Certified public accountant for more than 20 years.
• Family: Husband, Mark Covey; three sons, Matthew, a high school junior; Zachary, an 8th grader; and Joshua, a 4th grader.
• Contact Info: 512-943-3370

Q. What inspired you to run for office?

A. I decided to run for office because I wanted to use my skills to make a positive difference for the taxpayers of Williamson County. While working for the S. Thomas McDaniel CPA firm in Georgetown, Tom McDaniel asked me to serve as his campaign manager during his race for County Commissioner in 2004. He was successful in a five man race in the Republican primary and then successful in the general election. In September 2005, I decided to run for the open seat of District Clerk. A week before the primary election, Tom McDaniel died of a massive heart attack, and I lost the primary election. After much prayer and thought, I decided to run for Tom’s unexpired term, which expires in December 2008.

Q. What is the greatest challenge facing your precinct? How do you plan to overcome this challenge?

A. Precinct Three includes the northern part of Williamson County including Andice, Florence, Jarrell, Weir, Walburg, Jonah, Georgetown as well as portions of Round Rock and Brushy Creek. With about 50 percent of the county’s population in unincorporated areas, the population growth could strain our resources and services. Balancing our budget and providing needed additional resources will be a challenge.

Of course, transportation issues will continue to be challenging along with the projected growth. I am in the process of determining the priorities of the transportation needs in my precinct by meeting with various city leaders, school officials and TxDOT.

Q. What do you think people should know about county government?

A. The County Commissioners Court consists of five members: a commissioner from each of the four precincts and a county judge elected countywide. Each of these members has one vote, including the County Judge. The powers of County government are limited to those relatively few powers given by the Texas Legislature. For example, the County has no zoning authority, as do cities.