Fayetteville Man Vying For State House Spot

Fayetteville-area businessman Fred Roberts will run for a State House seat in the March 1 Republican Primary.

Roberts, an insurance agent by trade, spent most of his career in the Houston area before moving full-time to a farm outside Fayetteville two years ago. He served 28 years on the Pasadena ISD board of trustees including multiple terms as president, vice president and secretary. The district even named an elementary school after him.

“That little outfit represented 55,000 students and $600 million in budget,” he said. “I think it was a good training ground to go to the state, and that’s why I’m doing it. I want to be in the fight. I want to be a part of solving problems.

“I’m not all that concerned with writing new laws,” he added. “I would just like to see the laws that are on the books enforced. I’ve been in a position where I’ve handled large budgets and public money. Public money is a greater responsibility.”

Roberts describes himself as a conservative Christian.

If elected, Roberts said he will work to protect the rural character of State House District 85, which stretches north and south from Wharton County to Fayette County and east to Austin and Waller counties.

Previously, Fayette County was in District 13, represented by Ben Leman. Incumbent Phil Stephenson represents District 85. The State Legislature redrew the lines this summer, which placed Fayette County in District 85. Stephenson lost Jackson County and portions of Fort Bend County as a result of redistricting.

Roberts said he began considering a run for office when Leman announced earlier this year that he would not seek reelection.

“Yes, there is an incumbent, but (Stephenson) really isn’t an incumbent for the counties around here,” Roberts said. “They moved him out of where his strength was. That’s an opportunity. I want to serve, so I signed up.”

Roberts expressed concerns about natural resources in the district.

“I like new streets and good highways, but I don’t want to lose the country either,” Roberts said. “There’s a reason why we live here and people want to move here. They don’t want to look like Houston. They don’t want those problems.

“Where do you want to raise your kids?” he added. “Do you want to raise your kids in La Grange or do you want to raise them in Houston? I don’t want to lose that country feeling. My wife can go to H-E-B at 7 o’clock at night in La Grange, and I’m not concerned. She’s safe. You can’t do that in the large towns. I want progress, but it needs to be controlled. I don’t want big city problems.”

Roberts said the State needs to secure the southern border with Mexico.

“Because the Feds aren’t doing their job, Texas has to send our forces to the border,” Roberts said.

Roberts said education is another of his main priorities.

“I’ve got issues with critical race theory,” he said. “Ninetyeight percent of our educators are good people and two percent are disrupting. I would like to be there to help make decisions to protect those 98 percent of good teachers.”

Roberts also expressed concerns about the environment.

“We’ve got the Colorado County running through the district,” he said. “Up north of here they’re controlling the lakes, and the people down in Wharton County and southern Colorado County grow rice. They need water.

“You’ve seen those big wind turbines – they ruin the landscape. This makes the value of your property fall off the roof.

“I want to drill (for oil) in Texas,” he added. “But if your neighbor puts in a big oil well and they’ve got a six or eight foot flare burning, all of a sudden your night time turns into day time. That’s a concern for me. The people in the city don’t see it, but if you live off Kasmiersky Road, you see it. It’s not like we can go to Austin and write a bill to shut off the flares. We need to figure out a way to do something with that gas.”

Concerning tax reform, some politicians in Texas have proposed a consumption tax to alleviate the state’s dependance on property taxes. Roberts raised concerns with that idea.

“Well, that would be fine in the City, but it may not be the best issue for people in rural Texas,” he said. “A lot of people in rural Texas depend on ag exemptions. If you’ve got cattle or livestock, you’re buying feed and hay for them, and a lot of that is exempt from sales tax. But with a consumption tax, that ag exemption may go away.”

Roberts said he also wants to make sure that state taxes collected on motor fuel are used to pay for highways and bridges.

“A lot of that is going somewhere else,” he said. “They’re taking a little bit of it and putting it on roads and highways and bridges, but the rest is going in the general fund.”

Overall, Roberts said he is running to preserve rural Texas.

“I’ve lived in the city and I’ve lived in the country, and you can guess which one I think is better,” he said. “I want to make sure the services we have in rural areas are more than sufficient.

Read more about Roberts at www.fredroberts.org.