This is a Republican primary race.  Do you promise, if elected, to abide by the RPT platform? And if not, please enumerate what problems you have.

Firstly, I am a staunch conservative, Republican. I firmly believe in the Reagan principles of limited government, limited regulation, limited taxes, and individual freedoms; the freedoms of moms and dads to make the decisions that are best for their families. I believe in the sanctity of life and that the 2nd Amendment is the amendment that holds-the-line for all the rest. The Republican Party platform generally follows this philosophy that I outlined and I support every part of the platform that supports this foundation.

What was your position on the prospects of removing the Alamo cenotaph and your involvment?

The Cenotaph should never be removed and it will never be a discussion topic in an Armenta administration. The Cenotaph isn’t just a memorial, it is THE memorial to the lives of 189 Texians and Tejanos who stood face-to-face against tyranny. It is our responsibility to maintain the historical truth for future generations. I view the role of the Commissioner as the Chief Historian of the Alamo. My job would be to never ‘reimagine’ it, but rather to restore it. This means that I would:

1. Deliver restoration in a timely manner with complete transparency on the financial spend. I would hire only Texas preservationists and engineers to run those projects.
2. I will work closely with the Daughters of the Republic of Texas and groups like the 1836 Project and Commissioner Patterson to maintain the representation of historical truth
3. I will walk back all of the bad policies and actions that the current administration put in place, especially the 50-year lease with the City of San Antonio for the city to manage the Alamo Plaza. The GLO and ALL Texans must have control of this site and the opportunity to expand the representation of the battleground.

As a new TGLO commissioner, what did/are the first two changes you made/envision making?

I’ve made three promises in my campaign on what I will do in my first year in office and one of them involves me donating half of my salary back into the state veteran’s programs, specifically the Veteran’s Cemeteries. However, the other two involve sweeping changes:

1. I will order a detailed forensic audit of all GLO managed leases. Texas should never lease its lands to foreign governments and Texans deserve to know who owns their state lands. We will disclose those findings and we will work to bring back those lands to US/Texas ownership.
2. Every Texan is impacted by what the GLO does or doesn’t do. This agency is that important. However, this agency is run like a Washington bureaucracy. The issues that are important to Texas in the panhandle are different than the issues that are important to Texans in SE Texas; which are different than the issues that are important to Texans in the RGV. The Land Office is supposed to address regional challenges yet today it runs like a red-tape administration in Austin. When flooding or wildfires occur, they don’t happen in just one county precinct or one municipal jurisdiction. We will implement regional directors that actively engage with Texans in their areas to identify and implement more local control and local solutions.

 

What are the three main reasons you are running for this office? Do you see any potential conflicts of interest?

1. I’m running to fix a broken government. The GLO is no exception. It’s broken because of a lack of experienced leadership running the organization. I plan to fix our Veteran’s services, Land Management, Alamo Restoration and many other aspects of what and how the GLO operates.
2. I’m running because of the extreme mismanagement of the GLO during the Hurricane Harvey response. This effort was so poorly led, it became a talking point for Democrats. Texans expect swift action and a sustained focus on readiness and recovery. My businesses were impacted. My neighborhood was impacted. The GLO must be led by someone who understands Texas’ coastal issues.
3. I’m running to take the fight to the Democrats and protect Texas from foreign interests that don’t put Texas first. There are foreign entities that have leased and purchased land form the GLO. This is a national security issue. Texas state lands should never be leased to foreign governments and I’m running to ensure it never happens again.

I do not foresee any conflicts of interest based on my personal or professional dealings.

Why have you chosen to run for Texas Land Commissioner rather than Texas Agriculture Commissioner or Texas Comptroller?

For me, this is a two-part question: (1) why am I getting into politics? And (2) Why did I decide to run for the Commissioner of Texas General Land Office?

1. I decided to get into politics for one main reason: I believe that every conservative must do his or her part to hold the line against the Democrats. Government overreach, which sometimes is led by non-conservatives on all sides of the aisle, is way out of control. There is too much government in our lives and I’m running to restore a broken government back to the people.
2. There is no better office in which I am suited to run for. The GLO is one of the broadest state agencies anywhere in the US. We must have a Commissioner who has strong executive experience, a businessman who knows how to operate in both the public and private sectors. This leader needs to understand asset and land management, veteran’s services, resiliency and recovery, coastal remediation, and be a staunch defender of the truth to ensure that the Alamo remains our most treasured historical site. The GLO is where I can use my extensive experience and put it to great use for all Texans.

What differentiates you from your opponents?

1. I’m the only candidate in this race with the breadth and depth of experience to lead the GLO. My opponents have legal, political, and medical backgrounds. I have oil and gas, real estate, veteran’s care, and deep experience in handling natural disasters – including first hand as a firefighter and first responder.
2. Along with having more relevant private sector experience than my opponents, I have complimentary experience in the public sector. I completed an internship with the State Comptroller office and I led a team which put together the Greater Houston Partnership’s 2017 Legislative Session priorities.

Please describe your experience in land management.

Over the last 20 plus years, I have gained extensive experience in land management. This includes having worked with oil and gas companies on leases associated with extraction. I have worked in real estate helping large commercial real estate firms with their growth strategies all across Texas and the US. However, Land Management is much broader than just developing in urban and rural settings. It includes activities associated with the long-term stewardship of that land. In 2006 and 2010 I worked with a multi-national energy company on their coastal remediation and restoration efforts after an environmental release. This also involved extensive community and local outreach programs. This experience is in line with what Texans’ expect of the GLO.

Please discuss the challenges the TGLO faces in dealing with the federal Bureau of Land Management and how you propose to meet those challenges.

The GLO has historically had difficulties in dealing with the Bureau of Land Management, specifically as it relates to the Red River boundary disputes. We need a strong leader in office that is more concerned about doing their job and standing up to the federal government than pursuing their next job.  The Bureau of Land Management has no business interfering in our affairs and as our next Commissioner of the GLO, I will take the fight to them.

Please list any federal grant monies you would refuse because of federal "strings."

The issues are never about the money. The issue stems 100% from the “strings” attached. Federal overreach is prevalent in our politics and society today. HUD and other federal entities have no right to use natural disasters as incentives to get their way. As Commissioner, I will ensure that Texans determine how and where our dollars are spent so that we address the issues that matter most, including restoration, recovery and prevention. We will not let leftist agendas dictate “who gets to recover and who does not.”

Additionally, I will work closely with our federal Texas conservative leadership to access as many monies our citizens are entitled to.

What new initiatives should the TGLO undertake to ensure the preservation of Texas' family farms and ranches?

As a member of the Texas Farm Bureau Association, I take great pride in understanding the issues and opportunities that presents itself to Texas’ farmers and ranchers. I come from a long line of cowboys and my wife grew up on a dairy farm in Hopkins County. Our economy is built on the backbone of our great state resources and the GLO must continue to preserve that for generations to come.

Ranchers and farmers expect:

• opportunities to continue leasing land from the state
• opportunities to work their lands freely, with limited regulations and strong advocacy in the marketplace
• private property rights to be maintained, including lower taxes and use of eminent domain only in extreme circumstances, which doesn’t include for renewable energy projects
• swift responses after natural disasters so they can restore their livelihoods
• fair compensation for contamination of groundwater wells from hazardous materials

I will be a strong champion for our ranches and farms. I will ensure that the GLO works as a partner, and as a strong conservative voice in the state, I will be an advocate for policies which advance our agriculture industries.

Describe the proper role of TGLO in dealing with Texas water issues and list at least two specific initiatives you recommend.

In recent years, the role of the GLO in addressing Texas water issues has been poor at best. Texans deserve better, proactive leadership. There are state lands managed by the GLO which are plentiful in surface water. I am a firm believer in the GLO making those resources available to famers and ranchers in those regions. Secondly, the GLO manages our coastal waters 3 Leagues into the Gulf (approx. 10 miles). We have a unique opportunity to proactively address water scarcity challenges by building desalination plants all along the Texas coast. The GLO should establish public/private partnerships to advance desalination technologies and eventually make these fresh water resources available to the industries and communities all along our coast.

Please comment on the TGLO's disaster relief response to the wildfires of 2011 & 2012, and hurricanes Ike(2008) and Harvey (2017)?

We’ve learned one major thing regarding disaster recovery since the 2011 wildfires and through the Hurricane Harvey event … leadership matters. We have seen what disaster recovery looks like when it is done right and when it is done wrong. The GLO is absolutely the best agency to lead our statewide responses to disasters, but it must have regional leadership prepared to identify and spearhead the local solutions to these events. These are complex situations that in many cases impact lives, livelihoods, housing, and the prosperity of our communities. I am the leader who understands (firsthand from my businesses and my homes) what is required to handle disaster recovery correctly.

Please discuss the proper working relationship between the TGLO and FEMA and what changes can be made to improve relief efforts

The Hurricane Harvey event highlighted the broken relationship between FEMA and the GLO. We noticed a complete lack of coordination and collaboration which resulted in people whose homes are still being rebuilt 4 plus years later. We need a Commissioner who is willing to put his own boots on the ground and not worry about how to be elected to his/her next job.

As I stated previously, I am acutely focused on driving out efficiency in the GLO, which will include a proactive mindset to disaster recovery and resiliency. A reorganized GLO will include regional directors that can prepare responses to disasters before the occur and deploy resources across the communities when and how people need them.

Please give your view of the relationship between the TGLO and the Texas Department of Agriculture and what improvements can be made in the working relationship between the two.

Firstly, the Commissioner of the GLO must do a better job of collaborating and working with other conservative state officials to promote good governance and operations of our public policies. Although the GLO doesn’t have direct statutory overlap with the Texas Department of Agriculture it does have state lands which have abundant surface water. At times, water scarcity is a significant issue for our ranchers and farmers. I will work closely with the Agriculture Commissioner to make this surface water accessible for our agriculture industries.

What should TGLO do to better protect or prepare Texas coastal regions against natural disasters?

One of the most important things the GO can do for our coastal regions is to take a proactive approach. The Ike Dike, now renamed the coastal barrier, is potentially a 25+ year project that will impact the state from Brownsville up to the Golden Triangle. We need better community engagement so Texans understand how the barrier should work (not just preventing surge, but also releasing flow back into the gulf). We need to redesign our recovery grant application process so the dollars go to the property owners and communities who need to rebuild, not the regions that are least likely to flood again. The GLO must be an advocate and educator to the entire state leadership that Texas is more than just a state that ha a coast line. Our coastal regions are vital to our economics and security. As Land Commissioner, in the event of a catastrophic disaster such as Hurricane Harvey, I would fight with every power I have including calling for a special session (something the last administration was fearful of doing) so that the entire strength of Texas accelerates the recovery in the region.

What more can the Texas General Land Office (TGLO) do in support of Texas veterans?

Firstly, the GLO needs leaders in the agency who don’t view veteran’s services as a burden. Our veterans are never a burden. I will led by example; I have stated that I will take half of my salary for every year that I’m in office and put that back into our veteran’s cemeteries. I believe that Texans all across the state will get help get behind these programs too.

We need to build at least two more cemeteries and we need them to be more regionally located so families don’t have to lay their loved one to rest 400 miles from home.

We need better oversight from the GLO on the state veteran’s care homes. The death rate during COVID was unacceptable and the lack of response was even worse. We need to hold those private companies accountable for caring for our most patriotic heroes.

We need to implement better technology and remove red tape for the veteran’s that apply for and home loans. The communication process is broken and the disposition of those applications takes months instead of weeks. We should implement a better pre-approval process so our veteran’s can search for land and homes with the confidence that they have the financing they can afford and no California with cash on hand will buy their dream home out from under them.

Please describe your views on gambling as a funding source for education and other budget items, and whether gambling should be expanded or reduced. Why?

There is absolutely no need for the expansion of gambling revenue sources in the state of Texas. Weak leaders always want to find more money. Strong leaders look for ways to drive efficiency and improve the bottom line. As a businessman I have that experience; the experience to increase our “profitability” with the resources we already have and remove the waste in the process. The one thing the GLO will never do under my leadership will be to “throw money at the problem.”

Please describe your philosophy of public land management.

The GLO is the largest land owner in the state of Texas, but works on behalf of our citizens. Stephen F. Austin understood that the battleground for freedom and prosperity is often fought over land ownership. He knew that Texans were blessed with abundant natural resources and designed an agency which would shepherd those resources for generations to come. I share the same philosophy.

Please explain why you do or do not support the government providing financial benefits and free services to non-citizens.

We are a nation of laws. We are sovereign nation and sovereign state. As Texans we believe in legal immigration and consequences for those that break the law.  We live in a society where veterans are homeless and parents struggle to afford school supplies. We live in communities that are not fully recovered after natural disasters from 5, 10, and even 15 years ago. I personally stand by the fact that our tax dollars and our limited resources need to support our Texas brothers and sisters. It is the responsibility of other governments to take care of their citizens.

What are the key impacts to the TGLO budget were property taxes eliminated and replaced by increased sales and use taxes? Do you favor or oppose such a move?

The idea of eliminating property taxes is an excellent one, and I support it. You never fully own your land or your home when you’re always paying a “debt or lease” to the state. Before we focus on the expansion of other taxes, we should look to eliminate waste and improve efficiencies in our current government structure. The GLO can play a role in this given it generates over a $1B for schools every year and oversees so many other services. Comptroller Hegar announced that at the end of FY23 we will have a $12B surplus in the state. There are many ways that our conservative leaders can work together to lower taxes and still provide the support that Texans need.

Please list the top issues where you oppose federal government intrusion into Texans' lives and how you intend to oppose such intrusion.

I oppose the intrusion of federal government in all of Texas’ affairs. The Biden administration and the Washington establishment are always looking for ways to stifle our growth and take power away from citizens. We need leaders that will push back on the federal government, on everything. All too often we experience agencies like the EPA overreaching into how we address our environmental priorities and Congressional Acts being applied to how we take care of our resources including native species. We don’t need D.C. to tell us how to take care of Texas and I will oppose any federal hinderance to our prosperity.

What initiatives should the TGLO undertake to better protect the assets in the PSF from economic downturns?

This is why we need a leader with business experience and investment back ground. I have worked in real estate and I’ve worked in market-volatile industries such as oil and gas. We need a Commissioner who understands that there will be both up swings and downturns and knows how to manage accordingly. This includes broadening the portfolio and hedging to diversify against market upsets.

What opportunities can you suggest for improved revenue generation for the Permanent School Fund (PSF)?

The number one thing I will do as our next Land Commissioner is to establish more sound, proactive leasing practices all across the state. Our leasing reps will engage potential lessees and increase sale opportunities to turn over the land we manage. We will revitalize the antiquated systems and processes for managing these leases. The software currently used as the online leasing platform at the GLO is over 8 years old. The GLO can maximize revenues by applying an outsider, business leader mindset to the agency. 

Is there anything in your background of an embarrassing nature that should be explained before your election? Arrests/Convictions? Bankruptcys?

There is nothing in my background of an embarrassing nature that should be explained before my election.

List all clients you have represented or lobbied for on behalf of any governmental entity during the past five years.

I have not represented or lobbied for or on behalf of any governmental entity during the past five years.

What measures will you strongly promote to the legislature to improve protection of private land owners in border regions from illegal immigration and drug traffic?

As previously stated, we are a nation of laws, but only so much as we are willing to defend our border. I applaud our conservative leaders who are willing to take matters in our own hands to keep Texans safe. As Land Commissioner, I will make every state land the GLO manages along the border available to DPS, local law enforcement, and our National Guard. I will meet with regional leadership and our state legislature to understand what they’re seeing firsthand in their communities and what other resources we can provide to address their concerns.

What should be the key factors in a Guest Worker program and what criteria would you require for each factor?

Before implementing any Guest Worker program, the following must be required:

• clear, identified need for work to be executed
• documented and proven worker shortage in Texas
• opportunities to fulfill the worker shortage with Texas citizens has been exhausted
• robust Biometrics process used to track every contracted worker
• continual verified location of the worker and the work completion status. Once they complete their task the program removes them back to their home country; leaving is not up to the worker