TRAVIS KUNKEL

I am Travis Kunkel and I am running for County Commissioner for Precinct 2.  I have lived in Young County almost my entire life, only leaving to go to college, explore the world and find out in those brief adventures that Young County is my home.  It is where my wife and I have raised our family, the same as my generations before me.  Quite frankly, I wouldn’t have it any other way or be anywhere else.

 

Why Me?

I am running for County Commissioner because I see winds of change, and those winds need to be subjected to transparency, accountability and common sense that is backstopped with an eye to both the short-term and long-term financial impacts.  

• There needs to be long-term planning with risk mitigation and alternative strategies, not focusing on short-term gains that impact our and our children’s future in Young County.  

• We will all hand over the County to future generations and its long-term condition should be primary while structuring the county to succeed both now and into that future. 

• Add something here about using your finance, PM, and Consulting background to find and implement these solutions. 

 

My History
I grew up in Jean and went to school in Olney.  Like many I grew up with, I was tasked with increasing levels of work as I got older, both in the oilfield and with cattle.  I don’t regret those days – they taught me the value of hard work and many lessons that provided me a base of skills and understanding that still serve me well.  

• I obtained my BBA in Finance from Texas Tech and have used that education since then to become an accountant and financial analyst, start businesses, attain certification as a project manager, serve as a VP of manufacturing, build manufacturing facilities and consult other business owners and Fortune 500 corporations.  

• In my career I have also had the distinct pleasure of heading up a project to harden a significant portion of the US electric grid from physical and cyber-attack.  

• Due to that experience and being in control rooms in our country, I understand some of the challenges Young County faces as we move forward.

 

My family and I are Christian, and our beliefs guide our decisions (I'm torn here - part of me says you need to keep it about you and say "my beliefs guide my decisions).  Those beliefs dictate that we lift up each other in the community, we protect each other and serve one another.  

• Part of that now means for me that I run for commissioner to serve the people of Precinct 2 and the county as a whole.  

• From the heat to the cold, the droughts and the rains, the good times and bad, this county truly is my home.  

• Driving the backroads and being able to stop to talk to friends from pickup windows, good-natured arguments with family and friends on the results of the last high school game and being able to sit and pray with people who need to share burdens aren’t just words in some song - in this county it’s a preservation of social cohesion with extended family and friendships that run deep, oftentimes across generations.  

• That’s our strength, and it makes us who we are in our county and our communities.  

• We are a free people in a representative republic with laws for the common good and we need representation that reflects the will of the constituents.

 

If you are in Precinct 2, I would appreciate your vote.  I have also met with the other candidates who have chosen to challenge the incumbents and run for Precinct 4 commissioner and county judge, they are good people and would serve Young County well.  In this election, confidence and trust in our elected officials are of paramount importance.

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