County Report: Interview with Pct. 1 Commissioner Wendy Spivey

This interview was recorded at the Henderson County Courthouse Annex on Wednesday, July 14.==This week's guest on the County Report is Pct. 1 Commissioner Wendy Spivey. She is a sixth-generation Henderson County resident and is the first woman elected to Commissioners Court in 60 years.County politics run in her family. Her great-great-grandfather Marshall Kinabrew was the mayor of Athens in the late 1880s and her grandfather, Leo Kinabrew, was Pct. 1 Commissioner in the 1960s and 1970s.Although Commissioner Spivey has only been in office since January, she ran the Pct. 1 barn for a couple of years due to the passing of Commissioner Ken Hayes and an injury to Commissioner Scotty Thomas. Because of that, she has more experience than many first-year commissioners."I've learned from two of the best," she said.I. Learning (4:47)While she has experience running the precinct barn, being a part of Commissioners Court is a new experience for Commissioner Spivey."That is one thing I did not do when I was the administrative assistant," she said, "is come to court and sit up there as Commissioner and do the budgets.""I'm looking forward to learning," she said.II. Why Become Commissioner? (6:15)Commissioner Spivey said she had never considered running for Commissioner until Scotty Thomas suggested she'd do a good job."I prayed about it and prayed about it for eight months before I just felt like the good Lord told me 'You can do this,'" she said. "And I'm so glad I did because I feel like this is something I am supposed to be doing."III. Biggest Precinct (7:47)Pct. 1 is physically the biggest precinct in the county. It is more than double the size of the smallest precinct, which is Pct. 2."Pct. 1 has 201,845 acres," she said, "and Pct. 2 has 87,000 acres."The physical size of the precincts can be so different because they are drawn to balance the population.One of the ways the precinct deals with such a wide area is by identifying which roads handle the most traffic."We're trying to redo those roads first," Commissioner Spivey said. The precinct has also purchased a new piece of equipment -- a Bomag -- to get longer-lasting roads.IV. Broadband (14:14)Commissioner Spivey identified internet infrastructure as one of the challenges facing Henderson County."Out in the rural part of the county we don't have very good reception," she said, "and that's a challenge."V. Protecting Taxpayer Dollars (16:03)Commissioner Spivey also highlighted fiscal responsibility as an important challenge for the county."We want to spend the taxpayer's dollars wisely," she said.Commissioner Spivey also talked about the importance of connecting with her constituents and listening to the voters.Commissioner Spivey finished the interview by highlighting her staff."They do a splendid job and I couldn't ask for a better group to represent Pct. 1," she said.NEWSLETTER: Get updates from the Sheriff’s Office, Commissioners Court, the District Attorney, County Attorney, and all departments from your Henderson County Government. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hendersoncountytexas.substack.com