TX House District 47 map

By CASSIE MCKEE,  Four Points News

Early voting is underway for the March 1 Texas Primary election, and one race “worth watching,” according to The Texas Tribune, is that of Texas Rep. Paul Workman (HD-47). Workman is being challenged by River Place resident Jay Wiley, who ran for Austin City Council in 2014 but was defeated by current council member Don Zimmerman.

Four Points News sent the following questions to both Workman and Wiley. The following are their unedited responses.

Paul Workman, 64 (incumbent)

What is your profession?

I have been a builder my entire life, building churches, schools, medical facilities, and apartment complexes, to name a few examples. For much of that time I owned my own construction company, creating hundreds of jobs in Central Texas.

What neighborhood do you live in?

My wife of 44 years, Sherry, and I have lived in Travis County since 1983, and we currently live on 10 acres off of Highway 71 in western Travis County.

What are the biggest issues/concerns you’ve heard from residents in the Four Points area?

The three concerns I hear most often relate to transportation, water, and border security. Transportation issues are of particular importance to residents in the Four Points area, and that’s why I am proud to have been named to the Select Committee on Transportation Planning, which will prioritize how new money for roads will be spent across our state.  It is an honor to represent our community on this important committee.

If elected, what would one of your first priorities be?

If re-elected, my top priority for the Four Points area will continue to be to work with TxDOT and members of the Transportation Planning Committee to find solutions to ease congestion on our overcrowded roads, like RR 620, RR 2222, and Loop 360. Other priorities include maintaining a reliable supply of clean drinking water in our Highland Lakes and putting an end to sanctuary cities.

How long have you been in office? Have you ever served in any prior elected offices?

I am a political outsider. I was first elected by the people of House District 47 in November, 2010. I have never run for or held any other political office.

If elected, what steps would you take to create traffic relief and improve traffic issues in Four Points?

A traffic study conducted this year from Highway 183 to Bee Cave will produce several ways to improve traffic along RR 620, including enhancements to turn lanes, signals, and intersections. I will continue to support the construction of a bypass between RR 620 and RR 2222 near the Four Points intersection, and I will continue to keep pressure on TxDOT to prioritize funding for these projects.

What steps will you take to help get funding for traffic improvements?

Texas has recently taken several major steps to increase transportation funding by several billion dollars. As the only member of the Transportation Planning Committee from Central Texas, I am working with my colleagues to make sure that a fair share of these new transportation dollars are being allocated to projects in our area, particularly for our highly congested roads servicing the Four Points community. For example, I support the construction of a bypass between RR 620 and RR 2222 near the Four Points intersection.

What is your view on the increasing multi-family developments in areas like Four Points where there does not seem to be the road infrastructure to support it? What is the solution?

I have opposed two government-subsidized multi-family developments along RR 620 where the road infrastructure is already overloaded and cannot support the added strain of such developments. I will continue to oppose these types of projects if they adversely affect traffic.

Why should voters elect you?

Texas has had the most conservative sessions in history during my time in office. We have held the line on spending, cut taxes by $4 billion, adopted the most comprehensive pro-life laws in the nation, invested in border security, strengthened Texans’ rights under the 2nd Amendment, and protected religious liberty. Though there have been many conservative victories in recent sessions, there is more work to be done, such as expanding property tax cuts with real appraisal reform.

Jay Wiley, 39

What is your profession?

Small business owner. My wife Sally and I own a concierge medical practice, Luxe OB

What neighborhood do you live in?

We live in River Place

What are the biggest issues/concerns you’ve heard from residents in the Four Points area?

Transportation, property taxes, and fighting the City of Austin.  I ran for City Council in 2014 because I wanted to work on property tax relief, annexation reform, accountability from Austin Energy, and do battle against big government schemes from Austin liberals. I lost that race by 90 votes out of 16,000, but neighbors and friends recruited me to run against our state representative Paul Workman because I can work on all those issues and more at the state level. Unfortunately, Rep. Workman has been lethargic at best on all those issues. I want to dramatically reduce our property tax burden, make it so cities like Austin must get the popular vote of neighborhoods before annexing, and fight the City of Austin with passion and energy.

If elected, what would one of your first priorities be?

Property taxes. Texas has one of the most burdensome property tax systems in the country and Travis County is even worse than that. We don’t own our homes as long as the current system is in place — we lease our homes from the government indefinitely. It’s immoral for the elderly to be squeezed out by the current system. I’m disappointed that Rep. Paul Workman opposed property tax relief last legislative session. I will work tirelessly to reduce our property tax burden because we can’t keep settling for the current system.

Have you ever served in any prior elected offices?

I formerly served as Republican party precinct chair for several years and currently serve on The Greens at River Place HOA.

If elected, what steps would you take to create traffic relief and improve traffic issues in Four Points?

If you’re happy with the current state of traffic, a vote for the incumbent will ensure we keep the status quo. Don’t be fooled by campaign rhetoric — Four Points has been consistently ignored and will continue to be ignored unless we elect neighbors into office who sit in the same traffic as other Four Points residents. I’ve grown impatient with politicians who cite all the important-sounding meetings they’ve had to address traffic and shift responsibility to all the various other corners of government. I will aggressively move to slash bureaucratic roadblocks that stall road improvements and will relentlessly fight radical environmentalists at all levels who want to halt road improvements. One immediate improvement would be simply to coordinate traffic signals throughout the area. Longer term, will get the Four Points bypass to/from Steiner built, make safety improvements to the Four Points Middle/Vandegrift issues, and will make smart upgrades to 620 that serve those of us paying the bills — not golden-cheeked warblers.

What steps will you take to help get funding for traffic improvements?

First, we elect a neighbor who will always have the interests of Four Points in mind. We also aggressively move to stop light rail schemes by the City of Austin that divert resources and attention from the real problems facing our congested roadways. We can’t count on bureaucrats at TX DOT to address our needs on their own. We have to be vocal, persistent, and visible — all of us — to get any action from government. We can’t take “no” for an answer from TX DOT and I won’t. We need to reform how projects are approved, how money is allocated at the state level, and simple, but profound reforms in the design-bid structure used by the state so we get more concrete for our tax dollar.

What is your view on the increasing multi-family developments in areas like Four Points where there does not seem to be the road infrastructure to support it? What is the solution?

I created Stop Cardinal Point to help put a halt to wrongheaded low-income housing in Four Points last year. We lost that fight because we had no reinforcements at the state level and a handful of concerned neighbors, myself included, had to battle Austin liberals at City Hall all alone.  I will always fight for the interests of Four Points homeowners and taxpayers. Rep. Workman has a long, storied history of supporting developers no matter how ill-advised the project. I will be a very different kind of representative. The solution is to fight irresponsible development with energy and backbone.

Why should voters elect you?

Republicans in Travis County are vastly outnumbered. We have six State House seats in Travis, and five of them are Democrats. It’s important that who we elect in this one Republican seat be vocal, energetic, and passionate about property tax relief, annexation reform, and fighting big government locally. Not just at election time, but all the time. Rep. Workman opposed property tax relief last session, introduced a bill to grant legal status to illegal aliens in Texas, and has been dormant on conservative reforms. It’s time for a change. I’m a father, husband, business owner, proud Four Points resident, and conservative Republican.