Whitehouse resident believes he can win

BY ROGER MCKENZIE | Editor | TriCounty Leader

Whitehouse resident and life-long rancher Hank Gilbert doesn’t like what he sees as the use of the Texas Agriculture Commissioner’s office as a “political stepping stone.” That’s job, which is being vacated by Carole Keaton Strayhorn who is seeking the governor’s seat.
Before Combs, there was Rick Perry, who stayed eight years before moving on to lieutenant governor and then governor. He will compete in March against Strayhorn for the Republican nomination for governor.

“The last two commissioners have come and stayed eight years while raising campaign
funds and making statewide contacts, before moving one of the reasons he has decided to run for the office.

“I’m not a politician,” Gilbert said, “and I never considered running for office until I found out (Republican) Todd Staples was giving up his (state) senate seat to run for Agriculture Commissioner.”

He cited the past 16 years as an example of how the office is being misused. Susan Combs, the agriculture commissioner since 1999, has stayed eight years and now is seeking the state comptroller’s on to bigger things,” Gilbert said. “It hurts agricultural producers, as well as consumers.”

“I’ve been in agriculture all my life,” said the 46-year-old Gilbert, who is a graduate of Texas A & M University. “I grew up in a cow-calf operation. I have been involved in FFA for many years. I taught high school agriculture for 13 years at LaPoyner and Pittsburg. I have no political aspirations. As agriculture commissioner, I will work fulltime to help promote Texas agriculture and food safety. I don’t want to be anything, but an ‘ag’ man.”

In addition to serving agricultural and consumer interests without a political agenda, he sees land appraisals and water conservation as important issues in the race. He would like to lead a bi-partisan effort to ensure a property tax system that is fair for all and which won’t force people out of farming.

Gilbert was elected in 2003 to the board of Walnut Grove Water Supply and currently ser ves as the corporation’s president. He has helped the water company tighten accounting procedures and reduced water waste. The result is that Walnut Grove customers now pay about 35 percent less than they did for water service. He would like to expand the state’s water conservation efforts to include the latest technology to help provide water where it is needed, including the use of desalinization.

Gilbert’s grassroots campaign also calls for a statewide plan to help farmers and ranchers boost their productivity without having to rely on taxpayer subsidies, more effective enforcement of food safety standards, and (since the Department of Agriculture is in charge of weights and measures) stepped-up monitoring of gasoline pumps to make sure motorists aren’t paying even more inflated prices when they fill their tanks.

A Democrat, Gilbert said he doesn’t expect any opposition in the Democratic Primary in March. If that holds true, he will have until November to organize his campaign and raise the considerable amount of funds needed to take on Republican Todd Staples, who he described as a career politician and businessman with little background in agriculture.

“I think I can do a better job than a politician,” Gilbert said, “because I’m not a politician and because I have more concern for agriculture.”

Gilbert admitted that winning won’t be easy against Staples, who has a big campaign chest and a lot of big money support.

“I’ve been in this for a couple of months now,” Gilbert said. “We’re in the process of raising funds. Most will come from agriculturalists, those who believe in what we stand for, and from friends.”

His entry in the race as a Democrat may have surprised some people just because many people feel Staples is unbeatable, Gilbert said. But he noted that he has some things on his side, including a growing public dissatisfaction with the Republican Party and a governor’s race that pits two Republican enemies against one another and an independent, free-wheeling, anti-establishment candidate.

Gilbert thinks what is shaping up as a bitter race between Perry and Strayhorn could help rejuvenate the Democratic Party and that independent candidate Kinky Friedman will help bring out a large voter turnout—including many voters who are disappointed with the incumbent party. That could portend good things for Democrats and for Gilbert.

Still, Gilbert knows he has an uphill battle. He said he has the full support of his family for a race that will keep him traveling a lot. That’s in large part because agriculture runs in the family. Gilber t and his wife Karla have two children, ages 10 and 12, who attend Troup schools and show cattle.

“They are also in the cattle business with me,” Gilbert said.

He already has a manager and a consultant and he is planning an organizational meeting on Saturday, Dec. 17, at Spring Creek Barbecue in Tyler to help get started building a network of volunteers across Texas.

He said he plans to campaign all across the state and get his message out. Texas agriculture is the second biggest industry in the state and Gilbert would like to bring as much attention to the race for agriculture commissioner as the governor’s race.

When asked about the big black hat he frequently wears, Gilbert said he wears it “because it’s comfortable.” But he smiled and added that it could also be indicative of his role as a “spoiler” in the race for agricultural commissioner.

“That’s our plan,” he concluded.