Early voting began Monday for the May 28 runoff election. Registered Smith County voters residing in Commissioner Precinct 3 can cast ballots early now through Friday.
The only race on the ballot is for Precinct 3 Commissioner after no single candidate received 50% of the vote in the primary election in March. Voters who didn’t participate in the primary can vote in the runoff election. Those who voted in the primary must vote for the same party.
Early voting turnout remains low, with only about 1% of eligible voters casting ballots so far. As of 5:37 p.m. Tuesday, 215 ballots had been cast, following 293 on Monday, according to election administrator Michelle Allcon. About 100 are mail-in ballots.
This brings the total to 508 out of 37,298 eligible voters.
Newcomer J. Scott Herod challenges the almost 15-year incumbent Terry Phillips for the Republican spot on the November ballot. In the primary, Herod got 2,968 votes or 44.25%, and Phillips received 2,141 votes or 31.92%. A third candidate, former Winona Mayor Rusty Smith, received 23.83%, according to election results.
From 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. now through Friday, Precinct 3 residents can cast their ballots at The Hub, located at 304 E. Ferguson Street, in Tyler, or Lindale’s Kinzie Community Center, at 912 Mt. Sylvan St., in Lindale.
The runoff winner determines which Republican candidate will face Democrat Edith Wilson in November.
Phillips took office in January 2009. He said his knowledge, experience and conservative beliefs bring balance to the court.
Phillips was born in Longview and moved to Tyler in 1974. He enrolled at John Tyler High School as a senior and graduated the same year. Phillips attended Tyler Junior College, earning an associate degree in petroleum technology. He went on to study supervision and government at UT Tyler. He worked in the oil and gas industry until the mid-1980s, when he began acquiring real estate and managing properties today.
Phillip has hundreds of hours of continuing education and business and real estate experience. He has a record of voting in favor of taxpayers and said that is how he will continue to vote.
“I know the burden on the taxpayer, and I spend the county money just like I do my own, and I am very tight with my money,” Phillips said in a previous interview with the Tyler Morning Telegraph. “I operate the same way with the county.”
Phillips ran for office initially after he said the county commissioners gave themselves a pay raise. He felt that was an inappropriate decision and ran as a constitutional conservative.
“During that first term, I gave $48,000 of my salary back to the county,” Phillips said.
His opponents have expressed concern that Phillips’ son Lance, 40, has been arrested multiple times for disrupting the commissioners’ court. However, Phillips said he doesn’t control the actions of his adult children.
“I’m a voice for the taxpayer, and that’s what I want to continue to be,” Phillips said.
Herod has driven the roads in Precinct 3, a largely rural area of Smith County, throughout his life.
After considering the role of county commissioners and the interests of community members, he studied the role and developed his skill set to fulfill the job duties effectively.
Herod earned a BBA in Management from Texas A&M University in 2000. From high school to his professional career in sales and finance, he participated in organizations with leadership hierarchies.
He said his background in large corporate finance and business skills make him uniquely qualified for the role of Precinct 3 county commissioner.
He started as a manager at Bank of America and became a senior vice president, supervising the operations of rural banking centers in Texas, Arizona and other states.
Part of his role involved working with large nonprofit organizations to collaborate with city and county government and the leadership of large companies on projects such as building construction.
He left Bank of America in 2012 to co-own APEC, Athlete Performance Enhancement Center, in Tyler. In 2014, he sold his stake in the fitness center and opened Cut Beef, where he runs his small business and ranch.
As a county commissioner, it is essential to communicate with diverse people neutrally, take complicated messages, and simplify them so people can understand.
“I’ll be the first guy to say when my skill sets are no longer with Smith County’s needs, I’ll step out of the way,” Herod said in a previous interview. “They won’t have to elect me out of the way.”
Ferguson Street is closed to drivers due to Smith County’s parking garage construction next door to The Hub. The parking lot across from The Hub is open, but drivers must enter and exit at the Ferguson Street and Center Avenue intersection. There will be voter parking-marked spaces, with the closest spot being used for curbside voting.
According to a Smith County press release, voters can confirm they live in Commissioner Precinct 3 or learn when and where to vote in the runoff by visiting www.smith-county.com/government/departments/elections/current-election-information and clicking on the “Interactive Map of Smith County” link.
Election Day is May 28, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. There will be four polling places: The Hub, Clarkston Elementary in Tyler, Lindale’s Kinzie Community Center and Starrville Church of the Living God in Winona.
The City of Tyler Council District 2 Runoff Election will be held in June.
