EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the sixth of several installments highlighting locally contested races in Miller and Bowie counties for the March 3 primary. Today's candidate profile highlight the Bowie County tax assessor/collector race. The Gazette requested that candidates not exceed a character limit on each question to provide fairness and equality in coverage and article length. Aside from minor changes and editing, the candidate responses are being printed as submitted. The winner of this March 3 race between incumbent Ramona Dawson-Norman and challenger Josh Davis will take office on Jan. 1. Dawson-Norman did not submit responses to the questionnaire by the deadline. Both candidates are Republicans and there is not a Democratic candidate who filed to be on the ballot in November.
Josh Davis
Biographical
Spouse, children and/or other family: I am married to Mandy Davis, a kindergarten teacher at PGISD. We have been married for 20 years and have one daughter, Lora Davis a professional aviation major at LeTourneau University.
Age: 42
Years a Bowie County resident: 15
Highlight your top three degrees and/or educational achievements: SAU TECH Fire Academy 1999,
Texarkana College EMT 2000 and Texas Municipal League Leadership Academy 2016 Fellow Award.
List your current job/employer and your top three occupational achievements: Currently I am self-employed and recently retired from the Texarkana Arkansas Fire Department after 20 years of service where I held many advanced certifications including inspector, investigative and instructor certifications. I served on the Texarkana, Texas City Council for 10 years.
Highlight the top three examples of your civic or community service: I am a member of our local EAA and recently became certified as a Young Eagles Pilot. This allows me to give kids interested in aviation their first flight. Bark at the Park-vaccinations and licenses for pets. Girl Scouts Diamonds of AR, OK and TX Executive Director Hiring Committee and Helping Lora earn her GS Gold Award.
Highlight the top three examples of your political experience: I was elected to the Texarkana Texas Ward 6 City Council as a Council Member in 2010 and have served as Mayor Pro Tem for the last four years. I am a board member of the Bowie Central Appraisal District since 2012 and held the Chairman's seat since 2014. I am a former board member of the Ark-Tex Council of Governments.
Political
Party Affiliation: Republican
Why are you running for office? I am seeking election to the office of Tax Assessor/Collector, because of a desire to continue my passion of public service. I want to help make Bowie County the best it can be.
What are your top three goals if elected? I want to provide the citizens of Bowie County a professional and pleasant experience when they come in to the office. Customer service will be my top priority as well as looking for new and efficient ways to handle the business of this office.
Issues
What are the three most important issues facing the tax assessor's office over the next five to 10 years? The current law changes every two years, I feel staying current and being prepared is very important for this job. I want to make sure the employees are given the most up-to-date information, material and tools to keep the office running smoothly.
How do you propose addressing these issues? If elected, I will monitor and stay abreast of what is happening in our capitol when the legislature is in session and how it will and or could possibly affect the operations of the Bowie County Tax Assessor/Collectors office.
What policies are in place or would you recommend to people who do not agree with the calculation or assessment of their taxes? The office I am currently seeking does not deal with ad-valorem (property) taxes. But, if someone does have a question about calculations, assessments or valuations of their property taxes they can request a hearing with the appraisal review board at the Bowie Central Appraisal District.
Would you change anything about the way the office currently operates? Currently, I am not in a position to make this determination. If elected, I will thoroughly evaluate the current operations and then implement any necessary changes to provide optimal customer service to the Citizens of Bowie County.