Campaign Phone
9403003558
Education
UNT , Texas A&M
Occupation
RETIRED EDUCATOR
Learned Experiences. I am passionate about: education, patriotism, service, and the rule of law in voting. I was born and raised in Texas, and am proud of my Texas roots and have firmly planted them in the Denton soil for over 30 years. When my husband of 36 years, Jack, left the Navy, we returned to Texas to raise our kids. I became a teacher in Dentonisd and retired from there. Being a SPED teacher takes hard work and putting your nose to the grindstone. It’s the same with seeing anything through. I have lived experiences and they help me make good decisions for other people. As a retired educator, wife, mother, and volunteer, making sure every single Texans’ voice is heard and their vote counts is paramount to me.
We need to make sure we have adequate drop boxes for voting. We need to be able to vote without having various forms of ID on us. We should be able to vote through the mail, knowing our vote will be counted. We need to have an adequate amount of days and many many more voting areas available for people to vote. You should be automatically registered to vote when you get an ID or license.
As a mother of a disabled child, I understand healthcare and the nightmare getting resources can be for a family. My 2 year old granddaughter has already had multiple surgeries and will have more ahead of her. Despite working as hard as they can, her parents will still have trouble meeting the demands of these health bills.
We should have affordable healthcare, with fantastic physician options available, and not have to go into debt to get the care we need. We need to expand the ACA, expand premium tax credits, and lower prescription drug costs.
This isn’t just about the price of eggs anymore. Affordable housing is a thing of the past right now. We are talking about livable housing. One of the ways to achieve that is to raise the minimum wage. Texas is so far behind other states and we are playing catch-up. A higher minimum wage helps to disburse that money back into our communities. Into rural markets and urban local businesses. Our food cost is the highest it’s been since 1979, up 30%. Some of this is due to the tariffs put in place by the current administration. Illegal ICE activities robbing our farms of workers plays a part in this as well. I don’t want to fund ICE diminishing our labor sources or our communities or our citizens.
We are paying higher utility bills just to prop up an unreliable power grid. Texas has solar and wind energy ready to be used, but big oil billionaires are rewarding politicians for restricting these alternative energy sources. Texas has lots of land for solar and wind use. Let's use that in addition to our existing fossil fuels to lower energy costs.
It's PAST time for Texas to raise the minimum wage. In no county in Texas can a full-time worker earning minimum wage afford a two-bedroom rental. Combine that with escalating energy bills, and we are seeing more and more young Texans move back home, relinquishing Their independence. The high cost of natural gas gets pushed on to the consumer as well, by overloading the grid to make energy available. We should be equalizing the use of energy and doubling the solar and wind use available.
The amount of water AI-based companies are using is unconscionable. There are communities in Texas that have to haul their own water in by truck while millions of gallons are gobbled up for AI production of chips. This is lining the pockets of billionaires literally at the expense of Texans having drinking water. Even applying penalties won’t make more water. That’s not doing enough. We need to allocate resources to Texans FIRST, companies next (if at all).
As a retired SPED educator, I understand firsthand the difficulties in trying to outfit your classroom, meet the needs of the students and the parents, all while trying to make your paycheck stretch. The state of Texas does not support its teachers. They are underpaid and the expectations put on them exceed reality. We need to end the voucher program. As a parent who put three kids through UNT to graduation, I understand the high cost of college, but also understand the necessity for high pay for professors, grant research, and trade studies.
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Campaign Phone
9402300780
Education
B.S. From University of North Texas in Denton, Texas
Occupation
REALTOR
Serving on the Denton Central Appraisal District Board of Directors has taught me so much about the taxes and the taxing systems that are in place. I have been a REALTOR for 17 years, serving as the President of the Greater Denton/Wise County Association of REALTORS. I have taken on several leadership roles in the real estate world. I have supervised 250 agents for Fathom Realty and 1,400 agents as the president of the Association. I was a legislative liaison at the state level for Texas REALTORS and a Federal Political Coordinator and a federal level. Beginning in 2016, I served as a Republican precinct chair in Denton County.
In the recent legislative session, there were several changes made to election laws. I think we should increase the penalties for those that are found not enforcing those laws and for those committing fraud.
Preventative care saves money in the long run. This is a challenge for rural residents. Expanding telehealth doctors and community hospitals so that healthcare is more readily accessible. We need more competition with insurance providers. Legislation needs to support Medicaid efficiency and fraud prevention. With the constant rising costs of insurance, people tend to let their policies lapse in order to pay other bills. We need to protect the more vulnerable, such as children and the elderly.
Small business loans need to be available and more accessible to rural areas. Tax abatements and grants for new businesses in rural areas could jump start the economy. Affordable housing in these areas will also attract a larger workforce.
We need a diverse mix of energy resources. Natural gas, nuclear and renewables, such as wind and solar are a few of the sources being used. Promote market competition and encourage environmental safeguards to those wanting to invest in the energy market. Encourage private companies that have new ideas and new technology to join the free market.
Water Districts can be federally funded by awarding grants and low interest loans to areas that are in need of affordable water sources. The infrastructure is old and faulty in many areas and needs to be updated. Several billions of gallons of water is being lost due to old pipes.
Supporting teachers with competitive salaries and benefits to attract high-quality educators. The retirement system, TRS needs to be evaluated to guarantee our retired teachers are being taken care of.
I am a big supporter of the CTE, Career and Technical Education programs in public schools. There are some rural schools that are too small to support these classes on their own. I would like to see neighboring rural communities partner to have a CTE program. These programs prepare students, that may not want to attend college to find a job.
LIsa McEntire for Texas House of Representatives District 64
Campaign Phone
940-435-2102
Education
Bach. of Music Education, cum laude from North Texas State University (now UNT) 1978
Occupation
RETIRED
For the last 10 years I've been heavily involved in local and county-wide community activities to improve every day working citizens lives. As a small business owner, I've experienced what it takes to manage employees, interact with diverse clientele, stay within budget, manage expectations, and work with timelines.
Since 2016 I have worked almost every election run by the Denton County Elections Administration. Serving as Presiding Judge, I helped ensure safe, secure, and trustworthy elections. I've served in Justin, Denton, and Crossroads.
For 7 years I was on the City of Denton's Human Services Advisory Committee, evaluating non-profits' grants, then making recommendations to the City Council on awarding grants. This public service opened up a whole new world to me: the often-hidden world of neighbors needing food, housing assistance, medical assistance, affordable child care, mental health assistance, transportation needs, and more.
Recent changes to the Texas election laws have severely restricted a voter's right to Vote by Mail successfully. I would like to see Vote by Mail available to anyone, without having to state a reason, and without penalizing someone who is helping the voter.
I would also like to see Denton County join with the rest of large-population counties, and enact Vote Centers on Election Day. Having Vote Centers throughout Early Voting, and then suddenly changing on Election Day back to precinct-based voting disenfranchises voters; and there is empirical evidence collected by Denton County Election Administration (DCEA) to support this.
I think Denton's current software & equipment by Verity is excellent, reliable, safe, and fast. DCEA's staff is also excellent, and constantly working to improve. Other counties can learn from DCEA's excellence.
I do not support any move to go back to hand-counting ballots. This only leads to more chances for error, fraud, & increased costs.
Texas has the highest percentage of uninsured population in the US, a situation exacerbated by factors such as lower income levels, lack of access to healthcare facilities, and Texas politics, particularly the state government's refusal to expand Medicaid. By supporting healthcare expansion, we can ensure that more vulnerable Texans receive the care they need while also bringing billions in federal dollars back to our state. Additionally, it is crucial to restore essential reproductive health care rights to all Texans and to remove the state from influencing health care decisions between individuals and their doctors, especially in rural areas where infrastructure is lacking and access to public education about health care options is limited.
I support increasing the minimum wage to $15 per hour and increasing the tipped-worker wage.
I support multiple sources for Texas energy production and distribution: solar, wind, natural gas, and oil. Texas is experiencing the fastest growth in utility-scale solar and is quickly adding capacity, potentially becoming the USA's #1 producer of solar energy soon. With ample sunshine and little shade, Texas is tailor-made for rooftop solar. However, most incentives are implemented at the local and utility level as opposed to the state level. I would work for a state-level solar rebate.
Fracking wastewater is an issue which much be addressed at the state level. Recent laws grant companies legal immunity for treated water reuse, sparking debates over safety, oversight, and who owns the valuable byproduct. Texas is actively moving towards reusing this "produced water," but scientists and environmentalists worry about undisclosed chemicals, insufficient treatment, potential contamination of surface/groundwater, and lack of oversight. This is a top issue for my campaign.
Water and energy are fundamental to our Texas way of life. Without comprehensive legislated protections in place, our water supply is at risk from over development. Without state-wide water policies, new industries and urban/suburban development projects undermine our agricultural water resources.
Closer to home, I support the recent addition of Walnut Creek Special Utility District to the West Fork Public Utility Agency. This allows for better regional water planning, better economy of scale for large infrastructure improvements, and a move away from ground water reliance.
The current Texas system of vouchers steals resources from school districts already struggling to keep up with inflation, and hands them to private schools who are not held to the same standards as our public schools. I will fight to keep Texas education dollars only available to Texas public schools rather than being sent to private schools who may not even be in Texas.
A brief introduction of Christie Wood, Democratic candidate for Texas House of Representatives District 64 (Denton & Wise Counties), plus key issues in her candidacy's platform.
