The seat for Gray County Commissioner Precinct 2 is up for grabs this year as Lake Arrington (incumbent) is running against Solomon Cruz.
Cruz has lived in Pampa since he was eight years old and graduated from Pampa High School in 2008. Cruz said he has a servant’s heart and would like to be able to serve the County and their needs in a timely, efficient manner.
“I don’t believe the concerns of the community are being met in a timely manner,” Cruz said. “I believe there are a lot of things people are complaining about that could be dealt with that haven’t been. Some have been fixed recently, but it took a long time.”
Cruz said he is an “every day man” taking care of “every day people.”
“This is a job that should be taken into account every day,” Cruz said. “You should be doing it on your days off. You should be willing to come in and look at what people have problems with. If someone is calling and you’re unsure, call around and find out what you can or can’t do.
“I’ve been in the service industry since I was 15 and I learned if you tell people the truth and are up front with them, you get a lot further. In the industry I learned to weld, am a mechanic and have a CDL to drive a truck.”
Cruz said he sees opportunities for the County through his experiences at Bob Douthit Autos and his current work at Frontier Fuels.
“I see an opportunity the whole county is not taking advantage of,” Cruz said. “That will help because it’ll help save them money that they can put somewhere else in the County. It could be materials to help fix the roads or delegated to someone else’s budget.”
As the county roads continue to be the topic of discussion, Cruz feels like there is more that can be done with them.
“This last snow they did come out and blade the roads,” Cruz said. “I feel like it can be done more often or even if we’re just knocking the top off at least it’s helping them.
“The tornado siren has also been a big deal for me out at the Cole Addition. It took a year to get fixed. I don’t think that’s acceptable, that’s a safety issue. I had a few ladies that told me that was their biggest concern.”
Cruz said the duties of the County Commissioner are to handle the roads, bridges and County budget, but also the concerns of county residents.
“There are more than 200 miles of county roads that need to be maintained,” Cruz said. “The commissioner is to drive those roads and look at them to see how bad they are. But he also needs to take into consideration the complaints and concerns; to go out and see what they are talking about and if they are legitimate. He needs to be involved with the guys at the county barn.”
As for the economic growth in the County, Cruz would like to see businesses come in that Gray County can take advantage of.
“Let new businesses come in and insure that those businesses are providing for Gray County,” Cruz said. “Try to keep it here local. I understand that some of it’s going to be outsourced, but try to hire local.”
Cruz has been married to his wife of 11 years, Kandi, and the pair have two sons, Mason and Hudson. The family attends Briarwood Church where they are very involved.
“I’m an usher and on Wednesday nights we help with the children’s church,” Cruz said. “I’m also on the Top O’ Texas Rodeo Board. That was so I could get my boys involved in something other than playing games. People bring their kids out to help with the work and play with the animals.”
For more information on Solomon Cruz, visit his Facebook page at “Solomon Cruz For Gray County Commissioner Pct. 2.”
