Tim Reid of Amarillo, an agent with the FBI for 26 years, announced on November 23 his candidacy for the Republican nomination for Texas State Senate District 31. The seat became open when Kel Seliger announced in October that he would not seek re-election after serving the district since 2004.
“As an FBI agent, state trooper, police officer, school board member, and foster child, I believe that I am uniquely qualified to represent the citizens of this district. I will actively work on the issues that we face to strengthen the future of Texas. I have served the people of this district for 28 years and call the Panhandle and all of West Texas home,” Reid said.
“From Dalhart and Canadian to Midland, Odessa and Big Spring, I worked to serve and protect. Being elected to the Texas State Senate will be a continuation of my service. I would go to Austin, not to be someone, but to do something. I believe that common sense and civility are essential at every level of government and that we must work together to find common ground to serve the people of this state effectively.”
Reid, 62, was a special agent in the Amarillo resident agency of the Dallas division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation from 1986 until 2005. He was the senior resident agent for the Amarillo office from 2000 to 2005.
Reid accepted a promotion to the Criminal Justice Information Services Division in Clarksburg, West Virginia as a supervisory special agent in 2005. He was promoted to unit chief in 2008, where he remained until his retirement in 2011. He then returned to the Texas Panhandle in 2013 and began a second career in education. He is presently the Director of Athletics and Campus Safety and teaches Geography, Crime Scene Forensics, and Geopolitics at Ascension Academy in Amarillo.
“My original assignment with the FBI was supposed to be for 18 months but turned into 19 years,” Reid said. “During that time, I became an Amarilloan and a Texan. Because of the people and the freedom of the high plains, I came home to the Panhandle and Texas. As the saying goes, ‘There is no place like home.’”
While in Amarillo with the FBI, Reid was elected to the Canyon ISD Board of Trustees. He served from 1997 to 2005 and was vice president his last year. He was elected to the Texas Association of School Boards and was a budget committee member in 2005.
As an advocate for children, Reid served from 1992-1997 as board president of the Potter-Randall Counties Child Protective Services (CPS) and helped co-found Amarillo Area CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates). He served as board president of CASA in 1998. Reid also advocated in Austin and Washington, D.C., on behalf of CASA and CPS.
Reid has also been a board member of the Golden Spread Council of the Boy Scouts and on the board of the Amarillo Zoo Friends.
While with the FBI, Reid had diplomatic assignments in Chile, Brazil, Peru, South Africa, Iraq, Pakistan, and Indonesia. He was part of the State Department-FBI Anti-Terrorism Academy from 2003-2011.
“I believe the federal government has overstepped its power and authority,” Reid said, “and for democracy to flourish, state’s rights have to be paramount.”
· “Education is the No. 1 job of a state. We have 5.4 million children in Texas public schools who deserve equal opportunity in programs that prepare them for a career or college.”
· “Border security has to be addressed since the Biden Administration has abdicated its responsibility. We have a moral obligation to defend our property and protect the health and safety of all Texans.”
· “Child welfare services are already overburdened, and the federal irresponsibility at the border has caused a state of emergency.”
· “Our shortage in healthcare services, especially primary care doctors and nurses in all of our counties, must be addressed through incentive programs and loan forgiveness.”
· “Sustainable energy and water will require cooperation between private and public entities using innovation, technology, and a skilled workforce.”
Reid graduated from Montclair State University in 1982 with a B.A. in Communications. He received his certification in Criminal Justice from Seton Hall University in 1983. He was a police officer and state trooper in New Jersey from 1981-1985 before acceptance and graduation from the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia.
He and his wife, Katy, a 22-year resident of Amarillo, are members of St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Amarillo. They have four adult children, Emily, John, Timothy, Mary Clair, and Emma, a high school senior.
“Serving the area I love in our state legislature is something my career in public service has prepared me to do,” Reid said. “I look forward to being an advocate for the needs of our district and the welfare of our state.”
The Republican primary is March 1, 2022.
