On Tuesday, we sat down for a conversation with Precinct 2 Commissioner candidate Stan Kubenka, who told us that he's wanted to serve the public since he was 10 years old. A self-proclaimed political junkie, Kubenka served on the Upper Guadalupe River Authority board of directors for 11 years, including a term as president. Like his four opponents, Kubenka is a conservative Republican. So, here are three takeaways from our conversation with Kubenka:
1. He believes his service will help him be a strong commissioner.
"And with all this service, I've acquired a lot of knowledge and skills that I think would work very well at the court," Kubenka said. "And I've also known most of the people at the courthouse. So, I have a relationship with everyone at the courthouse. Most of the courthouse people but even people like at the city. I have a lot of relationships with those folks over there (Headwaters Authority) and still with UGRA. Right. And other organizations. And what that does is create the ability to have communication."
2. A resident of Center Point, Kubenka said he favored a proactive approach to development in Precinct 2. The area has an estimated 600-800 housing lots coming for plating in the coming months. Kubenka argues residents should get ahead of projects to communicate to developers about how their work may fit in the community.
"My thoughts to (Center Point), and I do not know how doable this is, but I advised them to reach out to developers prior to them developing because really, these are big dollar things," said Kubenka, adding that residents would have a strong position in preserving aspects of their community.
"Good developer would listen to what makes this unique," Kubenka said.
3. Finally, we discussed his political hero.
"Obviously, Ronald Reagan and that's something else too that defines us is how old we are when we become aware of something," Kubenka said." So, I was a very young man under Ronald Reagan. I actually was a liberal Democrat when I was young. Jimmy Carter changed that. With Carter it was all doom and gloom when he had his speech and Ronald Reagan came in with the positive ideas. It's not really Democrat or Republican. It is what is your message. And Reagan was a positive message. Not doom and gloom. Not crisis all the time."
There's a lot more to our interview with Kubenka, and we encourage you to watch the entire segment here: https://fb.watch/au7rvXu9A5/
Or listen to the podcast here: https://anchor.fm/louis-amestoy/episodes/The-Kerr-County-Lead–Jan–11–2022-e1crel5
