Knight Announces Run for County Judge DAYTON, February 8, 2010 - My name is Jay Knight and I am a Republican Party candidate for the office of Liberty County Judge.

My name is Jay Knight and I am a Republican Party candidate for the office of Liberty County Judge. I am 54 years of age, a lifelong resident of Dayton and my family has lived and worked in Liberty County since 1925. My father is the late Joe Audway Knight, a long-time Dayton businessman and the former General Manager of the American Rice Growers Cooperative. I am a 1973 graduate of Dayton High School and Sam Houston State University, class of 1978. I attended graduate school at Texas A&M University where I furthered my education in the field of Landscape Architecture. My wife, Jan, is a teacher and coach with the Dayton school system and we have been married for 30 years now and have two children, Jesse and Jenna, and one grandson, Tyler.

My decision to seek the office of Liberty County Judge is not one that was made in the last few months. I made this decision over three years ago and announced my intentions in July of 2009. One of the main reasons for this decision is my deep roots and love I have for my county and I am very concerned about the direction in which we are headed. I care about the future of my family and the future for all of the residents of Liberty County. I care about their jobs, family well-being, quality of life and their public safety. I care about the opportunities and potential for our county’s future growth and that we develop these opportunities fairly, ethically and in a fiducially responsible manner. Above all, I care about the reputation of our County and I want to remove any blemish that our county may have acquired through fair and impartial representation for all of our residents.

At the age of 13, I went to work in the rice and soybean fields around Dayton during the summer months and holidays. That early age job experience instilled in me a work ethic that I still practice to this day. I believe in working hard for yourself and your employer and that is what I will do for Liberty County when I am elected as your next County Judge. My experience as a business owner and rancher has taught me to be conservative and financially prudent. My 15 year career with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice which included four years as a Lieutenant of Correctional Officers, six years as a Construction Manager and five years as a Facility Planner and Contract Administrator has given me great experience working within a governmental agency. I also have five years experience as a Horticulture and Landscape Design Instructor for Lee College. Many of you may also know me as a fiddle player and country music entertainer with the Southern Breeze Band. While fiddling may be one of my avocations, my fiddle has been a great friend and enabled me to meet many, many people in and around our county and it also helped pay my way through college.

I am currently a member of the Dayton City Council and, since 2002 I have been a board member of the Dayton Community Development Corporation where I am now serving my second term as board President. I have previously served six years as a Bank Director and I am also bi-lingual: able to read, write and speak fluent Spanish.

Liberty County is growing in population and changing every day. Our location between two industrial giants, our proximity to major transportation hubs and highways and the availability of undeveloped properties around our county offers a growth potential like we have never before witnessed. We must be proactive and have plans in place to meet these growth changes and challenges. My experience as a board member of the Dayton Community Development Corporation has proven to me that the introduction of new industry to our area will help alleviate the tax burden on our already over-taxed residents. Likewise, with the advent of new industry, it is a proven fact that retail business opportunities will follow. These too will help to further lessen our residents’ tax load. We must do all we can to strengthen our local economy, create jobs at home, keep our tax dollars here and, thereby, avoid leakage of tax revenue to out of county cities. It is with this additional revenue that we will be able to focus on much needed improvements to our infrastructure, law enforcement, fire protection, EMS services and improving the quality of life in our great county.

As your County Judge, I will use my education, work experience, work ethic, skills, knowledge and good common sense to be an effective public servant and represent all of the residents of Liberty County. I will promote cooperation and a teamwork atmosphere among all who are involved in our county government and I will protect the trust that the residents of Liberty County have placed in me as their elected official with honesty and integrity. Please vote for me, Jay Knight, on March 2nd. Your vote for me is a vote for the future of Liberty County.

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