By Jacob Stowers | Broadcast Reporter
At a panel hosted by KWTX in partnership with the Hispanic Leaders’ Network, state political candidates discussed their plans for Texas’s future. With AI, taxes and border security at the forefront, each candidate got the opportunity to explain their position in a moderated discussion with their opponents on Wednesday evening.
Ashley Bean Thornton, a Democrat running for House District 56 had this to say about Data centers and their potential impact on Central Texas.
“Data centers — blessing or curse, who knows? But everything is moving really fast. We need to take a breath. There’s a long list of questions that need to be answered before we can make any big decisions,” she said.
She went on to ask those questions.
“Is there enough water? Who gets first dibs on the water if it runs out? How much is the electric bill going to go up? What are we going to do about the noise and light pollution? There are a million questions that need to be asked and answered and agreed to,” she said.
For Baylor students, policy decisions about housing, rent and state taxes can affect their college experience by influencing the affordability of homes and other essentials before and after graduation.
Republican congressional candidate Ralph Patterson spoke in regards to this.
“Our citizens shouldn’t be renting their houses from the state of Texas. I have friends who are having to reverse mortgages to be able to afford to stay in their house. That shouldn’t be something that we have to deal with in the state of Texas,” he said.
Due to rising costs facing Wacoans and Texans, the discussion also included questions on economic development, property taxes, budget allocation and how these factors affect Texans.
Democrat Janessa Givens, also a candidate for House District 56, spoke about her thoughts on economic growth in the district.
“Responsible growth means we’re creating more jobs, job opportunities for the people that are here and investing in our small businesses,” Givens said. “This area is built on the backbones of small businesses, and they deserve to have the resources that they need to not only survive, but to thrive.”
Early voting in Texas is now in full swing and will be ending on Feb. 27. All the candidates who spoke will be hitting the campaign trail hard between now and Election Day on March 3.
