Candidate for Portales City Council Ward C

I have been a Roosevelt County resident for most of my life, growing up in Causey and attending school in Dora. I met and later married Lisa (Hendricks) Merrick of Clovis in September of 1985 and we had two daughters Kendra and Kelli and now two granddaughters and a son in law. We lived in Causey and operated a family farm with my parents Jack and Kercida Merrick until 2002.

 

During that time I served on the Village Council at Causey and was Mayor for a few years along with being a volunteer EMT and Firefighter. I was also the operator of the Causey Water Association for many years. We were members of the Causey Church of Christ, and later the Dora Church of Christ, where we still attend and I serve as a deacon.

 

I was on the Dora School board for 8 years, on the Farm Service Agency County Committee for 5 years and the Boll Weevil Eradication board for 2 years until we moved to Portales in 2002.

 

I joined the team at Chaparral Heating & Air Conditioning for 4 1/2 years then accepted a Plant Manager position at JD Heiskell. 10 years later, in July of 2017, I left this position to pursue my current career in real estate as a Realtor in our family business, Buena Vista Realty. I am currently on the Roosevelt County Chamber of Commerce board as the President elect and will assume that role as President in the coming year.

 

As a resident of this community, I feel it is imperative that we strive to solve the issues that impede us from future progress.

Our community finds itself in a state of disarray as we search for solutions to a Stage 3 water crisis, a declining infrastructure, street deterioration and other fiscal challenges. New vantage points and ideas are needed and I feel this is something I can offer.

 

We need to explore all avenues, all options, even those considered outside the box or unconventional. We can not afford to bypass a potential future solution.

 

We need to be proactive, rather than reactive. I won’t have all the answers, but I will ask questions and make decisions based on my desire to see this community be sustainable and hopefully prosper.