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The Victoria College. Full-time salaried position with benefits available...
DISTRICT "Champions for Community Wellness" has the following positions...
Gary Mathis earned 500 more votes than 12-year incumbent Sheriff James Mitchell to earn Matagorda County Democratic Party’s nomination for the office. Mathis received 3,485 votes to Mitchell’s 2,988 votes.
Mathis has worked for the Bay City school district as a police lieutenant for eight years.
“The people in the county I met while campaigning said that they were looking for a change,” Mathis said Wednesday. “I feel the voters felt I would bring a positive change to the sheriff’s office. A positive change would include being in the public more and having an open-door policy with the people I serve.”
Mathis said that he campaigned door-to-door because former candidates had told him that was the best way to campaign.
He said during his visits to the community one of the most frequently asked questions was what would he do about the drug problem?
“The drug problem in the county is a big concern of mine,” Mathis said. “I intend as sheriff to have an effective program to eliminate the drug problem.”
Mathis said as a police officer with the school district he has seen the problem that youth have with drugs. He said he believes he was elected because the public wants more effective patrolling and a good drug program.
Mitchell could not be reached for comment.
Valerie Henson, owner of the I Skream Company in Bay City, said she was not surprised at the outcome of the sheriff’s race.
“I really didn’t know much about Mathis and I knew Mitchell,” Henson. “I felt everyone thought we needed a change because he had been in office too long.”
Darlene Brooks said she thought Mitchell had done a good job as sheriff.
“I just feel that sometimes people feel that after a person has been in office for a long time a change is needed,”Brooks said. “Drugs are always an issue that is needed to be addressed. I feel that his time as a police officer with the school district and working with youth is a plus.”
Lisa Morales, owner of Main Street Salon and Coffee Bar, said that her business is a place where information and news of the community is talked about.
“Everyone I talked to was floored by the outcome of the sheriff’s race and we definitely didn’t expect it,” said Morales. “Normally people don’t win against an incumbent. I think Mathis out-campaigned Mitchell and was out on the streets more.”
Morales said she never heard anyone say they wanted a change and that is one of the reasons why the outcome was such a shock.
She said she felt Mitchell was a good sheriff and he wasn’t defeated because he did a bad job.
Ross Cunningham is a reporter and photographer for the Matagorda Advocate. Contact him at 979-244-1330 or rcunningham@vicad.com or comment on this story at www.VictoriaAdvocate.com.