Montgomery County, County Judge

Commissioner’s Court is the governing body of the County.  It is comprised of the County Judge and four County Commissioners. The County Judge is the presiding officer and voting member of the Court and is elected at-large every four years.  He is considered the Chief Administrative Officer for the County.  His primary responsibilities include setting the Court’s agenda and County Emergency Management.  He also represents the County in many administrative functions.

Recommendation

Texas Patriot’s PAC has chosen not to make a recommendation for Mark Keough or Billy Graff for County Judge.  Both candidates are aligned with our conservative principles and are suitable candidates for the office.  While Mr. Keough has done some things quite well during his tenure, he has also taken some significant missteps.  Mr. Graff is worthy of consideration but has not demonstrated a credible path to victory in this race.  Ms. Countryman’s recent actions call into question her trustworthiness and, in our opinion, disqualify her for consideration of this office and we cannot support her candidacy.

Billy Graff

Mr. Graff is a Marine veteran and former church pastor for more 20+ years.  For the past 14 years he has served as president of Iconnect Outreach, Inc, a not-for-profit entity that provides long-term assistance for victims of natural disasters.  Mr. Graff began his career in Oil and Gas as an industrial computer designer before entering the ministry.  He has also worked as a real estate developer and general contractor.  If elected, Mr. Graff seeks to restore professionalism to the Commissioner’s Court through an emphasis on ethical integrity, increased transparency, fiscal discipline, and strategic planning for future growth.  Mr. Graff says his conservative values, business acumen, and work experience make him well-suited for the position of County Judge.  He pledges to be a servant leader whose first loyalty will be the residents of Montgomery County.

Mark Keough

Mr. Keough is the incumbent and is seeking a second term as County Judge.  During the early uncertain stages of the Covid pandemic in 2020, Keough did go along with the recommendation by public health authorities to shut down schools and businesses when he was told the county could lose 20% of our residents to Covid deaths. It did not take long for Judge Keough to realize that Governor Abbott was extending the shutdown of businesses without valid reason far too long. In September 2020, Keough announced that Montgomery County would no longer enforce the draconian Covid restrictions by Abbott and he pleaded with Abbott to completely open Texas on a widely viewed Facebook/Youtube video. The County under Keough did do a great job with monoclonal antibodies and with ending mask mandates far earlier than Texas and neighboring counties. Although Judge Keough did well past the early weeks of Covid, he should have never enforced a curfew on Montgomery County and he should have allowed an audit of Covid funds. In addition, the commissioners court’s handling of Covid fund allocation was not consistent with the allocation guidelines followed by the rest of the counties in Texas and therefore, residents of The Woodlands did not receive relief from their own federal taxes. Mr. Keough fought to maintain the effective tax rate (now referred to as the ‘No New Revenue’ rate) for three years, aided by an unexpected windfall of federal funding.  Additionally, he fought to remove tolls from the SH 242 flyover and for implementing a countywide mobility plan.  Mr. Keough reduced his salary 12% upon taking office and has not taken a raise.  He says his experience serving in the Texas legislature differentiates him from the other candidates when dealing with State and Federal officials.  In his 2018 campaign Mr. Keough pledged to create an environment of openness and transparency to county governance.  In our view he has failed to deliver on that promise.  County business which should be discussed in open Court is too often placed on the consent agenda to shield it from public discourse.  Mr. Keough has also failed to explain the Court’s decisions to withhold Federal CARES Act funding entrusted to them for distribution to local jurisdictions, as well as their decision to award $22 million to districts that did not qualify under the Court’s own stated criteria.

Sara Countryman

Ms. Countryman is currently the Mayor of the City of Montgomery.  Prior to being elected to this position she worked 18 years in IT sales and was active in multiple Republican women’s organizations.  If elected, she seeks to bring transparency, fiscal responsibility and accountability to county government.  She intends to focus on anticipating infrastructure needs critical to the county’s future growth, while continuing to budget at the ‘No New Revenue’ tax rate.  As mayor, Ms. Countryman says she understands the complexity of running an efficient governmental structure and how to effectively manage relationships with the County and the State of Texas. While these statements are laudable, Ms. Countryman’s recent actions render her unsupportable. She recorded a phone call and meeting she had with a local elected official without this official’s knowledge or consent. These private conversations were recently forwarded to and published by a local reporter.