Over the past year, Mayor Gerard Hudspeth has been trying to secure the Republican nomination to represent Precinct 4 on the Denton County Commissioners Court. He announced his plans to pursue the seat last March, saying in a social media post he has been fighting against the “woke agenda” as mayor of Denton.
As mayor, Hudspeth has supported development to address future growth in the city and partnerships with businesses outside of Denton to increase growth. Meanwhile, he has pushed back against progressive City Council members’ efforts to establish a reproductive rights resolution, a fair chance hiring ordinance and an ordinance decriminalizing possession of small amounts of cannabis.
Hudspeth is entering the final stretch of his campaign against three other Republicans: incumbent Dianne Edmondson, David Wylie and Valerie Roehrs.
Early voting began Tuesday for the March 3 Democratic and Republican primaries. Whoever wins the GOP nomination for Precinct 4 commissioner will face Democratic candidate Stephanie Draper, a wedding event planner and podcaster, in the November general election.
Draper previously challenged Sen. Tan Parker, R-Flower Mound, for his District 12 seat in 2024, when Parker won with 61.5% of the vote.
“Denton is growing fast and we need leadership that plans ahead, listens to residents and delivers results, not more politics as usual,” Draper told The Dallas Morning News. “I am running to be a practical, accessible commissioner who puts Precinct 4 first.”
Precinct 4 covers the southwestern part of Denton County, including the city of Denton’s western, central and southern sides.
The Republican candidates’ January reports show Hudspeth is the front-runner as far as political contributions with $57,290. His total expenditures were $43,464 while contributions maintained as of the last day of the reporting period were $72,680.
- Wylie had $39,960 in contributions with $15,677 in expenditures.
- Roehrs had $950 in contributions with $152,250 in expenditures and $172,500 in outstanding loans.
- Edmondson had no contributions and $2,207 in expenditures.
Of course, no political journey is complete without controversy.
Hudspeth has faced a whisper campaign and a PAC-funded political mailer questioning his service as mayor while working as a state and local government business leader for Freeit Data Solutions, an IT service, cybersecurity and consulting company based in Austin, to sell millions in products to Denton County since late 2022.
Freeit’s technology runs and stores many of the county’s computer programs and data, including court and public safety systems, tax systems, election systems, body camera and surveillance video, cybersecurity systems, criminal evidence systems, databases and other county records, according to the county’s Department of Technology Services.
In December, Hudspeth’s opponent Edmondson, who has been endorsed by Gov. Greg Abbott, told commissioners she wanted to make a note that the county was purchasing products from Hudspeth, who benefits from the sale, while seeking the commissioner’s seat. It is something she said they ask whenever they appoint someone to the county’s boards and commissions.
A county spokesperson confirmed Denton County had purchased $8.3 million in products from Freeit since October 2022.
Edmondson said it was “kind of shady-looking” in a phone interview last week.
In an email Wednesday, Hudspeth said he hadn’t heard concerns about his deals with the county from anyone in the community and pointed out that in the closing days of a campaign, “it is standard practice for an opponent to use anonymous quotes to float baseless charges.”
Hudspeth further stressed that every vote from commissioners on purchasing the product was unanimous because “they clearly felt it was the best choice for the county, despite the active political rivalry with my opponent.”
At the December meeting, commissioners, who unanimously approved a $755,000 purchase from Freeit, agreed it would be something for them to look at if Hudspeth wins the election — although Commissioner Bobbi Mitchell said not just for Hudspeth but for all of them.
Commissioner Ryan Williams said he wouldn’t agree with having a contract with Freeit if Hudspeth were serving as a commissioner.
“I think that’s a total conflict of interest, and I’m totally against those kinds of things,” Williams told commissioners.
Denton County Judge Andy Eads reminded commissioners that the county has many contracts with Freeit Data Solutions.
A Denton city spokesperson confirmed Wednesday that Freeit does not have a contract with the city.
In an email Wednesday, Hudspeth said the mayor position is paid only a small stipend, which means “every mayor must have a regular job.”
“The City of Denton and the State of Texas have excellent conflict-of-interest rules, and I am meticulous about obeying them,” Hudspeth said in the email. “I have always gone above and beyond what is legally required to ensure complete transparency, and I will continue to do so.”
Last week, Hudspeth told Current Revolt, a Substack site, that if he wins the election, he would not do any work with cities, school districts or any other entity within the county and wouldn’t do any commercial work with entities in the county.
In the email Wednesday, Hudspeth said he hasn’t determined yet whether he will continue to work for the company as the state and local government business leader.
“As I have stated, I would put a massive portion of the market ‘off-limits’ to ensure there is never even the appearance of a conflict, which is a significant commitment,” Hudspeth wrote. “However, it is important for voters to understand that most County Commissioners in Texas maintain supplementary income. This is a common and legal practice, provided it is disclosed — and I have filled out those public disclosure forms every year of my service to the city.”
County commissioners earn more than $160,000 annually with allowances. Similar to a city council, they adopt the county’s budget and set the tax rate and approve all budgeted purchases. They also set salaries and benefits, approve payroll, and provide and maintain county facilities, roads and bridges.
Hudspeth was born and raised in Denton and grew up in Southeast Denton. His father, Willie Hudspeth, is a well-known local civil rights activist and president of the local NAACP chapter. A former middle school teacher, Willie Hudspeth could be found at City Council and school board meetings, where he also served as a school board member, raising awareness to community concerns.
For nearly 20 years, Gerard Hudspeth’s father battled then-Denton County Judge Mary Horn, who died in 2023, and county commissioners over the Confederate soldier monument that stood on the Courthouse on the Square lawn downtown until its removal in 2020.
“It says to me, ‘We approve of slavery in Denton County,’” Willie Hudspeth told the Record-Chronicle in 2015.
In 2018, Willie Hudspeth decided to enter the race for the county judge seat on a “coming together” platform. He told the North Texas Daily in 2018 that he agreed with some of both parties’ ideas but never made it to the general election. He lost the Democratic primary to Diana Leggett, a local wildlife rescuer, who received 74.8% of the vote, only for her to lose the general election to Republican Andy Eads, the current county judge.
Willie Hudspeth couldn’t be reached for comment by Friday.
A year before his father’s run for county judge, Gerard Hudspeth won his Denton City Council race for the District 1 seat on campaign priorities that included transparency by the council, an ethics ordinance and public safety. He won reelection in 2019 and then, in 2020, was elected as mayor, a seat he would win for another two terms.
“My dad served on the school board when I was in high school, and I caught the bug then,” Hudspeth said in a Q&A with Freeit Data Solutions.
A Denton High School graduate, Hudspeth received an associate’s degree from North Central Texas College and a Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences degree from the University of North Texas.
Hudspeth said he met his wife, Diane, at a Sevendust concert in the early 2000s at the Bronco Bowl in Dallas. A fan of heavy metal, he also used to work security at what was then known as the Starplex Amphitheatre in Dallas and got to know a lot of bands, including Sevendust. He said he also got to meet Vinnie Paul Abbott from Pantera and is friends with the drummer for Korn.
In 2011, Hudspeth founded Hudspeth Information Management, a legal document and data services management company. He also worked as a general manager for pNeo, a business accelerator in Denton, and spent a couple of years with Falcon Document Solutions, a Fort Worth copy and imaging service.
Despite their differences, Gerard Hudspeth and his father would discuss politics three or four times a week but came to an agreement not to let their relationship get in the way of politics or allow it to influence their family, Hudspeth told the North Texas Daily in 2017, when he first sought and won the District 1 council seat.
“He shaped me, but absolutely we are different. We have a different approach and tolerance, which is OK because we are from different generations,” Hudspeth told the NT Daily. “Outsiders and insiders brought together get the best of both worlds. He’s the outside and brings it to the inside to help the community.
“It’s those things you need, you can’t shut it out. We have the best of both worlds approach.”
Hudspeth served two terms as a council member and won the mayor’s seat in 2020, becoming Denton’s first Black mayor in the city’s 160-year history.
He has served three terms and announced his plans to seek the commissioner’s seat nearly a year into his third term.
In May, Hudspeth appeared on Prime Time with Alex Stein, on Glenn Beck’s Blaze Media network, where they discussed how Hudspeth’s race was impacting his campaign.
“There are some people trying to ruin your life,” Stein said to him. “... In this day and age, being a Black man, considering yourself, calling yourself conservative, that can be a death sentence for some people.”
That hasn’t proved to be the case for Hudspeth, who would be the first Black man elected commissioner in the county’s more than 178-year history — if he wins the Republican primary in March and the general election in November.
Hudspeth said his experience as mayor and a council member makes him qualified to serve as a commissioner. He also served on the Planning and Zoning Commission and as mayor pro tem and has volunteered for Court Appointed Special Advocates of Denton County and Mentor Denton to help serve at-risk kids.
He’s also the former president of the Metroplex Mayors Association, a group of leaders from cities in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Hudspeth’s campaign priorities include lowering property taxes, supporting the sheriff’s office’s cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, improving county efficiency and bringing private-sector jobs to the county, according to a Feb. 10 Facebook post. He also supports being mindful of the role infrastructure plays, which he said requires a holistic approach.
Last week, Hudspeth shared he had joined America First Mayors’ Council, formed by President Donald Trump, and wrote on Facebook that he was seeking the county commissioner’s seat “to keep serving with courage, integrity and a commitment to doing what’s right.”
“I’m certainly committed to conservative principles,” Hudspeth told the Denton Record-Chronicle in November. “I am truly pro-life, pro-Second Amendment, pro-family. … I vote different than 80% of the people who look like me but don’t vote like me. I get it regularly. People make assumptions, and I have those conversations. It’s a fair question.”
Early voting continues through Friday for the March 3 primary election.
CHRISTIAN McPHATE can be reached at 940-220-4299 and cmcphate@dentonrc.com.
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