By Cody Stark
The Huntsville Item
HUNTSVILLE, Texas — A longtime emergency responder has decided to seek a seat in the Texas Legislature.
Rick Smith recently announced his plans to run for state representative of House District 18, which includes Walker, San Jacinto and Liberty counties. The Republican candidate is hoping to replace State Rep. John Otto (R-Dayton) who announced his retirement earlier this month.
“It is my belief that the citizens of District 18 deserve more from their elected officials than politicians who ignore their thoughts and opinions. And they deserve more than just a ‘status quo’ kind of candidate,” Smith said. “The citizens of District 18 deserve a candidate who will fight for their rights, their beliefs, and their opinions. The citizens of District 18 deserve a candidate who’s not afraid to take on the establishment and the liberals, and who’s not afraid to get his hands dirty.”
Smith, who is currently a paramedic in San Jacinto County, has been an emergency responder for 29 years. He decided to run for the Legislature because “year after year, election after election, our constitutions and beliefs have been attacked at both the national and state levels.”
“Our liberties and freedoms, that we as Americans hold so dear, have been put up for sale by elected officials who care more about their pocket books and back room dealings, than they do about the conservative values this great nation was founded on,” Smith said. " We need leaders at the state and national level who will take their oath of office and serve the very people that elected them, be their voice, and not their downfall. We need leaders who will stand on the morals and values that this great nation was founded on over 200 years ago when our founding fathers envisioned a new land full of promise and opportunity.”
Smith refers to himself as a “patriot” not a politician. He vows to not only “honor and defend” the state constitution, but the U.S. Constitution as well.
"(I’m) an American who when faced with the future of our children and our grandchildren, knows that now is the time stand up. Now is the time to secure the future for all generations to come,” Smith said. “It’s time for Texans, and Americans as a whole to tell the politicians and the world, enough is enough. We will not idly standby as you destroy our constitutions and beliefs, and we will not idly standby as you destroy our state, and our nation.
“It’s time for politicians to remember that they are servants of the people, not their masters.”
For more information about Smith, visit his Facebook page at Rick Smith for Texas State Representative, District 18.
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©2015 The Huntsville Item (Huntsville, Texas)