From left, Mike Adams, Anwar Khalifa and John Moore

Editor’s Note: This is part of a series of stories on all county contested races in the March 2022 primaries.

With current Pct. 2 Smith County Commissioner Cary Nix not seeking reelection, three other candidates have stepped up to run for the position.

Retired paramedic Mike Adams, local manager Anwar Khalifa and writer John Moore and have all filed as Republican candidates for the Precinct 2 commissioner seat with the intent to give back to their community.

Precinct 2 covers the southeast portion of Smith County, including the cities of Troup, Arp, Whitehouse and portions of Tyler. Nix has served in the commissioner role since 2011.

Mike Adams

Adams said he has a heart for public service and looks to continue serving if elected Precinct 2 commissioner.

“I’ve got up the last 30 years of my life helping people at their worst moments,” he said.

For 30 years Adams worked as a paramedic, 20 of which were spent at Christus Trinity Mother Frances. He said he also served on Whitehouse City Council for six years and currently owns a small business called MPA Fireworks.

Adams said when it comes to serving he still has “a lot of years left.”

“I believe that if we have the ability to do things we should get out and get involved with our communities and our government,” he said.

He said he always attends both city council meetings and commissioner meetings which, along with his experience serving on city council, have given him insight as to how local government works.

Throughout his years of experience, Adams said he has gained expertise in areas such as budgets and emergency disaster response. As maintaining roads and bridges and helping run the county are the main jobs of a commissioner, he said these skills would be useful.

Adams emphasized that, “I am not a politician, I am a public servant.”

He added that all his life he has answered phone calls 24/7 and if elected he intends to continue doing this and helping people in any way he can.

As an active community member, people know his background and history, he said. They know, “I am very black and white, and when I tell you something you can take it to the bank,” Adams said.

If elected, Adams said he would be someone residents could depend on who isn’t going to put politics before the community.

“I don’t bring politics to this office. I bring someone who is there to stand for the people,” he said.

See a full list of candidates who have filed for Smith County offices here.

Anwar Khalifa

When the place for Precinct 2 commissioner opened, Khalifa said he had numerous friends approach him encouraging him to run. At first, he was skeptical but then realized what all he could give back to the community.

According to his campaign website, Khalifa is a lifelong Republican who “stands for low taxes, small government and the power of the free market.”

Among his other key priorities and areas of focus are law enforcement, road and bridges, mental health and animal control.

One key priority, low taxes, is something Khalifa is passionate about. “You can’t spend what you don’t have,” his website states.

Founder and owner of Pyramid Homes, Khalifa’s website states as a professional builder, he is committed to building the new county courthouse “with an eye toward budget and design.”

Khalifa said he has degrees in both engineering and business, has owned a business for 28 years, develops land in the county, has served on boards for multiple nonprofits and more. He said each of these things offer him unique experiences other candidates may not have.

Having developed land in the county, Khalifa said he is aware of the rules and challenges that come with streets in the county. Being that roads are one of the major jobs of a commissioner, this is a benefit, he said.

His skills and experience would allow him to, “help in commissioners court and in the decision making process,” he said.

He added the current commissioners have done great things for the county and if elected he wants to continue down that path.

“I want to use my knowledge and skills that God has given me and that I have been successful with all these years to give back to the people of Smith County that have given me so much,” he said.

Khalifa’s community involvement includes working with many nonprofit local and state boards with focus on supporting children, mental health access, interfaith dialogue and the local economy. He has also served as a volunteer chaplain with the Tyler Police Department and Smith County Sheriff’s office. His campaign website states he has been honored with numerous awards including the TB Butler and MLK Award.

He was formerly appointed to the Texas Commission on Human Rights by former Gov. Rick Perry.

John Moore

Moore, who has lived in Smith County for over 30 years and in Precinct 2 for 18 years, said he comes from a family of public service.

He said he grew up watching his grandfather serve in his hometown of Ashdown, Arkansas, as a city council member. Moore recalled his grandfather telling him, “You can’t just take from your community, you have to give back.”

Over the past 10 years Moore said the call to serve got stronger for him and Nix’s decision to not run for reelection was the deciding factor for Moore to put his name in the hat. He announced his candidacy early in order to “have more time to study budgets, infrastructure, the needs of departments and learn as much as I can before the election,” according to his campaign website.

Moore’s website states he supports law enforcement, election integrity and the Second Amendment. He said he is also pro-life. When it comes to local focuses, he said “our road and bridges are a priority.”

Moore describes himself as fiscally conservative. He said his time in the newspaper and broadcasting fields along with politics gives him insightful experience for the commissioner seat.

County and state government are not new to Moore, he said.

He said some of his experience includes working as the public information officer for Smith County Sheriff’s Office, working for Rep. Matt Schaefer (R-Tyler) as the senior policy advisor for the Texas House of Representatives at the 86th legislative session, and working at the north campus for the University of Texas at Tyler Health Science Center.

“I think my experience is very valuable for me and it also helped me better understand what county government has to have to operate,” Moore said.

If elected, Moore said he would make sure tax dollars are used efficiently and wisely. Handling expenses and large budgets is something he has experience in, he said.

“There is a tendency to, I think, replace things before they need to be replaced,” he said. “I’m a big believer of taking care of what you have before spending money on something else.”

Moore said he has stayed up to date on current events in Smith County such as the election process and issues of the current county courthouse. He said he has met with local officials to speak about what improvements are needed.

When it’s time to vote in the 2022 elections, Moore said he encourages residents to research the candidates and go cast their ballot.