One local candidate is celebrating and another is preparing after the results of the March first primary. Mark Beauchamp beat incumbent Ray Gonzalez for Wichita County Commissioner Precinct One.
Beauchamp will now take on Democratic candidate Larry Donohoo in November. “I was real excited. We had a good feeling going into the night that it was going to be a good night,” said Beauchamp.
Beauchamp beat Gonzalez nearly 55-percent to 45-percent. It’s a victory, even his opponent, Democratic Candidate Larry Donohoo can get on board with. “Few words, happy as a lark,” said Donohoo. “We wanted Ray out.”
However, the victory is finally hitting Beauchamp as he started getting back to work as the Wichita Falls Traffic Superintendent, a position he’s held for 12 years. “It’s bittersweet,” said Beauchamp. “Yesterday was my first day back after winning and it was a tough day for me, after spending nearly 34 years here it was the reality that ‘hey’ this may happen and I may be walking out of here.”
While Beauchamp spends now until November preparing for a victory, so does his opponent, Donohoo. “Try to get out and meet the people. We’re not like the Republicans, we don’t have much money, so we’re not going to buy a bunch of signs but we want to get out and meet the people,” said Donohoo.
Donohoo is also participating in the citizens academy with the Wichita County Sheriffs Office where he can get a first hand look at some of the problems the county is facing, like the county jail, a problem both candidates said is at the top of the list. “Our county is in a fix on the jail system and something’s got to be done,” said Donohoo. “They’ve been so neglectful, it’s sinful.”
“Obviously, we need to look very seriously at the jail problems. That’s something that’s plagued our county for quite sometime now,” said Beauchamp. Beauchamp said the traffic department within the city of Wichita Falls is making arrangements in case he does win the November election.
– Newschannel 6
