The Collin County Observer™

Two candidates have begin campaigning for Precinct 3 on the Collin County Commissioner's Court. The Precinct 3 place has been held by Joe Jaynes for the last 15 years and has announced that he will not seek re-election.

In September, the Commissioner's Court redistricted the commissions precincts (districts) and the voting precincts. The precincts may change slightly if the Federal Court finds the legislatures districts illegal. The county is required to keep any voting precincts that cross the lines of congress, legislature, commissioner's etc. If the legislature and/or congress districts must be redrawn again, the voting precincts may need to be re-aligned.

Ray Eckenrode

Republican Eckenrode is the Founder and Managing Partner of Appian Commercial Realty in McKinney. He describes himself as, "a 22-year Collin County resident, is a fiscal conservative, proven businessman, and well-respected corporate citizen. He currently serves as a Commissioner of McKinney’s Planning and Zoning Board, sits on the Medical Center of McKinney’s Board of Trustees, the Board of Directors of the McKinney Chamber, and the McKinney Education Foundation’s Board of Directors. Past community involvements include Chairman of the McKinney Community Development Corporation, President of the McKinney A&M Club, and member of the Board of Directors for Avenues Counseling."

In his announcement, Eckenrode said, “Collin County and Precinct 3 have been well-represented by Commissioner Joe Jaynes for over a decade. His effective leadership and successful progress in the areas of transportation, expansion, infrastructure improvements, and creating beneficial partnerships between cities should be continued. Collin County is truly one of the best places to live and I am committed to sustaining and the quality of life our citizens enjoy. I believe my success as a business entrepreneur and a community leader uniquely qualify me for this position. I look forward to earning the opportunity to serve and represent Precinct 3.”

Eckenrode graduated with honors from Texas A&M with a degree in Finance in 2000. Prior to real estate, he was an Account Executive and Partner Manager for EMC, one of the world’s leading data storage and software companies, with a client list including J.C.Penney, ExxonMobil, and Bank of America. In 2003, he was one of the youngest brokers in the nation to receive the CCIM (Certified Commercial Investment Member) designation.

His campaign website is not up, but he has a Facebook campaign page.

Chris Hill

Republican Chris Hill is a Certified Public Accountant, Certified Internal Auditor and, a Certified Fraud Examiner. He is the Controller at North Texas Public Broadcasting (KERA TV 13 • KERA 90.1 FM • KXT 91.7 FM). He has been a Controller at A3D Technologies, Fellowship of Stonebridge and at Cornerstone Bible Fellowship.

He earned a BA at A & M, Commerce at Political Science in 1998. He has also earned a MA degree in Leadership at the Columbia International University, a MBA at Webster University, and a MS in Accounting & Information Management at The University in Texas at Dallas.

While Hill has been campaigning, he has not issued an announcement. His website is at www.votechrishill.com, but has no pages posted. We should expect to here more about him in the weeks to come.

Bill