Parrish, Boren face off again in Republican primary race for Lubbock County Judge

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - With no opponents on the Democratic ballot and only two candidates on the Republican side, either incumbent Curtis Parrish or challenger Gary Boren are poised to be the next Lubbock County Judge based on the 2022 primary election results.

It will be the second time the two names appear on the ballot in the race for Lubbock County Judge. Parrish defeated Boren in a 2018 primary runoff of 54 to 46 percent.

“It’s a job that I’m certainly built for with my education, my experience,” Parrish said. “We’ve been able to do some very good things for this county, turn a few things around. I still have some work to do.”

Parrish, an attorney, told KCBD that work includes building the Lubbock County Expo Center, which he said is delayed by the lack of private fundraising, and fully implementing the Transportation Roadway Improvement Program funded by the $99 million bond proposal in May of 2019.

“We were bringing this in increments: Tier one, Tier two, and Tier three, in order to not put that entire burden on the taxpayers of Lubbock,” Parrish said. “Knowing that it’s almost impossible to have 120 projects going on in the county at the same time., what we dealt with first was all the safety issues and the immediate issues.”

Boren, a retired businessman, said he prioritizes the road projects but believes he can get them done faster.

“I just hope the citizens realize I bring the best tools to getting the job done and go to work for them,” Boren said.

Boren served on the Lubbock City Council and as a school board trustee. He believes the experience will help him.

“If we don’t stand up and get these things done, we’re gonna be in a world hurt of mess,” Boren said. “Being a businessman and I’ve had years experience in government and state agencies, I know how to get things done.”

Boren’s campaign has promised to “stop crime,” the main issue.

“We got to give support to our law enforcement people,” Boren said. “We got to come together and develop a plan to protect people’s private property and their persons.”

Parrish he’s shown his and the Commissioner’s Court’s support.

“We’ve infused just a little over $10 million into the sheriff’s department, just since I’ve been in office,” Parrish said. “We’re adding to and infusing some additional resources for our juvenile detention center.”

Parrish has made the judicial role of the Lubbock County Judge one of his campaign’s focuses. He said he’s been able to improve the guardianship program.

“The job of the county judge is to oversee all probates, all guardianships, and all mental health cases,” Parrish said. “It doesn’t say just the ones that the county judge wants to do. It says all of them; you are the court of original jurisdiction.”

Boren said he’s prepared to handle the job, comparing it to a three-legged stool.

“We will do like the law says,” Boren said. “We will deal with the administrative, the legislative, and we will make sure everyone is done in a timely efficient manner. I know how to do these things, and I will get it done.”

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