Friday, April 19, 2024
Ray Ashby has served for six years as a Coryell County commissioner for Precinct 4, but his last official day in office will be Dec. 31.
While Ashby will no longer be an elected leader, he plans to continue serving the community in a variety of ways — including as a board member of Central County Services — which provides mental health assistance for five counties: Coryell, Bell, Lampasas, Hamilton and Milam.
Ashby, who was born and raised in Flat, Texas, before moving to Mesquite when his father took a job there, now resides in Gatesville and considers Coryell County his home.
"I was 7 years old when we moved, and as soon as I graduated from high school I came back to Coryell County," he said. "I was born at the old Coryell Memorial Hospital."
He worked as a youth pastor and a teacher at Gatesville High School before going to work for the county.
"When Justin Latham stepped down from the commissioners court to become administrator of the county road and bridge department, several people told me they thought I would be a good commissioner," Ashby said. "I looked into it and ran for it, and I enjoyed being able to work to help people in our county."
Ashby spent 14 years working for the Gatesville school district. “I know a lot of kids here," he said. "I also was able to work with kids as a youth pastor, and that's always something I enjoyed."
Ashby said he has been offered a youth pastor job once his term on the commissioners court comes to an end, but for now he said he is taking time to consider options for what he will do next.
"I will definitely stay involved with Central County Services," Ashby said. "That is a great organization that helps so many people, and being a part of that board is one of the things I enjoyed most during my time as a commissioner."
Ashby said he had already worked with a significant number of special education students during his time as an educator, so helping the adult special needs population was a natural transition.
One of the biggest highlights for him as a commissioner was helping the county to receive a grant that paid the salaries of five deputies who focus on mental health issues, and also funded the vehicles for those law enforcement officers.
"That was a great program and really benefited our county, Ashby said.
He was also a member of the Hill Country Community Action board, which oversees programs for seniors, Head Start, and provides other types of assistance to area residents. Unlike the CCS position, Ashby will no longer be a member of that board as of Jan. 1.
Asked what the biggest adjustment was for him once he became a county commissioner, Ashby said it was "the politics."
"You go to commissioners' school to learn, and there are so many things a commissioner does that I didn't realize," he said. "There are 24 hours of political education, and it opened my eyes to a lot of things. Commissioners set the budget for the county and the tax rate, and those things were new to me. It's a lot more than making sure the roads are taken care of, although that's a big part of it, too."
Another highlight of his time in office was helping to author a 2019 resolution that made Coryell County a Second Amendment Safe Haven — affirming the constitutional gun ownership rights of county residents, Ashby said
"We wanted to be sure that people's rights remain protected, so I worked with the sheriff and other commissioners on that," he said.
One thing Ashby said he is disappointed that did not get done while he was in office was the proposal to build a larger jail on property near the Texas Department of Corrections' Woodman Unit.
"I would have loved to have seen a new jail built based on the plans and discussions that started in 2016 and 2017," he said.
So what's next for Ashby?
"I'm going to take a little time off, probably do some construction work and see where God takes me next," he said.
Ashby and his wife Lani have six children ranging in age from 22-40, and family time will also be a priority.
"I want to thank everybody who supported me, and I'm thankful for the opportunity to serve Coryell County," he said. "Without community support, things would have been a lot harder."
