Sunday, August 25, 2024
The Hood County Democratic Party has officially announced the nomination of Jon Back as its candidate for district clerk in the upcoming November election.
Back, a long-time Granbury resident and retired Navy veteran, was selected July 12 by a unanimous vote of 11 members of the Democratic executive committee.
According to Hood County Democratic Party Chairman Adrienne Martin, Back expressed a commitment to run the office in an “impartial and nonpartisan manor.”
“He's a hard worker, he's got an immaculate character, he's a kind person, he's a fair person, and I've never heard anybody say a bad word about him,” Martin told the Hood County News.
While a few other members of the Democratic executive committee toyed with the idea of running for the district clerk nomination, Martin said they changed their minds once they found out Back had decided to run.
"The reception, as far as him being our candidate, people seem really excited,” Martin said. “And I've heard from Republicans who are really excited about him running, so that's encouraging.”
A few weeks ago, tensions unfolded following the Hood County Republican Party executive committee’s decision to place Melanie Graft as the Republican nominee for district clerk.
Many Hood County residents immediately took to Facebook following the decision, stating that current interim district clerk Roberta Zamarron was the better candidate. Several residents also complained about the transparency and fairness of the electoral process, expressing concerns that the meeting was not held in open forum. Others stated how it was “unfair” to allow Graft to vote as a member of the executive committee when Zamarron was not a member of the board. Comments also stated that Graft should have recused herself during the vote.
“The Republican nominee, Melanie Graft’s, tenure on the Granbury ISD school board has been marred by petty partisan politics and controversy,” Martin said, in a social media statement. “In contrast, Mr. Back offers a wealth of knowledge and experience from his prior career as nuclear network coordinator at the Comanche Peak Power Plant.”
Back — who has lived in Granbury for almost 40 years — is also famous for putting on the Granbury Christmas Lights display at his home in the South Grove neighborhood with his late wife, Suzanne.
“He works on it like, I think, all year long, and it syncs up with the radio,” Martin told the HCN. “People like, line up to see his house. He looks like Santa Claus, so I think he sometimes comes out as Santa Claus, too.”
Martin said Back is not a “super political” person, but is still highly involved in his community, as he is a regular attender of the GISD school board meetings and the meetings of the Hood County Commissioners Court.
"He's kind of unusual in that way, because usually to get people to go, I have to go to the (Democratic) meeting and say, ‘OK, we need some people to show up for this or that,' but he won't even be at the meeting, and I'll see him there,” she said. “He just does it on his own.”
Overall, Martin said Back is a “great candidate,” for the role of district clerk and is also a “man of integrity.”
"He's got the background to do the actual job of clerk, and we're excited to have him,” she added.
