From left: Scott Brumley (photo by Potter County), Ryan Brown
We have asked candidates running for various offices to answer questions for our Voter Guide. While full responses are available here, we are offering you an excerpt in “Candidate Comparisons” ahead of the November 3, 2020 general election. Each response below came directly from the candidate’s questionnaire and is unedited.
Scott Brumley, Republican (Incumbent)
Occupation: Incumbent
Why are you the best candidate for voters to support for this position in 2020?
The County Attorney's Office provides legal representation to the State of Texas and to Potter County. Despite occasional campaign arguments to the contrary, its role under Texas law is not to be some puppetmaster that controls the Commissioners Court or other offices to promote various social or political agendas. I understand and respect the office's legally proper role, in no small part because that's what it means to be committed to the American republican form of government and the Rule of Law. At the same time, the office should reflect community sensibilities. We live in a community that values family, faith, neighborliness, hard work, and security. I adhere to those values, and I reject the attacks on law enforcement and those who protect the community that we see in other cities around the nation. I've served as Potter County Attorney for almost 15 years, and I served as the office's Civil Division Chief for almost 10 years before that. I've practiced law for roughly 28 years, I'm an AV-rated attorney, and I've written and taught extensively for the State Bar of Texas, the Texas District and County Attorneys Association, the Texas Association of Counties, and other interested groups about the legal and ethical issues confronting counties and the criminal justice system. What that means is I bring a commitment to the law, constitutionally limited government and community values, years of directly-relevant experience and legal proficiency to the work of directing the County Attorney's Office. We work hard, we work smart, we work effectively, and we do it because that's how the job should be done, not to push fashionable activist ideology. That's what I hope to continue.
Ryan Brown, Democrat
Occupation: Attorney
Why are you the best candidate for voters to support for this position in 2020?
I have worked in the criminal justice system for my entire career. I have seen when and why it goes wrong. The justice system here in Potter County has been going wrong and getting progressively worse for years. I know how to fix it.