State Representative for District 62 Reggie Smith will wrap up his time in Austin in mid-January. Smith was first elected to the post 2018 and lost the most recent Republican primary to Shelley Luther.
Smith called his time in state government, “the greatest experience of his life.”
Smith grew up on a farm just outside of Sherman and graduated from Sherman High School, Austin College and South Texas College of Law. He opened his own law firm in Sherman in 2003 and practiced mainly civil litigation.
State Rep wasn’t the first political position he won.
“The first elected position I held was Chairman of the Grayson County Republican Party where I served for two terms beginning in 2014,” Smith recalled recently.
Then he was elected in 2018 to serve as the state representative for House District 62.
“My interest in the position of state rep developed over the years as I worked with the local republican party and watched the good men who served before
me accomplish positive things for our community.”
He said there was really no way of knowing what he was getting himself in for as a state representative until he got into the office.
“Some will tell you that it’s a part time job. The job is truly a full-time position if done correctly. However, it was for me a labor of love and the privilege of my life to serve.”
Smith said what he liked most about the job involved the constituent services which actually is the main part of the work.
“People from our area would call my office with all kinds of problems they were having with state agencies. To help resolve those issues in a favorable way really left me with a deep sense of satisfaction.”
The part of the job he liked least was leaving his family behind in Grayson County. Smith and his wife, Stephany, have three children: Reggie Jr., Anna Katherine, and Rhett.
In addition to helping locals with their problems, Smith said he is also proud,” of the huge amount of conservative legislation we were able to pass since 2019. Specifically, we passed an $18 Billion property tax cut which is the largest property tax cut in US history, a historic ban on abortion, Constitutional Carry, a ban on transgender modification procedures for children
under eighteen, billions of dollars in border security, a major election integrity bill, bail bond reform, a major law enforcement bill which will allow Texas to solve hundreds of unsolved crimes, and the list goes on.”
Of course, there are things that Smith wishes he had been able to do before leaving office.
“With a state this large there is always much to do. Going forward the legislature needs to continue working on reducing property taxes, securing the electric grid, improving education and making sure that Texans have plenty of reliable water sources. Texas will continue to be the model for the nation if major strides are made in these areas,” he said.
Smith said now that his time in state government is up, he plans to spend more time with his family and see what opportunities arise.
“This, of course, is all reliant on God and his divine will. However, I will be ready to respond to the call if and when it comes.”
