BEAUMONT, Texas — After holding the position of Jefferson County Tax Accessor Collector for a decade, the late Allison Getz stepped down in 2023.
Now two candidates, Democratic candidate Shawn Webb-Locke and Republican candidate Kate Carroll, are vying to take the seat.
"I want to transfer my leadership skills to the Tax Assessor Department's and maintain the standard of integrity set in place by the late Allison Getz," Webb-Lock told 12News.
Carroll says that she has the seal of approval from the former position holder.
"I talked to Alison before she passed, and she said that I would be perfect for this position. So I decided that, you know, I really want to give back," Carroll said.
Although this is the first time that she has ran for an elected office, Carroll thinks that her background in politics will help her with the campaign.
"My father was in politics, and then I ran two campaigns in the past two election cycles. So like I said, I've been in the background, but now it's my time to really get out there and do more and help the citizens of Jefferson County," said Carroll.
On the Democratic side, Webb-Locke says that her family has been rooted in Jefferson County for over 30 years.
"We've serviced this community well before we even thought about running for any campaign. We've serviced this community of Jefferson County through our businesses and through our leadership and our finances," Webb-Locke said.
Both candidates have big plans if elected.
Webb-Locke wants to see progress.
"If I am elected I am looking forward to, like I said, furthering the progress of the Jefferson county tax assessor, collector departments," said Webb-Lock.
While Carroll is calling for a return to normalcy.
"This office truly needs, it needs to get back to normalcy, and I'm the one who's willing to put in all the hours and the work to get it done," Carroll said.