The Alliance Gazette sent every candidate for the Eastland City Commission vacancy the same twelve-question form, with a 300-word cap per answer and a certification that the responses are the candidate’s own. Answers are published verbatim and the returned form is posted as received. This first installment covers Questions 1 through 6: who the candidate is, why he is running now, what he brings to the role, what he sees as the city’s most pressing problems, how he would approach the budget, and what he believes the job of commissioner is.
Williams answers the residency question with a long account of a life spent in Eastland, from watching Interstate 20 go in to the Thrift-mart fire and the train derailment that forced an evacuation. He writes that he turns 65 in February and has never established residency anywhere else. He took his first contract job in 1979 at age 16, which grew into Big “S” Company.
Asked why he is running now, his one-word answer is opportunity. He writes that a seat opened and that his recent move back inside the city limits gave him the chance to run again, having run once before roughly a decade ago. He lists other business interests, including a construction job-management and accounting software product he hopes to launch in early 2027 and a small RV park under construction on West Main Street.
On experience, he describes building an internet business in 1994, past service as president of the Texas Amateur Archeological Association, and a short stint on Eastland’s Historic Preservation Board.
On the city’s most pressing issue, he says Eastland must restore order at City Hall, and counts four positions open or soon to be: city manager, mayor, police chief and planning director. He calls the city manager the most vital.
On the budget, he is critical of what he describes as copying the prior year’s budget and adding percentage points, and points to the street maintenance line, which he says has stood at $50,000 for at least nine years while residents name streets as their top concern. He calls for required finance training for commissioners. On the job itself, he writes that a commissioner is the voice of the people and that he will not be a yes man.
Williams’ full answers to Questions 1 through 6 are in the images above.
Candidate Questionnaire: Sam Williams on Turnover, Executive Session and Public Trust
This second installment covers Questions 7 through 10, the section of the form dealing with the last several months at City Hall: working with commissioners he disagrees with, the commission’s relationship to a city manager serving on an interim basis, the balance between open meetings and closed executive sessions, and what he would do to earn residents’ trust.
On disagreement, Williams writes that there is no reasonable excuse for some of the behavior seen since May 18, 2026. He calls occasional disagreement normal and healthy but describes disrespect toward fellow commissioners as unacceptable, and says that when the way forward is not clear a matter should be tabled.
On the city manager, he calls the question stale and returns to the urgency of filling the position permanently. He notes the city is on its second interim manager, that the first stayed long enough to move the 2026 to 2027 budget through approval, and that the current interim also intends to leave within weeks. He writes that overlapping and short tenures leave tasks unfinished and leave residents uninformed, and notes the charter allows a commissioner to fill the role if the seat becomes truly vacant.
On executive session, he says there are good reasons to use it, particularly for sensitive personnel matters, but that it should not be used to keep the public in the dark. His specific objection is to actions announced after closed session without a motion, discussion or vote, citing the seating of an interim manager and the announcement of a resignation.
On trust, he calls for more public discussion before votes, and questions how the city secretary knows which documents to prepare for signature before a decision has been made in the open. He cites the FLOCK camera contract and a policy to work with ICE as measures he believes were adopted without real opportunity for public objection, and says he would move to table major policy until residents are informed.
Williams’ full answers to Questions 7 through 10 are in the images above.
Candidate Questionnaire: Sam Williams on Reaching Him, and What Else Voters Should Know
The final installment covers the closing section of the form: how residents can reach the candidate and how he would keep the community informed, and anything else he wants voters to know. Williams’ signed certification appears on the last page.
Williams directs residents to his Facebook page, “Sam Williams for Commissioner,” and says he will provide his phone number privately to anyone who asks and is available for in-person meetings. He repeats that he is not a yes man, and frames the race as one for an unexpired six-month term, with another election in May 2027, describing it as a six-month free trial.
In his closing answer, he points to more than 20 years as a volunteer with the Eastland Fire Department and over 3,000 calls for service during his tenure, and calls that the strongest argument for his commitment to the community.
Williams’ full answers to Questions 11 and 12, and his signed certification, are in the images above.
