L e g i s l a t o r S p o t l i g h t

legislator spotlight

R e p r e s e n t a t i v e Wi l l M e t c a l f is a member of the Texas House of Representatives for District 16. As a businessman himself he has been a reliable advocate for small businesses, fighting to stop over-regulation and voting to eliminate unneeded bureaucratic obstacles for those trying to grow a business.

He is a sixth generation resident of Montgomery County and an accomplished business leader. His experience in the financial sector gives him the skills to be a knowledgeable and a conservative voice on behalf of the people of Montgomery County.

Representative Metcalf was raised in Conroe and is a graduate of Conroe ISD and Sam Houston State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice. Rep. Metcalf and his wife Megan have been married for 14 years and are the proud parents of beautiful nine-year old twin daughters, Amelia and Elizabeth. Texas Dealer recently had an opportunity to visit with the Representative from the fast-growing area just north of Houston. Texas Dealer : What inspired you to run for public office? Rep. Metcalf: In 2013 after the previous member chose not to seek re-election, my wife and I began to receive many calls from people all over our community asking that I consider running for state representative. At the time, our twin daughters were still toddlers and I had no intention of leaving them to run for office. However, the calls kept coming and my wife and I found ourselves seriously contemplating running to serve our neighbors at the state level. My family has very deep roots in Montgomery County, and I was raised with the belief that we must give back to our community and be active and engaged in our local governments and civic organizations. It became clear that this was the capacity we were being called to serve in, and I was second to last to join the race in a primary of six people. Fast forward to the spring of 2014 — we won the primary and moved on to the general election that fall where I faced a Democrat and Libertarian opponent. We defeated them and I was sworn in for my first session in January 2015 for the 84th Legislature. I continue to serve House District 16 because my community has called on me to represent our values in the Texas Legislature, and I want to leave our district and our state better than I found it for my daughters’ generation. It is a great honor to serve my community at our State Capitol. Te x a s D e a l e r : What skill(s) do you utilize most frequently on Capitol Hill? R e p . M e t c a l f : The skill I have found to be most useful at the Texas Capitol is relationship building. I would say the biggest difference between Washington, D.C. and the Texas Legislature is the fact that Texas has a long history of productive bipartisanship. If you look at the desks in the House Chamber, they’re not separated by Republican vs. Democrat. We all sit together, our offices are together, and that’s the Texas model for how we get things done in the legislature. In fact, the vast majority of debate in the Texas legislature is not “Republican vs. Democrat,” but instead urban vs. rural in many cases. You need votes to pass a bill, so it’s important to foster working relationships with colleagues on both sides of the aisle if we’re going to get things done in Texas. I may not share the same political ideology with my colleagues across the aisle, but at the end of the day, we can converse about our families, our hobbies, and being proud Texans. Te x a s D e a l e r : What is your favorite aspect of the Texas House District 16?

R e p . M e t c a l f : I don’t think I can only name one! House District 16 is blessed with an abundance of natural resources, like the Sam Houston National Forest and our beautiful Lake Conroe. We’re also a short distance from downtown Houston, but enjoy the suburban lifestyle of Montgomery County. Conroe, which is the county seat, is in the heart of my district and boasts an impressive live music scene and was ranked the fastest growing city in America in 2016. If I had to narrow it down to one aspect, however, it would probably be the people of HD-16 that make our district so special. Our unique small businesses, our incomparable volunteer organizations, our schools and our engaged community members are what make House District 16 a truly remarkable place to live. Te x a s D e a l e r : What problem or policy issue do you think deserves more attention? R e p . M e t c a l f : I believe the state needs to take a harder look at how we can roll back standardized testing. Standardized testing places undue stress on our teachers and students. We need to let our teachers get back to teaching and allow our students to focus on actual material instead of placing priority on how to pass a test. Not all children are good test takers, but they know the material. I’ve co-authored legislation every session to allow for graduation committees for our students who may not have passed their end of course exam, but can be vouched for by their teacher, principal, counselor and parents to move on to graduation. I will continue to support that legislation as well as advocate for reducing standardized testing. Te x a s D e a l e r : What was your first vehicle? R e p . M e t c a l f : Chevrolet 1500 Z71 extended cab. Te x a s D e a l e r : What is the biggest challenge facing small business owners today? R e p . M e t c a l f : Obviously at this time the biggest challenge facing small business owners is navigating the COVID-19 pandemic. The last ten months have been extraordinarily difficult for our small businesses with the countless restrictions now burdening business owners. Fortunately, state leadership has acknowledged that economic shutdowns do more harm than good. Governor Abbott has indicated that Texas will not shut down our businesses again, as was done in the early days of the pandemic. I think these policies will be one of the central focuses of the 87th Legislative Session so we can consider best practices moving forward. We cannot cripple our small businesses here in Texas. They are what make the Texas economic climate so wonderful. It is imperative that we get our economy back up and running at full steam, and we can do that while taking necessary precautions to slow the spread of the virus without shutting down our small businesses and destroying people’s livelihoods.

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