2026 Texas General Election

2026 Texas General Runoff

Nonpartisan

SPEAKER_03 1:19
No, not originally. I moved here right after college. So I've been here 40 years. I moved here in 1986. I'm originally from rural South Texas. I was reared on a small family subsistence farm in rural South Texas. I'm the 11th child of 12 children. So I shared everything before I left home.

September 9th - Chris Ehlinger running for HCAD and BABETTE'S FEAST writer Courtney Costello

Chris’ college career wasn’t a party. It was a constant struggle to make rent and keep the college cashier’s office at bay. But Chris got it done.

He graduated from Texas A&M with a degree in Accounting and Finance and sat for the CPA Exam.

About Chris

Chris began his career as an Accountant/CPA with a Big Five Accounting Firm in Houston. While working in Public Accounting, Chris made time to obtain his MBA from the University of Houston at night.

SPEAKER_03 4:55
I live in Timbergrove Manor, and it's just next to the Heights area. I said, think of Leave It to Beaver neighborhood in the in the 50s show. Yes. That's the neighborhood.

Chris Ehlinger is originally from rural South Texas. He earned a degree in accounting and finance from Texas A&M and an MBA from the University of Houston. He lives in Timbergrove Manor, near the Heights.

Education and Career

Chris’ college career wasn’t a party. It was a constant struggle to make rent and keep the college cashier’s office at bay. But Chris got it done.

He graduated from Texas A&M with a degree in Accounting and Finance and sat for the CPA Exam.

Chris began his career as an Accountant/CPA with a Big Five Accounting Firm in Houston.

Chris began his career as an Accountant/CPA with a Big Five Accounting Firm in Houston. While working in Public Accounting, Chris made time to obtain his MBA from the University of Houston at night.

Chris had always wanted to go into Banking, and after a few years in Public Accounting he did so, embarking on a 20+ year career in community banking.

Chris had always wanted to go into Banking, and after a few years in Public Accounting he did so, embarking on a 20+ year career in community banking. During those years, Chris specialized in real estate transactions, asset valuations, and risk management, eventually progressing to the level of CFO of a bank. Chris has also worked in logistics, and non-profit management.

Chris Ehlinger began his career as an accountant and certified public accountant with a Big Five accounting firm in Houston. He later worked in community banking, specializing in real estate transactions, asset valuations, and risk management, and became chief financial officer of a bank. He has also worked in logistics and nonprofit management.

Chris began his career as an accountant and certified public accountant with a Big Five accounting firm in Houston. He later worked in community banking, specializing in real estate transactions, asset valuations, and risk management, and became chief financial officer of a bank. He has also worked in logistics and nonprofit management.

SPEAKER_03 22:09
It is an it's an unpaid volunteer position at that too. So I feel like my extensive community banking experience is directly related to this office and in so many ways. And I just feel like it's a great fit for both me and the district. I've talked to several of the members of the current board, and they already said, Chris, you're already overqualified. You know, the fact that you're a banker and a loan officer, and you know, know the appraisal.
And and you know, being a you know, former certified public accountant, because oh, that just adds extra, you know, meaning to it because you know what you're doing, you know. I feel like once people understand how important the appraisal district is in everyday life, I think they will see it in a different light. And so I just want to get that message out there to everyone in Harris County. I'm just a regular, you know, citizen of the of the city, you know.
I made this my home and I want to keep it my home. And I and I, you know, I realize that appraisals are kind of a double-edged sword. And this is kind of what a lot of people I think don't get is if you set appraisal values or the fair market value too high, it makes it unaffordable for a lot of residents here, both renters and owners. If you set it too low, then essential government services can't happen. Your fire, your police protection, they can't get funded if you don't have enough tax revenue.
So it's a it's a fine line of how to get that those numbers to work for you know all the taxing authorities out there.

Meet Chris
I'm running for HCAD because the taxpayers of Harris County deserve fair property valuations

Vote for me in the November 3rd general election for Harris Central Appraisal District (HCAD) Board and ensure the board keeps their promise to provide accurate property value appraisals for all Harris County taxpayers.

Chris Ehlinger for Harris Central Appraisal District

Said appraisal values should balance housing affordability with revenue for essential public services.

Calls for fair and accurate property valuations for Harris County taxpayers.

- Said appraisal values should balance housing affordability with revenue for essential public services.
- Calls for fair and accurate property valuations for Harris County taxpayers.

Administration

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Chris Ehlinger

- Calls for fair and accurate property valuations for Harris County taxpayers.

Alejandra Gracias

Buket Urgen

Mauricio Mendez

About Claudio Gutierrez

Claudio Gutierrez is an engineer, entrepreneur, and project management professional who helps organizations improve efficiency, strengthen operations, and deliver measurable results. He earned a degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Florida International University and has proudly called Houston home since 2007.

Claudio for Houston

Claudio Gutierrez earned a degree in industrial and systems engineering from Florida International University. He has called Houston home since 2007.

About Claudio Gutierrez

Claudio Gutierrez is an engineer, entrepreneur, and project management professional who helps organizations improve efficiency, strengthen operations, and deliver measurable results. He earned a degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Florida International University and has proudly called Houston home since 2007.

Throughout his career, Claudio has helped businesses implement better processes, improve accountability, and make smarter, data-driven decisions.

Claudio Gutierrez is an engineer, entrepreneur, and project management professional.

Claudio is an engineer, entrepreneur, and project management professional.

Houston property owners deserve appraisals that are accurate, consistent, and grounded in current market conditions. HCAD should work to reduce valuation errors, apply standards fairly across neighborhoods, and ensure taxpayers are not forced to fight inflated or inconsistent assessments year after year.

Transparency and Accountability

Property owners should be able to understand how their values were determined without navigating confusing processes or technical language. HCAD should provide clearer explanations, better online tools, and publicly available performance measures that show how effectively the agency is serving taxpayers.

Customer Service and Efficiency

Dealing with HCAD should not be unnecessarily frustrating or time-consuming. The agency should improve response times, simplify the protest and appeals process, reduce delays, and modernize its digital services so property owners can resolve issues more quickly and efficiently.

Broader Houston Priorities

Protect Homeownership

For many families, a home is their largest investment. Government should help protect that investment by ensuring property owners are treated fairly, making tax-related processes easier to understand, and advocating for policies that reduce unnecessary financial burdens while preserving the rights of homeowners.

Efficient Government

Government should operate with the same focus on performance and accountability expected in the private sector. By applying proven project management, operational improvement, and performance measurement practices, HCAD can deliver better service, reduce waste, streamline processes, and make the most of taxpayer resources.

Integrity and Public Trust

Public confidence begins with honest, ethical leadership. Every decision should be guided by transparency, fiscal responsibility, and a commitment to serving the public fairly and impartially. Taxpayers deserve an appraisal district they can trust to act with professionalism, accountability, and respect.

In his own words:

“I am honored to have Kyle Scott’s support and guidance. I am committed to continuing the responsible, fiscally conservative, and taxpayer-focused leadership he brought to the Harris Central Appraisal District Board, ensuring HCAD remains transparent, accountable, and committed to fair and accurate appraisals.”

Advocates reducing appraisal errors, applying standards fairly across neighborhoods, and preventing repeatedly inflated or inconsistent assessments.

Supports clearer explanations, online tools, and public performance measures so property owners can understand how appraisals are determined.

Calls for faster responses, simpler protest and appeals processes, fewer delays, and modernized digital services at the appraisal district.

Supports fair treatment of property owners, understandable tax-related processes, and policies that reduce unnecessary financial burdens while preserving homeowners' rights.

Advocates using project management, operational improvement, and performance measurement to improve service, reduce waste, and streamline appraisal-district operations.

Pledges to make decisions guided by transparency, fiscal responsibility, and fair, impartial public service.

- Advocates reducing appraisal errors, applying standards fairly across neighborhoods, and preventing repeatedly inflated or inconsistent assessments.
- Supports clearer explanations, online tools, and public performance measures so property owners can understand how appraisals are determined.
- Calls for faster responses, simpler protest and appeals processes, fewer delays, and modernized digital services at the appraisal district.
- Supports fair treatment of property owners, understandable tax-related processes, and policies that reduce unnecessary financial burdens while preserving homeowners' rights.
- Advocates using project management, operational improvement, and performance measurement to improve service, reduce waste, and streamline appraisal-district operations.
- Pledges to make decisions guided by transparency, fiscal responsibility, and fair, impartial public service.

Claudio Gutierrez

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- Prioritizes transparent, fiscally responsible, fair, and impartial decision-making at HCAD.

Claudio Gutierrez runs his own project management firm and works as an engineer, entrepreneur, and project management professional.

Claudio previously ran for state representative in Texas House District 147 but did not win.

Claudio Gutierrez earned a degree in industrial and systems engineering from Florida International University. He has lived in Houston since 2007.

Claudio works as an engineer, entrepreneur, and project management professional.

- Calls for HCAD to reduce valuation errors and apply appraisal standards fairly across neighborhoods.
- Calls for clearer appraisal explanations, improved online tools, and public performance measures for HCAD.
- Calls for faster response times, simpler protest and appeals processes, and modernized digital services at HCAD.
- Advocates for policies that reduce unnecessary financial burdens on homeowners while preserving their rights.
- Calls for HCAD to use project management and performance measurement practices to improve service, reduce waste, and streamline processes.
- Says HCAD decisions should be guided by transparency, fiscal responsibility, and fair, impartial public service.
- Supports strong board oversight to protect property owners' interests in a fair, transparent, and accountable appraisal system.

Claudio previously served in the New Mexico House of Representatives for District 34 from 2013 to 2015. He was elected in 2012 and served one term before being defeated in 2014.

- Supports reducing valuation errors and applying appraisal standards fairly across neighborhoods.
- Supports clearer appraisal explanations, improved online tools, and public performance measures for the Harris Central Appraisal District.
- Supports faster response times, simpler protest and appeals processes, and modernized digital services at the Harris Central Appraisal District.
- Advocates using project management, operational improvement, and performance measurement practices to improve service, reduce waste, and streamline Harris Central Appraisal District processes.
- Calls for Harris Central Appraisal District decisions to prioritize transparency, fiscal responsibility, and fair, impartial public service.

Claudio Gutierrez has lived in Houston since 2007. He earned a degree in industrial and systems engineering from Florida International University.

- Calls for accurate, consistent property appraisals, fair standards across neighborhoods, and fewer valuation errors.
- Calls for clearer property-value explanations, improved online tools, and public performance measures for the Harris County Appraisal District.
- Calls for faster responses, a simpler property-tax protest and appeals process, fewer delays, and modernized digital services.
- Advocates using better project planning, more efficient operations, and performance tracking to improve service, reduce waste, and streamline Harris County Appraisal District processes.
- Prioritizes transparent, fiscally responsible, and impartial decision-making at the Harris County Appraisal District.
- Advocates fair treatment of property owners, clearer tax-related processes, and policies that reduce unnecessary financial burdens while preserving homeowners' rights.
- Believes the board should provide strong oversight for a fair, transparent, and accountable property-appraisal system.

- Advocates reducing appraisal valuation errors and applying standards fairly across neighborhoods.
- Calls for clearer property-valuation explanations, improved online tools, and public performance measures for the appraisal district.
- Advocates improving response times, simplifying appraisal protests and appeals, and modernizing digital services.
- Advocates using project management, operational improvement, and performance measurement practices to streamline appraisal-district operations and reduce waste.
- Believes the board should provide oversight to protect property owners’ interests through a fair, transparent, and accountable appraisal system.

- Calls for accurate property appraisals based on current market conditions, consistent standards across neighborhoods, and reduced valuation errors.
- Calls for clearer property-valuation explanations, improved online tools, and public performance measures for the Harris Central Appraisal District.
- Calls for faster agency response times, a simpler protest and appeals process, reduced delays, and modernized digital services.
- Advocates applying project management, operational improvement, and performance measurement practices to improve service, streamline processes, and reduce waste.

As of September 25, 2026, Jourdyn Wilson did not have a website or any information online.

Jourdyn Wilson

As of September 25, 2026, Jourdyn Wilson’s website did not contain information on this issue.

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- A board of directors member is an elected official who serves on the governing board of a special district, such as a municipal utility district (MUD).

- The board is responsible for overseeing the district’s operations, finances, and services, including utilities like water, wastewater, drainage, and infrastructure.

- Board members approve budgets, set tax rates or service fees, and make decisions about contracts and infrastructure projects within the district.

- The board ensures that the district complies with state laws and operates under the oversight of agencies such as the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).

- In many districts, the board consists of five members elected by residents. Directors must meet eligibility requirements, including being at least 18 years old, a Texas resident, and either a qualified voter or property owner within the district.

An official who oversees utilities, finances, and services in a district.

Harris Central Appraisal District Board of Directors Member

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Runoff election

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