Diane Trautman for Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector

Background:

I am a native Texan, born in a small West Texas town. My family moved to Houston when I was an infant. I attended Houston ISD public schools and went on to receive my Bachelor of Arts and Master of Education degrees at the University of Houston. I was among the first students to receive a doctoral degree in education from Sam Houston State University’s Educational Leadership program. I have over 30 years of administrative and leadership experience in banking and education, and currently teach ethics and leadership classes to graduate students in education at Stephen F. Austin State University.

My husband Tim and I live in the Kingwood area and are the proud parents of three grown children, Chris, April, and Tara.

Goals:

My race for Tax Assessor-Collector is about improving Harris County government. I will work hard to bring honest and ethical leadership back to the Harris County Tax Office by modeling appropriate officeholder behavior and calling for a code of ethics for countywide elected officials. I will insure a fair tax appraisal system for all Harris County taxpayers, and I will provide a more user-friendly way to protest taxes. I will also build a voter registration system that increases voter participation, and I will protect the right to vote for every Harris County citizen.

Issues:

I will apply the Ethical Leadership model I teach to my students to the Tax Assessor’s office. The model is called the 3 A’s of Ethical Leadership: Accountability, Accessibility, and Authenticity.

I will bring accountability to the Tax Office, by ensuring that the office is always open and honest with taxpayers about where the County stands on tax delinquency rates, how it compares with other Counties, and improve where there is room for improvement.

I will strive to make the services provided by the office accessible to all citizens of our community by working to ensure that all homeowners know of the various tax exemptions and benefits available to them, and doing specific outreach to youth about voter registration and the importance of participating in the election process.

I will also provide authentic leadership for the tax office by being a servant leader looking out for the best interests of the citizens of Harris County.

Grassroots Support:

Our campaign will only succeed if we have a strong grassroots effort. Our supporters are organizing events that give us the opportunity to meet with their friends and neighbors all over the county. We are organizing canvassing events and other GOTV efforts that will help us succeed in November.

DFA Values:

I have a strong interest in social justice issues that began when I started my career in public schools. I also have a passion for supporting women in their pursuit of leadership positions. This passion influences my role as mentor to other women in politics, and influences my management style. My interest in this issue began while I was pursuing my doctorate degree. I was honored to be a part of the development of a new leadership theory, the Synergistic Leadership Theory, as part of my doctoral dissertation in Educational Leadership. This theory examined the attributes of a “feminine leadership style” and found that more men and women are exhibiting leadership styles that were once thought to be feminine or soft leadership characteristics such as collaboration, participation, nurturing, instinctive, and consensus building. Until this theory was developed, there were no leadership theories that took into consideration the innate leadership skills of women. I have used the knowledge I gained through my education to support women in my role as educator and as a leader in my community.

With regard to fiscal responsibility, I will bring accountability to the Tax Office, by ensuring that the office is always open and honest with taxpayers about where the County stands on tax delinquency rates, how it compares with other Counties, and improve where there is room for improvement. I will also look for synergies among Tax Assessor functions to ensure that the office is operating as efficiently as possible.