Candidate Profile: Brandon Cofield For HCC District 3

Editor's note: Some responses have been edited for clarity.

HOUSTON, TX — Harris County voters will soon make their decision on local races in the Nov. 2 election.

Brandon Cofield, who is running for Houston Community College Board of Trustees District 3, shared with Patch why he should be elected to represent the Houston community.

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Profile: Brandon Cofield

Age (as of Election Day): 32

Position Sought

Houston Community College Board of Trustees District 3

Party Affiliation

Non-Partisan

Family

Wife Denerica Curry, 29, nurse practitioner, and son Brandon Jr., 1.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

Texas A&M University School of Law 2020
Juris Doctor

University of Kentucky 2015
Master of Public Health: Population Health Management and Policy

University of Minnesota 2012
Bachelor of Science: Nutrition Sciences

Occupation

Attorney - 2 years.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

N/A

Campaign website

brandoncofield.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

I am running because Houstonians expect and deserve more from Houston Community College than scandals, lawsuits, and declining graduation rates. I am committed to turning things around at HCC by holding elected officials accountable for their actions, increasing community engagement and promoting fiscal responsibility. My campaign slogan is "Leadership that Listens" because I am determined to advocate on behalf of District III residents to ensure that HCC is serving the people above all else.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The impending lawsuits related to racial discrimination and sexual harassment. I intend to apply my skillset as an attorney to assess the validity of each lawsuit to determine how HCC should proceed. It will be expensive and painful to resolve the lawsuits filed against HCC, but I promise to do my part to limit the impact of the transgressions of Board members on the HCC budget.

Editor's check: HCC was sued in 2020 over allegations of racial discrimination and again in 2021 for sexual harassment allegations.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

My opponent [Trustee Adriana Tamez] and I differ on one key issue: should HCC stay on its current course or can HCC and its Board do better? Unlike my opponent, who believes that the current course of financial mismanagement, scandal, and declining enrollment is acceptable, I am the candidate that genuinely believes in holding elected officials accountable for their actions, community input on major decisions, and fiscal responsibility.

It is a shame that we continue to pay more in taxes to HCC despite declining enrollment and graduation rates. That fact especially stings because my opponent led the evaluation committee that approved an increase in the chancellor’s compensation to over $640,000+ (the highest in the state). My opponent was also named in the $100M racial discrimination lawsuit and voted to build a campus outside of Houston for a population that does not pay taxes to HCC. These are just a few examples of how the Board has been holding HCC back from reaching its full potential.

If elected, I am committed to resolving the pending lawsuits, drafting new board policy designed to evaluate the chancellor’s performance based on common sense metrics, and changing the Board culture from that of corruption and scandal to making sound decisions that are in the best interest of the students and the community.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)?

Decisions have been made on behalf of District III without the say of District III residents. Although the majority of District III residents either opposed the creation of the HCC-Katy campus or were not aware that Houston taxpayer dollars were being used to develop a new campus outside of the taxing district, my opponent voted to allocate millions of dollars to help Katy even though there are not nearly enough resources here in District III to provide the community with real access to life-changing education.

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

In light of the unprecedented nature of the coronavirus, I believe the local officials did a decent job addressing the unknown. However, in hindsight, different approaches and initiatives could have been pursued to decrease the rate of transmission and to increase compliance. That said, I cannot blame local officials for their downfalls if they were truly doing what they believed was best for Houston at the time.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

My campaign platform is defined by my goals of:

• Restoring the confidence of Houstonians in the mission and vision of HCC.
• Re-committing District III to equitable outcomes for students of all backgrounds.
• Reinforcing the curriculum to be better aligned with Houston’s current and future needs.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

• I am a concerned taxpaying citizen with a passion for public service.
• I am a licensed attorney in Texas and Minnesota.
• I serve on the Rotary Club of Houston Board of Directors.
• I volunteer with numerous local and national organizations to improve the lives of Houstonians.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Never leave for tomorrow what you can do today.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

If given the opportunity to serve as the HCC Trustee for District III, I promise to keep District III informed of all major issues and to make decisions on behalf of District III with the same level of care and attention to detail as I do when making decisions on behalf of my 1-year-old son.