Profile of a Public Servant - Richard Sanders

Jan 26

By Bunni Pounds

This month, I lost a dear friend, County Judge of Henderson County, Richard Sanders. He truly was the gentle giant as people described him.

Richard was a football player in high school, real estate developer, regional representative for Congressman Jeb Hensarling for 8 years, and then a two-term County Judge, the top administrator, for the county that he loved.

Throughout his career, Richard embodied the ideal public servant, and was a true example of why good, Christian people are needed to help navigate the muck and mire of local, county, and state government.

My hope in sharing this profile is to not only testify of what this humble man meant to me, but to inspire us all that public service is a worthy profession. We need more men and women of character and courage to step up and serve.

I met Richard as a thirty-two year old mom who had just landed my first paid political job - campaign manager for Congressman Jeb Hensarling. I was in way over my head and I knew it; but I was believing God for the resources I needed to navigate all of the planning, tasks, relationships, and political minefields that I knew existed all over the district.

After I landed the job, Richard immediately called me and asked - “Young lady, can I help you in any way?”

Was this man an angel sent by God to save me from my insecurities and self doubt?

It was a miracle that I was hired for this position, but I still had no idea how I was going to fulfill all of the duties required.

Our chief of staff briefly came into town with two campaign boxes, ten pages of instructions of what not to do if I didn’t want to get fired and left me with his cellphone number and his email.

Inside I was in panic mode, but externally I was trying to act like I had it all under control.

Here was my angel - Richard Sanders.

Richard drove in to Dallas from Athens, bought me lunch, and sat with me for over three hours as I asked him question after question. He shared his own stories of walking with Congressman Hensarling and made me believe again that I could do the job that I had been tasked to do.

That was the first of many lunches over a ten year period where Richard poured his life into me, a young political operative. Over the course of my career in politics, Richard’s encouragement helped me to believe that I was the best woman for the job, that I could lead one of the best political consulting firms in the state (his words, not mine), and (when I was running) that I would make the best Member of Congress ever (again, his words, not mine). He never wavered in his encouragement, and that was a characteristic that most impacted those who knew him.

He was never in a hurry, always full of hope, and he treated me like I was the most important person in the room.

As Congressman Jeb Hensarling said at the end of his eulogy, '‘Richard Sanders taught a lesser man like me what it means to be a servant leader like Christ.”

Richard worked to slow the growth of government straight in its path, balancing the county budget without raising taxes, even when it was difficult to do so.

The Commissioners on the court acknowledged how challenging it was to trim the budget during the lean years, but they respected him for it.

“I know a lot of people in Henderson County who thought they knew the meaning of fiscal conservatism - but until Richard Sanders became county judge, they didn’t,” -Congressman Jeb Hensarling.

Richard carefully listened to people, and sought to solve their problems by sharing the vision of individual responsibility in finding solutions, and this approach empowered people and served as a counterpoint to the belief that the government was the answer to all problems and difficulties.

Current County Judge, Wade McKinney, said this after Richard’s death:
“Richard was a good man. He had the ability to make any person that he was talking to believe that their issue was his issue. He had an ability to delegate and build coalitions on issues. He was one of those individuals that even if you met him the first time, that when you left, you felt like he was your best friend.”

The moment of testing and truth came to Richard Sanders shortly after he took office as County Judge.

On December 1, 2011, the county government received a letter from the Freedom From Religion Foundation regarding the manger scene in the Athens city square stating “since the manger scene is the only seasonal display on the grounds, it is an endorsement of the Christian religion, and therefore unconstitutional.”

In response, County Attorney Clint Davis and newly-elected County Judge Richard Sanders went to work.

The Corsicana Sun reported at the time:
“Davis’ reply informs the foundation that the manger scene is not the only seasonal display on the courthouse property.
County Judge Richard Sanders said Davis’ response was sent Wednesday afternoon.
“We’ve got an array of decorations, and feel that we are in compliance with federal law,” Sanders said. “We’re not pushing any religion down anybody’s throat. These are holiday decorations we enjoy. If there was a groundswell against it in Henderson County, it would be different. But everybody I’ve talked to in Henderson County has been very positive.”

Four pastors in the county then organized a rally in support and 5,000 people congregated in the Athens city square. This was especially notable given that the population of Athens was ~12,000 people at that time. The show of support was an amazing sight, and Athens made national news because of this.

Several mentions of Richard being raised up like Esther “for such a time as this...” or Daniel speaking to the Babylonian authorities were lauded on Richard at the memorial service.

The political courage that Richard had in the face of these challenges even led then Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott to respond with a letter supporting the town and the county officials.

I couldn’t agree more that he was raised up for that moment, but he was also a powerful force in those one-on-one moments where he sowed hope, vision, and identity into people.

Nothing was too small or too hard for Judge Sanders to take on. When the local animal shelter was about to be shut down, he attempted to recruit people to run it, but when that failed, he developed a plan for the county to take it over to maintain it for the community.

In his obituary, the family asked folks to donate to the Henderson County Animal Shelter because it became such a meaningful project for him.

This reminds me of William Wilberforce, who in the early 19th century, not only stopped the slave trade in Britain through legislation in the Parliament, but he also founded the world's first animal welfare organization, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Tender. Humble. Right. - That was Richard Sanders

What does being a good public servant really mean?

The term “public servant,” as defined by Tex. Pen. Code § 1.07(a)(41), means a person who was elected, selected, appointed, employed, or otherwise designated, even if the person had not yet qualified for office or assumed his duties.

Public servant is an elected or appointed member of the government for social or public services.

What makes a good one?

Honor, humility, respect for others, great listening skills, problem solving, critical thinking, organization, administration, empowering of others, leadership, and political COURAGE.

Richard Sanders was one of those great public servants.

We need more of them in our cities, counties, state, and nation.

I am forever thankful for what he meant to me and so many others in Henderson County and our great state.