Spring Libertarian passionate about politics, runs for state House seat

Sterling Russell Sterling Russell Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Spring Libertarian passionate about politics, runs for state House seat 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Sterling Russell may not have experience running for public office, but he has had a passion for politics since he was 18 years old and is sick of writing letters to his representatives that go unanswered.

Russell has filed as a Libertarian candidate for the District 15 seat in the Texas House of Representatives, which has been held by Rob Eissler, R-The Woodlands, since 2002. Eissler and Steve Toth are the only Republicans who have filed in the Republican primary, while no Democrats have filed for the position, according to the party’s website.

Although Russell admits he is fighting an “uphill battle” as a Libertarian, he believes the lack of a Democratic candidate could help.

He admits Eissler has more experience but disagrees with some of his policies and votes, particularly as chair of the Public Education Committee. That includes HB 400, which allowed schools to increase the number of students per teacher in a class from 22 to 25, and the fact that only about 50 cents of every dollar reaches the classroom.

Russell, 29, has lived in the Spring area most of his life, graduating from Spring High School and living in Spring for the last five years. He has been working in the energy sector for the past 10 years and has been a project control engineer for several years with Parker Drilling and with Chicago Bridge & Iron before that.

His experience ensuring the quality, cost efficiency and environmental safety of projects has spanned three continents, five countries and across the United States, and he believes that could help him, if elected.

About six or seven years ago, Russell said he realized his political beliefs aligned with the Libertarian Party and he believes strongly in civil liberties. He believes the Transportation Security Administration violates the Fourth Amendment and should be overhauled, people should be allowed to gamble and supports the legalization of drugs in Texas.

“I believe you should be able to put what you want into your own body,” Russell said.

A homeowner, Russell said he also disagrees with the principles of property taxes.

“If you own a home and you pay it off, you still have to pay something for it,” he said. “I have a problem with that.”

With the state budget roughly doubling in the last 10 years and property taxes accounting for roughly 40 percent of that revenue, Russell said he would like to implement a program to slowly remove property taxes from the budget, admitting it would be impossible to remove them overnight. He also would like to set a cap on the increase of homes’ appraisal values.

For more information about Russell, visit www.sterlingrussell.com or his facebook page at www.facebook.com/sterlingfortexas.