Mineral Wells Area News

Reporting By Gary Norman

The Palo Pinto County Republican Women’s Club held their monthly meeting Friday, Aug. 29, at Holiday Hills Golf Course in Mineral Wells, featuring remarks from two candidates running in the March 2026 Republican primary.

Amy Fennell, a Willow Park business owner and former city council member, is seeking the Texas House District 60 seat. Mindy Bumgarner, of Flower Mound, is running for State Board of Education District 14.

Fennell described herself as a conservative, grandmother, and small business owner who has worked on issues ranging from city infrastructure to local education. “I’ve served on Willow Park City Council, built a business and invested in schools and neighborhoods that cross this community,” she said. “Those experiences taught me the value of listening, of respecting the people you serve, and never forgetting who you work for. And that’s exactly why I’m running.”

She criticized the current District 60 representative, saying, “Powerful interests with big money are trying to drown out the voices of rural Texans and suburban families. But let me tell you, District 60 is not for sale. Our current representative has forgotten the people who sent him to Austin.”

Fennell listed property tax relief, public education, and water security as her top priorities. She said real property tax reform must include changes to the appraisal system, called public schools “the heartbeat of communities,” and described water access as “the most critical issue facing House District 60.”

Later, when asked how her local government service prepared her for the Legislature, Fennell pointed to her work on water and transportation issues in Willow Park. “You build those relationships, you work with who you’re with, and you just get things done,” she said.

Bumgarner, wife of State Rep. Ben Bumgarner, highlighted her background in clinical psychology, curriculum development, and advocacy for student services. She said she would prioritize supporting teachers, parents, and students while promoting conservative-based curriculum focused on reading, writing, arithmetic, and history.

She voiced strong opposition to the STAAR test as a measure of student achievement. “Our children should be given achievement tests, not a STAAR test,” she said. “An achievement test simply looks at, can they comprehend what they’re reading? Can they spell? Can they do mathematics? Those tests take 30 to 45 minutes — not hours, and you can’t teach to it.”

House District 60 includes Parker, Palo Pinto, and Stephens counties. State Board of Education District 14 covers Bosque, Clay, Comanche, Coryell, Eastland, Ellis, Erath, Hamilton, Hill, Jack, McLennan, Mills, Montague, Navarro, Palo Pinto, and Wise counties, along with portions of Dallas, Denton, and Johnson counties.

More information about the candidates is available at www.amyfennellfortexas.com and www.mindybumgarner.com. The Republican primary election is scheduled for Tuesday, March 3, 2026.