Jacob Mullins, a lifelong resident of Hardin and Moss Hill, has officially entered the race for Liberty County Commissioner, Pct. 2. Mullins, a Republican, will appear on the ballot in the March 3, 2026, primary election. The outcome of that race will help determine who represents Pct. 2 on Commissioners Court, the governing body responsible for county roads and bridges, budgeting, infrastructure, emergency services support, and many of the day-to-day decisions that directly impact taxpayers.
Mullins describes himself first as a husband, father, and Christian. He and his wife are raising two children who attend Hardin ISD — a freshman daughter and a fourth-grade son. Much of his time is spent at ballgames, livestock shows, and church at Hardin Baptist.
He graduated from Hardin ISD before attending Texas A&M University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in communications. While in college, like many students from this area, he balanced school with staying connected to home. He later completed a master’s degree in public administration from Lamar University.
After finishing school, Mullins continued building his career while remaining rooted in Pct. 2. He began working full time with the Texas Department of Transportation in the Beaumont District, first as a summer hire in the Liberty area office working on road crews holding a stop-and-slow sign. From there, he moved into the Transportation Planning and Development Division, working with metropolitan planning organizations, including the Houston-Galveston Area Council, which includes Liberty County. Over time, he took on roles in emergency management and served as liaison to the District Disaster Committee.
That role became especially significant during Hurricane Ike.
“I was the liaison during Hurricane Ike. I actually was the one who made the call — I didn’t make the decision — but I made the call to implement the contraflow during Hurricane Ike,” he said.
Following the storm, he helped coordinate crews from across the state to clear debris and restore roadways. His time at TxDOT also included work in accounting and finance before he moved into the Vehicle Titles and Registration Division. When the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles was created in 2009, Mullins served as the Beaumont regional manager, overseeing 15 counties in Southeast Texas and working alongside elected officials on legislative and administrative matters.
Eventually, he stepped into the private sector, working in operations at ExxonMobil’s Beaumont refinery. There, he helped manage multimillion-dollar turnaround projects under tight deadlines. He also served on the refinery’s emergency response and fire teams, undergoing industrial fire training at Texas A&M’s TEEX facility. Having bunkered up and fought live industrial fires, he says he gained a deep respect for full-time and volunteer first responders.
In 2021, ExxonMobil locked out non-union employees at the refinery for 10 months. Mullins said that season changed his perspective.
“They reset me mentally and refocused my life perspective,” he said. “On faith and family.”
During the lockout, he and his wife relied on savings, small jobs, and income from their real estate business, which includes properties across multiple counties. But what stood out most, he said, was the unexpected gift of time. After years of working long shifts and logging heavy overtime, he was suddenly able to attend his children’s events and be present at church regularly.
Today, Mullins serves as Health, Safety and Environmental Director at Curtis and Son Companies in Liberty. He credits both his education and professional experience for preparing him for leadership. While winning the commissioner’s seat could mean stepping away from his current role, he said his employer has been supportive of his decision to run.
Mullins believes one of the biggest misconceptions about a county commissioner’s role is confusion over jurisdiction. Commissioners are responsible for county roads — not state highways, farm-to-market roads, or city streets — but he said part of the job is helping residents navigate those distinctions and pointing them in the right direction when issues arise.
As for the most important responsibility of the office, Mullins points to listening to constituents and ensuring safe, well-managed growth. Following redistricting, Pct. 2 now stretches from the north side of Cleveland and to the Polk, San Jacinto, and Hardin county lines and south to the railroad tracks near Kenefick. It is the largest precinct in Liberty County by square mileage and includes a diverse mix of urban areas, rural farmland, and businesses.
Growth management is the central theme of Mullins’ campaign. While acknowledging that counties have limited authority to prevent development, he argues that enforcement of subdivision regulations and infrastructure standards should be strengthened.
“I keep hearing there’s nothing that we can do as far as controlling the growth, but that don’t mean we have to make it easy for them,” he said.
He emphasized that he is not advocating for homeowner-style regulations but instead stronger infrastructure standards focused on safety and financial responsibility.
“What I’m talking about is from the safety and financial aspects — lot sizes, setbacks as far as off the right-of-ways, things like that,” he said.
Mullins also questioned whether existing construction standards are consistently applied. During one commissioners meeting, he said he heard praise for a developer who completed cylinder break testing — a process that tests the integrity of concrete and asphalt mixtures before roads are accepted.
“That should be the standard set by the county. I mean, everybody should be doing that,” he said.
He has proposed exploring residential impact fees, revisiting permit fee schedules that have not been updated since 2018, and reconsidering bulk development discounts. His goal, he said, is to avoid shifting infrastructure costs onto existing taxpayers.
“I want to get all the funding so that we don’t have to raise taxes for everybody else around here to pay for the stress that growth is going to put on our local infrastructure,” Mullins said.
When it comes to roads, Mullins acknowledged the challenge of working within budget constraints. Precinct 2 receives just under $900,000 annually in material funding. He supports exploring targeted grants, such as flood mitigation and Texas Emissions Reduction Plan programs, and strengthening road use agreements with pipeline companies.
“That’s something that I would like to look into and go after,” he said of holding companies accountable for road damage.
As Liberty County continues to experience rapid growth, Mullins said whoever holds the Pct. 2 seat will face difficult decisions.
“That’s probably the most challenging part that would be with this job,” he said. “Folks want services provided, but not at the expense of raising taxes.”
The Republican primary election will be held March 3, 2026.
If you want to hear the full Headlines and Heartlines podcast interview with Mullins, click the link below: