By Dianne Edmondson and Dan Jaworski
Note to our Readers: We’re adding a new series to the newsletter beginning with this issue that will be dedicated to the rising stars of the Denton County Republican Party. The idea behind the series is to highlight the young, talented Republicans that we should all be watching, supporting, and helping rise to higher things. This solid “farm team” of young talent will someday soon occupy positions of leadership within our communities, state and even national governments. One such rising star is Lewisville City Councilman, Lathan Watts.
Denton County Tea Party crowds were enthralled. The tow-headed young man with the engaging smile led them in a litany of the “Every Man” taxes with which we all are burdened and reminded them of the founding fathers’ goals for America. After he spoke in Castle Hills, Lewisville, Argyle and finally the largest gathering at Denton’s Courthouse on the Square, the reaction was always the same: Who is this young man and what is he running for?
John Lathan Watts was born April 17, 1976 in Jonesboro, Arkansas, and was named after great great grandfather John Lathan Hickman because, his mama later told him, the name John Lathan Watts “sounded like a senator’s name!”
After earning a bachelor’s degree in Arts and History from Harding University in Searcy, AR, he followed up with a law degree from Ole Miss. Along the way, he met and, as we say in the South, courted his college sweetheart, Kim. They were married in the summer of 1999, after Lathan’s first year of law school, and have two young daughters, McKenna and Ashton.
When asked about how he first became interested in politics, Lathan relates that his aunt had been a Goldwater Girl, but closer to home, “I remember growing up, watching Ronald Reagan as President and the positive reaction my dad had when Reagan spoke.” Lathan would ask his dad what it was President Reagan was talking about and took it all in when, “My dad would talk about Reagan’s dedication to the causes of liberty and freedom, as well as his guiding principles of less government, lower taxes, and his defense of the world’s most vulnerable.” In Lathan’s young mind, if his dad liked President Reagan, there had to be something to what he stood for.
As he got older, Lathan’s conservative values matured through his own personal study as well as the influence of others such as U.S. Congressman Jeb Hensarling. Lathan’s first job in Texas after, in his words, “practicing law just long enough to figure out I didn’t want to practice law,” was in Hensarling’s initial Congressional campaign in 2002 and working in that winning campaign gave birth to his own political ambitions. He subsequently worked for Senator John Cornyn’s Dallas office performing constituent services. That experience, he says, “prepared me well for helping constituents with whatever their issues may be.”
After settling in Lewisville, Lathan decided to commit himself to making that community an even better place to raise a family. Public service is something Lathan has always valued but he’s also a believer in the idea of “paying your dues” before asking the pubic to put you in office. He became a Precinct Chair for the Denton County Republican Party in 2006, and, when he reached a point in his career with Associated Builders and Contractors where he could devote more time to serving in the community, he volunteered to serve on the Lewisville Transportation Advisory Board. That was followed by a term on the Planning and Zoning Commission in 2007. In late 2007, he began to consider running for the City Council. Lathan decided to run for the unexpired term of retiring councilman Mike Knowles. That race featured five candidates, all but guaranteeing a runoff.
It was one question at the Denton County Republican Men’s Club Candidate Forum that probably catapulted Lathan into rising star status. During the forum, candidates were asked whether or not they would support a tax payer funded Day Labor Center for Illegal Migrant Workers in Lewisville. Lathan was the only candidate present that night who answered with an unequivocal “No!” On Election Day, Lathan was the top vote getter but as expected, there was a runoff. In the end, Lathan won the seat with over 60% of the vote and in 2008 was elected to a full, three-year term, again with over 60% of the vote.
Now Vice President of TEXO, a joint chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors and Associated General Contractors, Lathan is an outspoken conservative on the Council. He names five key accomplishments of which he is most proud. The first is the fact that the council has voted to lower the city tax rate both years he’s been on the Council. Second, Lathan led the charge to defund, and therefore, to kill the idea of a Day Labor Center in Lewisville. The third is his leadership in passing an ordinance prohibiting convicted sex offenders from living within 1000 feet of any location where children gather, whether it’s a park, a school, or a daycare center. Lastly, Lathan is proud of the fact that he proposed a resolution designating English as the official language for the City of Lewisville and his opposition to a citywide ban on smoking in public places, bars and restaurants, citing his commitment to defend the personal liberty of a business owner from an ever encroaching local government.
In recent days, Lathan’s star has risen even more with that much ballyhooed appearance as a featured speaker at several Denton County TEA Parties on April 15th. In his speech, Lathan referred to the “charlatans of socialism”, saying , “They promise us better jobs, better schools, better healthcare, better retirement security, and a better environment but in return they ask us to ignore the lessons of history, which time and time again have proven the only government that can give you everything you need is the government that has already taken everything you have.” (The full text of his speech can be found on his supporters’ page on Facebook and a video of it can be found on youtube by searching “lathan watts denton tea party”.)
John Lathan Watts understands the times in which we live and the perilous path upon which our country finds itself. His keen insight, his conservative principles, his commitment to his community and his family, and his desire to serve make Lathan Watts a rising star in the Denton County Republican Party. Perhaps his mama knew indeed what her boy should be named and why!
