Tim Raine has been passionate about serving his community his entire life.
“I’ve been built to serve,” Raine, who is running for the Colleyville City Council, told The Dallas Express.
He has been endorsed by Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare and Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn. Raine’s goals are to ensure fiscal responsibility by keeping taxes low, fighting against high-density housing, and investing in public safety, according to his campaign website.
Raine graduated from the University of Missouri with a bachelor’s degree in economics. He has worked in a variety of positions, including as a section chief for a real estate company, director of Atlantic Asset Management, and for his own insurance agency.
“I started to get involved in the community because I had small children and eventually was elected to the school board in … 2000,” Raine told DX.
Raine only served one term as a Grapevine-Colleyville ISD school board member.
“There was quite a bit of restructuring that went on during that time, but by the time I left, we had built the fund balance back up from like $2-3 million to around $15-16 million, all in a Robin Hood environment,” Raine said.
During the 20 years between his being a school board member and running for city council, Raine said he continued to serve the community through school volunteer work and serving on city boards.
“I held positions in the chamber of commerce, I was in the Grapevine Rotary Club,” Raine said. “I am currently in planning and zoning.”
Raine said that he plans to continue the progress that Colleyville has seen over the past several years.
“I want to see that continue because it’s yielded one of the top five safest cities in Texas, named by some organizations. It’s yielded the top place to live and raise a family by another organization, and our tax rate is very low, and we have very little debt,” Raine said.
He claimed that term limits have improved the city but can also be a double-edged sword since people with experience will leave after only serving a fixed number of years. Raine said he believes that people with experience and a record in the community should be involved, which is why he is running.
When asked about the top issues for the city, he mentioned continuing the financial path that the city is following, the city master plan, and infrastructure work.
“There’s a master sidewalks and trail plan. I realize a lot of people don’t feel like it’s being done enough or passed enough in certain places,” Raine said. “Second thing is don’t get out of whack with our tax base that is diversified. It’s balanced.”
Raine mentioned that he would continue supporting law enforcement and providing all necessary resources to keep Colleyville one of the safest cities in Texas.
“The continued investment in our first responders. You don’t get to attain the top of safe cities in Texas without manpower and material and good men and women. And I don’t want to see that slide,” Raine said. “People love living here. People want it to stay — the high-quality life that has been attained.”
When discussing what distinguishes him from his opponent, Raine mentioned “experience” and “involvement.”
“He has not been involved, and it’s also demonstrated and backed up by his voting record,” he claimed.
Raine said that one needs to have some record of being involved in the community and civically engaged. He said that if someone really wants to serve, then that person would make time to serve, even if they have a job and a family.
When asked about his endorsement list and what it tells voters, Raine said that endorsements from O’Hare and Waybourn mean that they trust him to do the job right.
“This guy is solid, this guy is served, we know what he will do, he has a track record and you can trust him, that’s what it says to voters,” Raine told DX.
He added that faith has always played a role in his life.
“Faith, for me, is a foundational thing. It’s a lens [through] which you see ethics, transparency, and honesty in somebody as it relates to serving others and representing others,” Raine said.
He mentioned that people had reached out to him to run for office, and after time and prayer, he decided it was time to run.
“I love my city enough where I don’t want to see it backslide,” Raine told DX.
When asked what advice he would give younger generations, Raine said that younger folks are obligated to get involved and help their community since, one day, they will have kids and families of their own.
“So you better pay attention to who you elect. Because you may have to live under what they tell you, not just who’s going to be the president, not just who’s going to be your congressperson or your senator,” Raine said. “It’s the people that you elect right around you that you will have to deal with first.”
