Rick Perry returns to politics to help launch former aide’s campaign for Smithville council

SMITHVILLE — Former U.S. Energy Secretary and Texas Gov. Rick Perry made a brief return to the political arena Thursday night, trading in the Texas Capitol and the White House for the more quaint venue of the bed of a pickup in a Smithville backyard.

Perry came to Smithville to appear in a campaign kickoff event for Stan Gerdes, who served as Perry’s deputy director of scheduling while Perry was governor and as a senior adviser while Perry was the energy secretary. 

Gerdes is one of two candidates — along with Danielle Washington Tenorio — running in a special election for the vacant Smithville City Council Place 4 seat. 

The Place 4 election, like all municipal elections in Texas, is nonpartisan.

Thursday night’s event signifying the start of Gerdes’ campaign for local office took place in the backyard of his restored 1938 Tudor-style home.

About 75 people, most of whom did not wear masks, mingled inside and outside the house during an hourlong event that featured remarks by Perry and Gerdes. Circular tables were spread out across the backyard for attendees to use, and hand sanitizer was made available. 

The 71-year old Perry publicized his appearance before the event, sharing a social media post last week for the more than 1 million people who like his official Facebook page of him posing with a yard sign promoting Gerdes’ campaign. During his nearly 10-minute speech, Perry displayed the charm and wit developed during decades as a politician while discussing his relationship with Gerdes.

“I’m over here because I love him. He’s like a son,” Perry said. “But more importantly, I’m here because this is the future of Texas. This is a young, bright, capable Texan, who’s held his hand up and says, ‘Here am I. Send me.' That’s what we need.”

Perry, who lives about 3 miles outside of Round Top in Fayette County, said one of the great joys of his life has been seeing young people like Gerdes devote themselves to public service. Gerdes began working for Perry in the governor’s office in 2013 and later served as the director of scheduling for both RickPAC, a political action committee formed by Perry in 2014, and Perry’s 2016 campaign for the Republican nomination for president. Then he joined Perry as part of the Trump administration in 2017.

“I’ve known him for a decade. I know where his heart is. This guy has sacrificed for his state and for his country,” Perry said. “I got to see him in some of the most high-pressure situations that you can imagine. That is why Smithville is going to be really blessed to have an individual like Stan on your City Council.”

Gerdes, a fifth-generation Texan who was born and raised in Waco and graduated from the University of Texas in 2008, said he wanted to return to Texas after spending time in Washington and traveling the world with Perry. Gerdes and his wife, Sam, frequently visited Smithville en route to Gerdes’ family reunions in La Grange, he said. They moved to Smithville in late 2019.

“We want to keep Smithville how it is right now,” Gerdes said, echoing the "Preserve Smithville" slogan that adorns his campaign yard signs. “We don’t want people coming in and scraping and rebuilding new, but we understand that growth and development has to happen for the town to keep going like it's going.”

During his speech, Perry touted Gerdes’ ability to know whom to call when situations arose, whether in Austin or Washington, and cited Gerdes as an example of why Perry still has faith in the future of Smithville, the state and the country.

“The reason I got faith in the future of Smithville is because I’m looking at it right here,” Perry said. “I know what you want to do, I know where you want to go and I know that you’re going to elect Stan Gerdes as your city councilman.”

‘It should be nonpartisan’

Perry’s visit to Smithville drew the ire of several members of the Bastrop County Democratic Party.

About an hour before Perry’s scheduled arrival, five party members gathered along the Loop 230 bridge leading into Smithville to protest Perry’s involvement in a nonpartisan City Council race.

Some came with handmade signs specific to Perry, while others brought more general signs based around Democratic Party policy positions, such as taxing wealthier Americans. All agreed that Perry shouldn’t be weighing in on a Smithville City Council race.

“It should be nonpartisan,” said Mark Timerman, vice chair of the county Democratic Party. “We are not here to protest the candidate himself, Mr. Gerdes. We’re opposed to the Republican Party politicizing it, and Rick Perry gets the blame because he’s the face that’s coming out here.”

When asked about the role Perry was playing in the council race by attending Thursday’s event, Gerdes said it was a choice motivated by personal relationship rather than political affiliation.

"Yes, he’s a politician, but he’s doing that because of our history and relationship,” Gerdes said. “He’s not doing that to say, ‘Hey, I’m holding up my Republican flag.’”

Timerman said a nonpartisan race would ensure that local issues remain at the forefront.

‘Best for the citizens and city’

Gerdes said hearing Perry compare their relationship to that of a father and son was an indication to him that he was doing the right thing by running for the City Council.

“When we moved here, I didn’t realize that I was hopefully going to serve on the City Council. That happened because of the mayor shakeup here in the city, and it left Place 4 vacant,” Gerdes said, referencing former Mayor Scott Saunders’ abrupt resignation this year.

Gerdes said he didn’t decide to enter the council race until February and said he understands he’s a new face in town compared with other Smithville residents.

While Gerdes' candidate application lists just one year of residence in the territory represented by Place 4, the candidate application for Tenorio, the other Place 4 candidate, lists eight years of residence.

Tenorio's application says she is a 51-year-old trainer, and according to her campaign's Facebook pageTenorio is a fourth-generation Smithville resident who grew up, went to school and has farmed and worked in the city for most of her life.

“The biggest thing is I’m not trying to come in and just have these extreme views one way or another,” Gerdes said. “I believe that things need to be discussed in view of the public, and I’m here to do what’s right for the citizens of Smithville and what would be best for the citizens and the city.”

In a March 12 post from his campaign’s Facebook page, Gerdes wrote that he felt “defeated and helpless” after the 2020 election, something that instigated his political involvement at the local level.

“Obviously, I worked in the Trump administration under then-Secretary Perry. Like you probably read, it was a little disheartening to see how all that turned out,” Gerdes said. “It makes you want to get involved at the grassroots level if the opportunity presents itself. I was working with the federal government, and I saw the bureaucracy that’s taking place up there, and now I’m trying to get in at the lowest level at a small town to hopefully be able to help.”