Candidate: Teddy Stewart

Thank you for visiting this information page and for taking an interest in the election process. I hope this helps you learn a little about me and how i will perform as a representative of our community. Please feel free to contact me at any time as I would enjoy the opportunity to visit with you to learn what is inportant to you, the citizens.

Over the past several years I have had the opportunity to visit with many citizens from all parts of Walton County and have been encouraged by the support for my candidacy. I am humbled by the belief that I would be a good representative of our community. My commitment to you, the citizens of Walton County, is that you will always be my most important resource when it comes to issues we face as a community.

Having served in the United States Air Force and as a Police Officer for the city of San Antonio, I bring years of experience as a servant to my country and my community. I was elected by and served my fellow officers for 10 years on the board of the San Antonio Fire and Police Pension Fund. Our pension fund is created and governed by state law in the state of Texas.  When i was elected to the board the funds assets were $750 million and when I left the board we had an asset value of over $2 billion. The experience of serving on this board and working with our professional staff, investment consultants and various investment managers was an invaluable learning experience. Working through problems to find the right answer by listening to multiple resources, to include members, taught me the importance of listening and gathering information before making a decision. Our pension Fund was then and is still today recognized as one of the best managed public pension plans in the country with a value today of over $400 million.

I was also elected by the 2000 police officers to serve as the President of the San Antonio Police Officers Association. I served 2 terms and lead the negotiations for a new 3 year collective bargaining agreement with the city valued at over $30 Million. I had the pleasure of working with a board of directors who were very tuned in to the needs of our members and accomplished much working together. It was an honor to have earned the trust of the membership through honest service and high ethical standards. 

Serving in both of these positions taught me the importance of building strong working relationships with the membership, the management team of the police department, city and state government. I was asked by the Mayer and City Manager to assist in recruiting and bringing in a new Chief of Police upon the retirement of our long time chief.  After consulting my board of directors and many members, I felt there was a desire to bring in a new chief from outside the department in order to bring in new ideas and new leadership.  We agreed and after a long and thorough process the city hired a chief from a large department in MN.  This was in 2006 and he remains the chief today. 

I go through the above to show I have lived a lifetime of service to others. I believe strongly we are all called to Service above Self. I have dedicated my life to serving others and this is an opportunity to do that in a bigger way.

While i have a very deep connection to Walton County going back multiple generations on both sides of my family, I have witnessed the incredible growth that has occurred here in Walton County and am saddened by the effects it has had. I recognize the need to preserve our heritage but also the need to address issues such as infrastructure which has fallen badly behind our needs. We also must work to bring in quality career oriented jobs necessary to both keep our young people here, but also attract a new generation of professionals. 

We must handle our budget process in a way that encourages citizens to participate and help us to ensure our finances are handled in a way that builds confidence in their government. We must all focus on the well being of our citizens FIRST. 

I believe Walton County is still the best place in the world to live and raise a family and our commitment must be to keep it that way. 

My life experience has equipped me with a uniqeu perspective and qualifications, and my commitment as a commissioner is to lead when needed, support initiatives in the county's best interests and ensure fiscal responsibility. 

Thank you for your interest, and again please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or to share your conserns.