My Bio
My One Promise to You
It is my firm belief that elected officials and government employees are temporary placeholders—whose sole purpose is to represent you, the people, in the affairs of government.
This office is not mine. This time is not mine. And the votes I cast will never be mine alone.
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When elected as your Fort Bend County Precinct 4 Commissioner, I will cast every vote based on what you—the residents, families, and taxpayers of Precinct 4—have expressed is in our community's best interest. Not my personal opinion. Not the demands of private interests. And certainly not just because party leadership wants it that way.
When was the last time you heard a candidate say this—and truly mean it?
To be completely honest: I never wanted to run for office. I'd much rather spend time with my family and focus on the businesses I've built here in Fort Bend County. Running costs me time, money, and headaches I could avoid.
But like so many of you, I've watched things get worse instead of better. Too many people have tuned out, focusing only on their own lives while our community suffers. Almost everyone I talk to agrees: we can no longer rely on our current officials to prioritize the people. Too many fail to even show up for the jobs we're paying them to do—check their attendance and voting records for proof.
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I'm running because I refuse to leave our children and grandchildren a broken system that puts party politics over people and community. We can—and must—disagree respectfully, debate solutions vigorously, and still treat each other with civility. Violence has no place in our free society, especially against the defenseless: our children, our elderly, and even our animals.
Together, we can build a better Fort Bend County—one that works for the people, not against them. One where your voice truly matters.
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This is my promise. I will keep it.
Ken Mathews Republican Candidate for Fort Bend County Commissioner, Precinct 4
#Ken4FortBend
#PeopleFirst
#FortBendStrong
Background & Experience
I bring a lifetime of real-world experience leading organizations large and small, always with a focus on accountability, efficiency, and results. My career spans from running small private businesses—where every dollar mattered and payroll had to be met week to week—to holding full operational responsibility for a multibillion-dollar-per-year global enterprise headquartered in Germany.
My work ethic was shaped early. At just 14 years old, I went to work to help support my family while my father battled cancer, a fight he tragically lost the following year. Throughout junior high and high school, I attended school during the day while working a full-time night job and two part-time jobs on evenings and weekends to help keep the household afloat. I worked as a cook at McDonald’s, cleaned and operated a full-service gas station overnight, and held retail jobs at Kmart and RadioShack.
After high school, college was not immediately financially possible, so I enlisted in the military reserves. Upon returning from training, I enrolled in the police academy and began my career in law enforcement. To support my family, I worked extra overnight security assignments while serving as a police officer. My law enforcement career ultimately took me through local, state, and federal roles, where I saw firsthand both the best and worst of human behavior—and gained a deep understanding of public safety, government systems, and the importance of sound leadership.
I later returned to college, earning degrees in Public Administration and Urban Studies, followed by advanced degrees in Business Administration and Criminology.
Eventually, I transitioned to the private sector, managing a nationwide security services company and discovering a passion for information technology. I went on to develop software used for emergency services dispatching and real-time vehicle tracking. That technology was acquired by IBM, which also brought me on to lead the team. The division was later sold to a global German firm, where I led international teams and operations for more than a decade.
After leaving that organization, I founded three Texas-based small businesses focused on information technology, video surveillance, and security services. While I remain the owner, I have stepped away from day-to-day operations to focus fully on this campaign.
Volunteering & Community Service
Service to others has always been a core part of my life. Since junior high, I have volunteered with youth programs, special-needs and foster shelters, Christian ministry outreach, and elder-care advocacy. I have taught reading, math, and religious studies to inmates in state and local jails—working with individuals committed to choosing a better path forward.
I have also been an active member of several community service organizations, including Kiwanis International and Volunteers of America.
My Key Issues
Accessible to the citizens:
One of my single largest complaints about our local government is that the ordinary citizen only sees the candidates during election season and unless you are "one of the connected" you can't even get a return phone call from most of those we have elected to represent us.
Traffic and Growth
Growth is generally good for a community, but not at the expense of the local residents and not when proper planning and buildout create overcrowding and congestion that cost existing residents both time and money unnecessarily. Traffic projects need to be planned ahead and executed timely, not "start-stop-mayby finish later" like we see today.
Accountability and Transparency
Public actions, records, meetings and finances should be wide open for the public to see, scrutinize, and freely discuss with those elected to serve them. While being respectful in public forums is a necessity, but cutting off public comment because you don't like what they have to say, are critical of the administration or the elected officials have "other commitments" is in my opinion unacceptable!
Conflict of Interest
Today, most of our elected official fail to recuse themselves from decisions involving businesses and individuals who have heavily contributed to their campaigns or political organizations. I will always disclose conflicts of interest and recuse myself from decisions where any conflict exists.
Government Waste
As we've observed on the news recently, our government has a habit of wasting our money. While we'd like to believe this do not happen in our city and state, the hard truth is that it does. Working on a Municipal Utility District Board, I quickly learned that every product or service sold to a government agency in Texas comes with a 40% padded fee! They say this is to deal with the government "red tape", but having been in the private sector I will tell you first hand that the "red tape" is the same and private sector does not pay this addititional 40% fee.
It's Your Vote, Not Mine!
Should you elect me, my job is to vote for what you, the citizens of Fort Bend County want and need. You have my promise that I will cast aside my personal opinion and that of anyone who has a conflicted interest and focus solely on voting for what is best for our community, after having consulted with a representative group of ordinary citizens made up of members from each of our neighborhoods. It's your vote, dont you let the politicians forget it!
Send Me a Message
Have questions or suggestions? I would love to hear from you!