New district rep for Buckingham from Horseshoe Bay
Denise Rives of Horseshoe Bay is the new district representative for state Sen. Dawn Buckingham. Courtesy photo
Denise Rives of Horseshoe Bay is making the rounds in the Highland Lakes, meeting and greeting officials and constituents of state Sen. Dawn Buckingham. Rives took over as the new district representative for the District 24 senator on July 1.
Rives moved to Horseshoe Bay in 2015 after retiring from a 40-year career in education, working as a counselor, a teacher, a principal, and later as founder of a charter school. She served as the chairman of the Llano County Republican Party before resigning from the position earlier this year.
She replaces former district representative Candyce Speidel, who stepped down to work on Buckingham’s campaign for statewide office. Buckingham is seeking to replace General Land Commissioner George P. Bush, who is running for Texas attorney general.
Working as a representative for an elected official is a ministry for Rives.
“God led me to this,” she said. “It is a ministry opportunity to help people.”
District representatives work with constituents to overcome roadblocks they sometimes face when dealing with bureaucracies. She listens to constituent concerns and works with office staff to see what can be done to help. In District 24, that can include talking to ranchers about buzzards attacking and killing their calves and helping a county apply for state funds to fix flooded roads.