Robert Nnake, the former Director of Community Relations for Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo who helped manage a $5 billion budget and coordinate emergency response for 5 million residents, announced this week he is running for Fort Bend County Commissioner in his hometown.
The announcement brings big-county executive experience to a race in one of Texas’s fastest-growing counties, where infrastructure strain, the rising costs of vital resources, and government priorities have become flashpoint issues for residents. The Precinct 4 Commissioner’s seat recently opened after Dexter McCoy announced his bid for Ft. Bend County Judge, held by KP George. Nnake believes now is the time to let his deep community roots flourish for change in the community he loves.
“I love Fort Bend. I grew up with people from all backgrounds. We are diverse, strive for better, and we deserve Fort Bend leadership that works for us.
People across our county deserve affordable water and insurance. With so much growth, and damage from hurricanes and tornados, the cost of water and insurance continue to skyrocket. Fort Bend households are feeling that damage in their budgets and can’t afford more rate increases. Throughout my career, I’ve worked on these kinds of challenges, bringing people together and finding practical solutions.
Lowering water, insurance, and childcare costs, and fixing infrastructure to reduce flooding and improve daily commutes will never be flashy, but it is what actually improves people’s lives and gives them the opportunity to thrive. I am not running for attention. I am running to deliver results for Fort Bend,” says Nnake.
Nnake’s candidacy is a homecoming with high stakes. A Fort Bend ISD graduate who spent his youth working before dawn in his family’s vending business, Nnake built a career bridging divides, from managing winning political campaigns to leading healthcare coalitions that improved community health outcomes by 200%, to directing community driven policy and engagement strategy across 40+ municipalities across Greater Houston.
In Judge Hidalgo’s office, Nnake was the point person for making sure government was there for people during the county’s biggest challenges: disasters, public health emergencies, and billion-dollar budget decisions affecting the third largest county in America.
“These politicians are focused on keeping power, instead of making sure Fort Bend works for you. As the Commissioner for Precinct 4, I will focus on reducing traffic, keeping water and insurance rates down, and making high quality childcare more affordable. Growth should improve our county, not make life harder,” says Nnake.
Years of hands on experience have prepared him to step into the role and immediately deliver for Fort Bend residents: community advocacy, building relationships at the local, state, and federal levels; helping to create the largest public-private parks project in Houston history; healthcare system leadership; improving private sector business operations and budgets across America; and most recently, helping run the government of Texas’s largest county.
Nnake shares, “I grew up on government assistance after my mom went from running emergency rooms to living with kidney failure and going on disability. Thanks to my dad’s small business, our family’s work ethic, and the Fort Bend community, my brothers and I earned scholarships and graduated college, and my mom regained her health after a transplant.
I know the impact government can make by working with people to build a thriving community. I want to make sure this is a Fort Bend that works for everyone.”
Nnake holds a BA in Political Science from the University of Texas at Arlington and an MBA from Rice University. As a first-generation American, he says his candidacy is about ensuring every generation has more opportunities than the last.
Fort Bend County Commissioners oversee the county’s budget and tax rate, are members of Commissioners Court, and create county policy, overseeing all county business. Commissioners are also specifically tasked with building and maintaining community centers and parks within their own precinct, and approving county contracts and purchases for the county’s nearly 1,000,000 residents.
To learn more about Robert Nnake’s campaign, visit https://
