What to know: Midland County voters will choose among seven candidates for three seats on the Midland Central Appraisal District board for the first time this Nov. 3.

The MCAD board of directors does not set property values itself or determine local tax rates. It oversees the appraisal district by hiring and overseeing the chief appraiser, approving the district’s budget, and adopting policies governing its operations.

Why it matters: The appraisal district is the local government office responsible for determining the appraised value of homes, businesses, and land across Midland County. Then, local taxing entities set their own property tax rates and apply those rates to taxable property values determined through the appraisal process.

Catch up quick: Historically, Midland County voters did not choose members of the MCAD board. Instead, local taxing entities selected directors through a weighted voting process based largely on each entity’s share of the property tax levy.

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During a 2023 special session, Texas lawmakers passed Senate Bill 2, which expanded appraisal district boards in counties with populations above 75,000 to include three directors elected by countywide voters, while retaining appointed members selected by local taxing entities. The bill required appraisal districts to hold the initial election for the newly created elected positions in May 2024.

However, MCAD records show the board was scheduled to accept a certificate for an unopposed candidate, approve a resolution canceling the May 4 election, and discuss appointments to the district’s vacant elected director positions. As a result, 2026 will be the first time Midland voters have a contested pool of candidates to choose from.

Three of the seven candidates running this November — Manny Natividad in Place 1, Scott Lynch in Place 2 and Pat Erdwurm in Place 3 — currently serve as the three appointed members of the MCAD board.

The big picture:

  • Place 1:

Keith Stretcher: Longtime Midland attorney and former Midland City Attorney for 23 years. Gov. Greg Abbott appointed him to the 11th Court of Appeals in 2019, and he chose not to seek re-election when his term expired in 2020.

Kat Chandler: In 2019, Chandler was listed as a former prosecutor in the Midland City Attorney’s Office and a land specialist for Concho Resources. Chandler ran for Midland City Council’s District 3 seat against Councilman Jack Ladd.

Manny Natividad: A current appointed member of the MCAD board. In 2013, Natividad was reported to have worked for the Midland County Tax Office for at least 13 years, including as assistant chief deputy, and to have run for Midland County tax assessor-collector.

  • Place 2:

Scott Lynch: A current appointed member of the MCAD board and a sitting Midland College trustee, first elected in November 2020. Lynch is a Workover Completion Foreman with Oxy and a realtor with eXp Realty.

Eva Salicido: A Midland real estate agent with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Cooper Realty who has worked in residential real estate since 2011.

  • Place 3:

Brandon McMorries: A Midland real estate agent with The Real Estate Company who has held a Texas Certified General Appraiser credential since 1993. He taught real estate appraisal at Midland College for several years.

Pat Erdwurm: A current appointed member of the MCAD board. Erdwurm has been a certified public accountant since 1985 and is a partner at the accounting firm Kelley Dutton.