Listening, leadership & service: Travis Craver’s vision for Abilene

ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – As Abilene continues to grow, city council elections bring critical decisions for the community’s future. Travis Craver, who has served nearly six years representing Place 6, is seeking a third term. With a background in leadership, community service, and faith, he hopes to continue advocating for infrastructure improvements, economic growth, and public safety.

Travis Craver’s journey in Abilene began on the football field at Hardin-Simmons University, where he played from 2001 to 2004. Though his path led him to politics, Craver says his identity is rooted in faith, family, and service.

“I think one of the things that has led me to politics per se had nothing to do with politics as much as it had to do with just a heart that desired to serve its community, a heart that desired to be a part of what the community was doing… Along with the people, you can’t help but love the place, and so for such a long time, my wife and I have called Abilene home,” Craver said. “You have all these thoughts and dreams for life, and God has a way of showing you what’s better. I think football, in many ways, did shape a servant’s heart in me. It allowed me to work with a lot of different people from every type of background you can imagine. I think that was really kind of a precipice of foundation that helped make city council and politics a lot easier to exist in.”

Now seeking a third term on the Abilene City Council representing Place 6, Craver reflects on his nearly six years in office and the lessons he’s learned along the way.

“It’s one of those things when you’re at school, you know, at lunch, we used to have this, this dish served goulash. I don’t know if you remember that. For whatever reason, I loved it. Now that I’m older, I’m glad I didn’t know how they made it. I think one of the blessings is that when citizens entrust us with making policy changes and really leading out and being their voice on council, it is such an honor,” Craver explained. “But for us, a lot of it’s just reading detailed reports. It’s studying ordinances. It’s studying politics and trends, being kind of at the forefront of all of those different things. But you’re learning that there has to be collaboration, that you’re connecting the citizens, you’re also connecting the policy makers, the private entities, and you’re figuring out a way forward to advance those areas.”

Beyond City Hall, Craver has served as an elder at The Well Church and contributed to multiple boards across Abilene. He credits these roles with shaping his leadership approach.

“Every single role that I’ve been a part of, first and foremost, I’ve gone into it with a sense of humility and understanding that there was context before I got there, and that context informs the way that they operate,” Craver said. “I go into it trying to figure out and learn as much as I can. Upon figuring out ways that I can use the different gifts that I’ve been given to enact change, to figure out different nuances that maybe haven’t been looked into before. For me, a lot of it is just understanding humility, servant leadership, the value of listening, the value of collaboration, and understanding that those things play a part in advancing anything that you want to get done.”

For Craver, the most crucial lesson from his time on council is the importance of listening.

“Our citizens are very passionate about different things, things that I don’t always feel as passionate about as I am, but that’s totally okay. Listening to them, studying the issues, and trying to advance those different priorities has been really, really exciting for me, Craver explained. “As many of us who have served on council for such a long time, it’s easy to get into the thought of I’ve finally mastered this, or I finally understand this, and it’s always changing. So there’s humility there. Lastly, I think that you go to work every day just excited that people trust you. People have trusted you to place you in those seats, and you want to really do the very best that you can, to honor them and honor the role. So that means studying, that means listening. That means really being a team player and advancing a mission forward.”

Looking ahead, Craver has several key priorities for Abilene, including maintaining strong public-private partnerships, ensuring emergency services are fully staffed, improving infrastructure, retaining local talent, and driving economic development.

He highlighted the ongoing investment in Abilene’s streets, noting that more than $55 million has been reinvested since 2018.

“The common knowledge of a lot of people is that our streets need repair, and that remains a high priority goal for every city council person. I can speak for myself, included. Since 2017 till now, over 29% of our streets have been touched in some fashion,” Craver shared. “I think that a lot of our citizens, when they hear those numbers, it’s like, Oh, wow. Either they’re experiencing it, or they get to understand that we are addressing all of those different priorities that we shared were important to us. Over 140 million has been invested into maintenance of streets in some form of fashion, whether it’s from DCOA or our street maintenance fund. So there is a continued high prioritization there, and we want citizens to know that that remains at a high level of priority for us.”

Water conservation and long-term planning also remain at the forefront of Craver’s vision for Abilene.

“I think one of the priorities for the recent counseling years, if you look back in the 1900s, was wells and reservoirs, and then it became drought conservation because Abilene was going through many droughts. If you look at it from the 2000s till now, Abilene has been so proactive in trying to figure out, what are some ways that we can diversify our water, what are some ways that we can continue to really lean into ways in which we are planning for the future, as opposed to addressing immediate needs of the now? ” Craver explained. “For me, a lot of that continues to be diversification is essential. I think education is essential. What does it look like to have conservation not as something that is an immediate need, but is something that is continuously built into the infrastructure of what we’re doing? Having those at the forefront, along with public safety and infrastructure, remains at a high priority, but I think that a lot of those different things are tasked with collaboration, diversification and looking into ways in which we may have not tapped into.”.

Craver faces a challenge from candidate Tammy Fogle, who has been critical of the council’s financial decisions. In response, Craver stands by the council’s fiscal responsibility and citizen-driven decision-making.

“My opponent has expressed some of those different concerns, but I think when you’re able to sit down with the numbers and you’re able to truly understand the reprioritization of the monies and the different dollars that are being allocated to address different needs that remains at the forefront of our priorities, whether you’re looking at my profile or any other person’s profile, that continues to remain a high priority,” Craver said. “They’re directed by our peers. They’re directed by our bosses, the citizens, and a lot of those are different things that they’re going to have the voice, they’re going to have the say so in how we move forward in that, and that, to me, is a win. I think, whether you’re looking from the dog park or whether you’re looking at how much we’re spending fiscally for the streets, you’re seeing a council that understands that we want our citizens voices to be heard, and so we’re giving them the opportunity to speak into all of those different decisions that we’re making. I think that council remains a high priority of allocating dollars in a responsible manner, not because our citizens want that, but because that’s what we all need and we desire.”

One of Craver’s proudest initiatives is the Rebuild ABI project, which focuses on housing development in underserved areas.

“I think the first thing that comes to mind is the Rebuild ABI. I think for me, having housing development for economically disadvantaged populations is a high priority and something that has been really near and dear to my heart. With the Rebuild ABI, you have the private sector along with the public sector being incentivized and building houses in these underdeveloped communities, or these communities that have been long over forgotten, and so that Rebuild ABI overlay continues to incentivize a lot of our development builders with private dollars, public dollars, and reinvesting into these neighborhoods and bringing them up to the beautification standards that we would all want our neighborhoods to be in. So that, for me, is really, really important, because we’re not just improving neighborhoods, but we’re really combining a collaborative effort with our private sector, our public sector and our city,” Craver said.

As he reflects on his tenure, Craver gives himself a B+ grade, recognizing both accomplishments and areas for continued growth.

“I’m always wanting those A’s, but I think realistically, a B+ would be something because we’re always trying to strive to do better. I don’t always get every decision right, but I will always own every decision that I make,” Craver shared. “I think that we remain steadfast in prioritizing streets, water, public safety, economic development, infrastructure, but we also understand that we’re trying to balance conversations with the public sector, the private sector, and our citizens who are our bosses, and so for me, that continues to remain a priority, but it’s something that I don’t feel like you ever have arrived at. It’s something that is in process, continuous.”

As the election approaches, Craver says he remains focused on his commitment to the citizens of Abilene.

“I want you to know that I feel so passionate about this job as a city councilman, I remain steadfast in the different promises that I have asked and kept to you the citizens. I want you to continue to believe in me, to vote for me, and to know that Travis Craver is for you. I will continue to represent you in a way that is admirable and equitable on city council. So remember vote Travis Craver for Abilene City Council Place 6.”