“Artesia wasn’t always home,” Townley continues. “My wife Vicky (his high school sweetheart) and I grew up in Kermit, Texas. While in Kermit, I worked for El Paso Natural Gas Company. The industry connection with natural gas eventually led Vicky and I to Artesia. That, in turn, led to a position with Navajo Refinery in their pipeline department, now Holly Energy Partners.

“When we arrived 41 years ago, Artesia looked very different than it does today. There were far fewer amenities. We quickly adjusted to our new home and put our energies into making the experience of living and working here a great one. You have to be able to step up to embrace the experience. I am excited to help the young people and families of Artesia do just that.”

When asked why he’s running for a seat on the City Council, Townley replies that he is committed to evolving Artesia to meet the needs of today’s families. That means prioritizing infrastructure projects around town, housing options, quality-of-life amenities, public safety, and economic development. He credits current leadership with doing a great job attracting industry to the community but sees room to foster and retain talent among small business owners, first responders, and educators. Working to build up the infrastructure side of things should help ease the way for these community members to lay down lasting roots in Artesia. “Artesia has given a lot to me and I am committed to giving back.” he says.

Townley and his wife raised two sons right here in town. His boys are grown and now have families of their own. He is currently the General Manager of Operations Services at Holly Energy Partners. In his day to day, he manages a control room that monitors product as it leaves the refinery on its way to the rest of the United States. Townley will retire in April after 21 years with HollyFrontier. His hope is that a seat on the City Council will be his next big adventure and a place where he can devote his time and energy into developing all of the great aspects of the City of Champions.

Paid for by the campaign for Dickie Townley