Education
B.S.B.A. Accounting, University of Arkansas - Fayetteville. J.D. with High Honors, University of Arkansas - Fayetteville
Experience
More than 45 years as a licensed attorney in Texas. Jones Day, Godwin & Carlton, Boyd Veigel Gay McCall & Hance, Marathon Oil, John R. Brown, Attorney
I am more concerned about population decline in some groups. The student count in Plano ISD is down. Young adults have difficulty finding conventional baby-boomer-style-career jobs, buying starter homes, forming stable marriages, and having children. Restaurants and churches are not full. Commercial / retail space is empty. Inflation hurts. We need to move to value-oriented life styles and shared values, with money as a tool, not our only goal and purpose.
Princeton and fast-growing areas need more highways. Small buses, vans, Robo taxis, and Uber and Lyft vehicles are inexpensive and have the flexibility to change routes. The fees of flexible vehicles look more reasonable when expenses of owning a car are compared. Electric bikes and scooters are popular in college towns, where riders live in highly concentrated communities. Such communities also exist within Collin County. Engineers and inventors will help solve these transportation problems soon.
It is a patriotic duty of all citizens to vote and to encourage other citizens to vote. Voters should feel safe when exercising the right to vote and should be able to vote close to home or work during convenient hours. Registration should be simple and easy. Voter suppression damages democracy. We have always had voter suppression and attempts to improperly pressure voters in America. These problems are not as bad as they were in the era of the poll tax and ballot box stuffing, which I remember. The solution to these problems is more voting, not less voting.
Flock cameras should be debated and restricted or banned. Deny bail to persons accused of violent crimes, but require a prompt hearing before a judge and a showing beyond probable. Assault or threat of violence against a heath care worker, peace office, first responder, or educator should be a felony. Families, schools, churches, political leaders, peace officers, and other institutions should teach good manners, tolerance, character, civil language, and solutions other than anger or aggression. Children and adults should be taught self-defense and how to avoid dangerous situations.
We don’t have good solutions. Covid killed between 1.2 million and two million Americans, so we were not prepared. Much of what we did made things worse, but it is likely that about four million would have died if we did nothing. Unexpected consequences, such as damage to children from not being in school and stress from isolation and economic damage were worse than anyone anticipated. So we are not as smart as we thought we were. Still, we have to prepare and, most important, use common sense and flexibility and tolerance.
By law, the county judge is “in charge” of emergency response. Collin County has professional, well-equipped, and well-trained emergency response teams. The county judge must work with and support these teams, not interfere. I worked with the emergency response team of a large oil company. I also interviewed key employees who worked at a refinery in Texas City during hurricanes, explosions, accidents, and the 1947 Texas City disaster. Planning, rehearsals, training, and coordination among responders are critical. I will work with the professionals so that Collin County is prepared.
As an attorney ad litem appointed by the Collin County probate judge, I saw elderly and impaired citizens lose millions of dollars to romance, business investment, and lottery scams. I would like to see law enforcement pursue the criminals behind these scams.
As an attorney, I saw contractors take the money of homeowners, then not make the improvements or repairs they promised. I would like to see law enforcement pursue these people.
I want to be sure that inmates who are violent toward county jail staff and other inmates face appropriate consequences.
The county should help data centers improve by slowing down building. The developers will solve their problems if compelled to do so. Data centers are incredibly noisy and use lots of water and electricity. The developers want tax breaks that shift the property tax burden to others. The centers tie up valuable land. The technology is novel, untested and expensive; soon artificial intelligence may run inside local machines. Today's big players may be in the dust bin soon. The cost of reclamation at the end of the centers' life cycle could fall on the county if we are not careful.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
