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VOTERS GUIDE
Primary Elections March 4, 2014
This Voters Guide lists local candidates who appear on the ballot in the March 4, 2014 Primary Election and includes responses to a questionnaire sent to those candidates in the contested races. Candidates were given a limit on the length of their answers. The last sentence of the response may have ended abruptly for this reason. Responses are printed as submitted. Races are listed in the order they will appear on the primary ballots.
The League of Women Voters (LWV) is a nonpartisan organization that works to promote political responsibility through informed participation of all citizens in their government. The League does not support or oppose any political party or any candidate. The League does publish and distribute factual information to help prepare citizens to cast an informed vote and does take action on selected governmental issues that it has studied. Voters may take this Voters Guide into the voting booth.
State-wide and regional races are covered in the LWV Texas Voters Guide, which can be found at the website HYPERLINK "http://www.lwvtexas.org/" www.lwvtexas.org. The LWV website HYPERLINK "http://www.Vote411.org" www.Vote411.org also offers a customized sample ballot for any location requested, with candidate responses to LWV questions included. Early voting locations are listed on pages 11 and 12 of this Voters Guide. Voting locations on Primary Election Day are listed on page 12. For more information call the Hays County Elections Office at 512-393-7310. Instructions for Voting by Mail are on page 8 of this Voters Guide, with a list of voter identifications accepted at the polls. Note that candidates are labeled in this Voters Guide as: Democrat (D) or Republican (R). The elected office and names of candidates are listed in ballot order. Candidates listed as uncontested are unopposed within their party in the Primary Election, March 4, 2014.
For complete lists of all candidates and races that will be on the Primary ballots, see HYPERLINK "http://www.elections.co.hays.tx.us/" www.elections.co.hays.tx.us . Click on March 4. 2014 Primary Election Information in the list that appears on the left. Then choose a link which goes to the sample ballots of the two political parties, or other useful links. The LWV Candidates Debate was held on February 10 in San Marcos, and recorded to be available for viewing on HYPERLINK "http:// www.sanmarcosmercury.com/" www.sanmarcosmercury.com. The local LWV Voters Guide is available at state LWV website HYPERLINK "http:// www.lwvtexas.org/" www.lwvtexas.org, under the Local Leagues section. Printed copies of both the state and the local Voters Guides will be distributed around Hays County, and placed at public libraries, city halls, and other public locations. The local Voters Guide is inserted into the San Marcos Daily Record. U.S. Representative, District 21
List your experience, education, and training that qualify you for this position. What measures should Congress pass to strengthen public confidence in the federal budget? Please describe a tax policy and an economic policy that would create a sustainable federal budget. Do you support comprehensive immigration reform? Would it include reunification and a pathway to citizenship? Please explain.
No response
APPLICATIONS FOR BALLOTS BY MAIL MUST BE RECEIVED NO LATER THAN THE CLOSE OF BUSINESS ON FEBRUARY 21, 2014.
You may apply for a ballot by mail if you: 1. will be away from Hays County on Election Day and during early voting; 2. are disabled; 3. are 65 years of age or older on Election Day; or 4. are confined in jail.
Call the Hays County election office for more information at 512-393-7310, or see page 8 of this Voters Guide.
(R) Matt McCall No response(R) Lamar SmithThe EPA has a worthy mission, but its policy making process is flawed,
which often inflicts more harm on Americans and the environment. As Chairman of the Science, Space and Technology Committee, I work to protect small business owners from frivolous regulations that cost jobs and stifle the economy. The EPA has drafted regulations giving the agency control over man-made and natural bodies of water in the U.S., including those on private property. To force the EPA to make public the secret data it uses to justify costly and unnecessary regulations, I issued the first subpoena by the Science panel in 21 years. The EPA should make public the data is relies upon when issuing regulations. I was the only Chairman to hold a bipartisan retreat at the beginning of this Congress. In the last Congress the Judiciary Committee enacted more bills than any other committee. I have co-sponsored legislation with Democrats, including the American Invents Act with Sen. Patrick Leahy, the Child Protection Act with Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and I have spoken at the Citizens Civility Symposium with Rep. Henry Cuellar.
Assistance with Voting: All polling locations are handicapped accessible. The new eSlate voting system is fully accessible and has an audio feature which allows any voter to listen to the ballot. You are also entitled to receive assistance if you cannot read or write, or have a physical disability that prevents you from reading or marking the ballot. Tell the election official that you need help to vote. You do not have to provide proof of your disability. You MAY be assisted by any person of your choice, OR one election worker during early voting, OR two election workers on Election Day. You may NOT be assisted by your employer, OR an agent of your employer, OR an officer or agent of your union.
The person assisting you must read you the entire ballot, unless you ask to have only parts of the ballot read. The person assisting you must take an oath that he or she will not try to influence your vote and will mark your ballot as you direct. If you choose to be assisted by polling place officials, a poll watcher and/or state election inspector present in the polling place may observe the voting process to be sure that the ballot has been marked as you wanted. If you ask to be assisted by a person of your choosing, no one else may watch you vote. Interpreters at the polls: If you cannot speak English, or communicate only with sign language, you may use an interpreter to help you communicate with election officials. You may select any registered voter of your county to be your interpreter. If you cannot read the ballot, your interpreter may translate the ballot for you in the voting booth, after taking the Assistant Oath.
U.S. Representative, District 25 (R) Roger Williams, uncontested in the Republican Primary U.S. Representative, District 25
List your experience, education, and training that qualify you for this position. What measures should Congress pass to strengthen public confidence in the federal budget? Please describe a tax policy and an economic policy that would create a sustainable federal budget. Do you support comprehensive immigration reform? Would it include reunification and a pathway to citizenship? Please explain.
HYPERLINK "http://www.gourdforcongress.org" http://www.gourdforcongress.org sngourd@hotmail.com (512) 947-4945 Education: One year at UT El Paso, BA from UT Austin, JD from UT School of law Experience: I worked for over 20 years as an unemployment hearing officer and supervisor for the Texas Workforce Commission. I was president of the JJ Seabrook Neighborhood Association, a board member of the Chestnut Senior Housing Board, a founding member of the East MLK Combined Planning Area Contact Team.Congress should consistently pass long-term budgets that reflect the concerns of the people, and not just push out short-term budgetary measures in pieces as political wedges. A good example is the "People's Budget." We as a people need effective tax policy and economic policy that adequately funds our social services and does not starve the ability of the government to maintain our infrastructure. We need to implement policies that create jobs that pay an adequate, living wage in areas where there are great needs, such as clean energy, infrastructure repair, and health care. Our tax policy should protect the vulnerable and ask more from those who are at the top of the economic ladder. We certainly need comprehensive immigration reform. We have many immigrants who are making positive contributions to our society, such as paying into Social Security, and providing work that is essential to our communities. It is only fair that we offer people a hand up when they have invested in our communities in a positive fashion. Under many circumstances, those whose families have been torn apart deserve a chance to reunify when it would create a positive benefit. There should be pathways to citizenship for those who have worked hard for long periods of time or minors who are here through no fault of their own.
montoyaforcongress@gmail.com HYPERLINK "http://www.marcomontoyaforcongress" http://www.marcomontoyaforcongress (512) 270-6436. Education: Ph.D. (Socio-demography); M.P.H. (Health Administration); M.A. (Ed Psychology); Diploma (3ID NCO Academy); Diploma (National Defense University) and Distinguished Graduate Diploma (US Naval War College). Experience: I was a US Army Staff Sergeant, Reserve 1st Lieutenant, and US Public Health Service Lt Commander retiring as a Captain. I served as Assistant Commissioner for Health Affairs, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. In 1999 I was employed by Texas State University and currently selfemployed.
Government works better and costs less per spent dollar by being effective, efficient, and targeting specific national goals. Legislated spending must be responsible, accessible, accountable, and transparent with oversight to improve laws, not political showmanship. Public Confidence demands Congress address private, public, individual and multi-county district needs in partnership with our business community. We must balance the budget and national debt with bipartisan approaches that maintain trust in Social Security and Medicare. A sustainable federal budget requires eliminating sequester-type actions that disrupt agency spending plans and reviewing the Tax Code itself.The Nation deserves comprehensive immigration reform inclusive of family reunification and a pathway to citizenship. Family reunification in a timely, humane manner should be the first step. Then, the pathway starts with background checks, an application fee and income tax payment for the previous year. The plan should be feasible, simple, and fair for the individuals involved while reflecting American Values. Due process must be balanced against National Security needs. Foreign aid should help reduce future immigration pressures. Immigration law should reflect 21st century economic needs eliminating annual country caps with visa system reform. The family unit should be the priority.U.S.
For more information on voting or elections, call the Hays County Elections Administrator
Any voter who is entitled to vote an early ballot by personal appearance may do so at the Main Early Voting Site or any Temporary Branch site. See the early voting schedule and locations on pages 11 and 12 of this Voters Guide. Early voting is really convenience voting. Any registered voter may vote at any early voting location.
As a strong conservative, I believe that a transparent, open government functions best and, thankfully, Texas is one of the places that does this well; however, I believe we can always improve. When it comes to campaign finances, I believe weve got to be as transparent as we can be. In addition to the documents we already disclose, I believe it is important that voters also know about lawmakers travel expenses paid by a third party and gifts with estimated values in excess of $100 received.
http://www.donnacampbell.com HYPERLINK "mailto:info@donnacampbell.com" info@donnacampbell.com (210) 998-9112 Education: B.S. Central State University; M.N. Texas Woman's University; M.D. Texas Tech Health Science Center; General Surgical Internship, Methodist Hospital of Dallas; Residency in Ophthalmology, University of Texas Health Science Center Houston Experience: Dr. Donna Campbell has served in the Texas Senate since 2012, when she defeated Jeff Wentworth. In 2013, she was appointed by Governor Perry to the Southern Regional Education Board Legislative Advisory Council. She also serves on the Transportation, Education, and Veterans Affairs Committees.With rapid population growth occurring in Texas, investing in water is important. Water infrastructure projects should be funded using a bottom-up approach that involves local stakeholders and addresses key regions of population growth as well as support for agriculture and rural areas. Funding should also take into account the projects viability, the needs of the region, and when the project would be up and running. Conservation must also be a part of the mix. Now that Texas voters have approved Proposition 6, government transparency and accountability are key to adequately address our state's water needs.I believe candidates for office should fully disclose campaign finances. However, I do not believe the powers of government should be used against the people to force political groups to reveal the identity of individual donors. This infringes on free speech protected by the Constitution. As your Senator, I will protect every Texans right to participate in the political process without being ostracized or intimidated for their beliefs. There is a reason we vote by secret ballot and it keeps our elections fair and honest.
Conservatives are right on education. We need to increase local control so that schools and teachers can flexibly innovate and find the best ways to reach out to struggling children. We must also encourage greater parent participation in the education process. All of us have a duty to our children and I believe we must lead by example and put our students first in every decision we make.Our top priority must be stopping Obamacare. This disastrous law is making the already broken health care situation even worse for families who have had their jobs cut, hours reduced, and have lost their health care coverage due to this disastrous legislation. Weve got to stop Obamacare and find a free market solution that allows people to choose the coverage they need at an affordable rate. Additionally, its great that Texas did not expand Medicaid on the federal governments dangerous terms, which would have left our state footing the bill for a broken system. If the federal government was truly concerned with helping our poor and sick through Medicaid, they would offer Texas block gra
Ballot applications and ballots voted by mail by those registered in Hays County may be sent to: Hays County Elections Administrator 401C Broadway Street, San Marcos, TX 78666 Attention: Early Voting Clerk VOTER IDENTIFICATION REQUIRED AT POLLS Take your voter registration card with you to vote. Identification is required to vote. Take a drivers license or other photo identification issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) such as a personal i.d. card, a concealed handgun license, or an election identification certificate. Photo i.d. cards issued by the U. S. government, such as a passport, military i.d. card, or a citizenship certificate or naturalization certificate with photograph, are also acceptable identification for voting. For more information re exceptions, talk to the Hays County Elections office at 512-393-7310 or see HYPERLINK "http:// www.elections.co.hays.tx.us" www.elections.co.hays.tx.us .
District Attorney
List your experience, education, and training that qualify you for this position.
What supervision of prosecutors will you provide to avoid overzealous prosecutions and prosecutorial misconduct?
Are there measures or programs that you propose or support to reduce crime in our community (for example, family violence, juvenile crimes)?
http://peachforda.com lynn@lynnpeachlaw.com (512) 393-9991 Education: B.S. in Criminology and Corrections, Sam Houston State University J.D., South Texas College of Law Experience: 1995 - 2000, Assistant District Attorney, Taylor County, Texas 2000 - 2002, Office of Attorney General 2002 2009, Taylor County District Attorney's Office 1/2009 5/2009, Hays County District Attorney's Office 2009 - present, private practice, Hays County
It is my intent to be as involved as possible in the prosecution of cases. I will establish a hierarchy of chief prosecutors to provide extra training, guidance and oversight. I do not believe misconduct can occur with effective leadership in place. Additionally I will require semimonthly staffings in which every prosecutor will discuss what is happening in the cases that they are prosecuting. There is no excuse for the wrongful convictions that have been in the news recently and it is abhorrent that individuals lose years of their lives because of misconduct of prosecutors. It absolutely will not be tolerated if I am elected District Attorney.
I am a strong advocate of programs such as the newly created veteran's court which will address the special needs of those who have served the country and help reduce recidivism within that population. I would like to see the inception of a mental health court to deal with individuals who suffer from mental illness. In addition to this, there needs to be a case by case evaluation of those who are repeat offenders and appropriate punishment assessed for those who consistently choose to violate the law.
http://wesmau.com wesmauforda@gmail.com (512) 497-4327 Education: 1989-1992 University of Texas School of Law, 1985-1989 University of Texas - Plan II Experience: 2007 to present Texas Attorney General's Office Violent Crime and Major Offenders Section, 1997 to 2007 - First Assistant Hays County District Attorney, 1994 to 1997 Assistant Hays County District Attorney, 1990 to 1994 - Texas District & County Attorney's Associatio
Prosecutors must always be conscious of the fact that they are responsible for protecting the rights of all citizens, both crime victims and the accused. Prosecutorial misconduct can result in reversal on appeal, requiring expensive retrials. Overzealous prosecution results in unnecessary trials, delays in case resolution, and is counterproductive to rehabilitative efforts. As DA, I will not tolerate such unethical and wasteful conduct. My assistants will understand that, while defendants presenting the greatest risk to the community should be aggressively prosecuted, it is also our duty to protect accused citizens from unjust prosecutions and abuses within the justice system.
While aggressive prosecution of crime is a deterrent, reducing crime also requires policies and programs that work to get at the root causes of criminal behavior. I support programs that attempt to determine those causes and deal with them directly, such as our new veteran's court, which attempts to divert offenders from our adversarial system into a cooperative program designed to return offenders to society as law abiding citizens. The District Attorney's office should also work with and support community organizations whose missions address those root causes, such as homelessness, joblessness, family violence, mental illness, and drug addiction.
District Clerk
(R) Beverly Crumley, uncontested
County Clerk
(R) Liz Q. Gonzalez, uncontested (D) Gina Islas-Mendoza, uncontested
County Treasurer
(R) Michele Tuttle, uncontested
County Surveyor
(R) Kelly Kilber, uncontested
http://www.judy4jp.com judy.seim@hotmail.com (512) 576-2673 Education: High School- Universal Management - Credit Collection Law- NACM Bond Lien - Several additional classes given by National Seminar. Experience: 25 YRs Accounts Receivable, Small Claims, recovery of hot checks additional civil experience. Complaince Director for Hays County- Court. Collections of court cost, fines, fees and restitution. Experience working with Probation, Judges, Victim Services & DA offices. 4 yrs. TYCExperience in Court room activity, knowledge of the required reporting to Office of Court Administration" Experience in collections of Court cost fines & fees as well as Budget experience. Availability - Door is always open. Work with other Departments as well as Law Enforcement Attendance to the JP School, Staff, Travel, Continue Education annually, Supplies, Phones, Off-site computer for after-hours magistrate,You need to have a good working relationship with all Justice Courts to make sure all citations are served in a timely manner. Always use the local constable first however have a backup process server at all time. All information pertaining to the citation is correct, for example good address and contact numbers.
http://pj4jp.com info@pj4jp.com (512) 805-8226Education: Bachelor of Applied Arts & Sciences, Master of Applied Geography, 15 hours towards a Master in Licensed Professional Counseling. Experience: My experience as a Credentialed Mediator, Real Estate Broker and in Search and Rescue will aid my ability to adjudicate fairly and effectively on a variety of issues presented before the court. The minimum age of 18 may be slightly antiquated. It might be prudent to require a minimum of a High School Diploma and a Bachelors degree from an accredited 4 year institution to meet the changing urbanized regions reflecting higher educated demographics and a more complicated legal system. I believe this is the "Peoples Court" but the Judge should have at least the minimum educational background as the majority of the people it serves. The Justice of the Peace is the People's Court and should be accessible to everyone regardless of their previous exposure to the judicial system. Therefore, funding is necessary for adequate office staff to assist people in filing, setting the petition on the docket and having the case heard before the court. The only issue I have been made aware of is that process service has been delayed in the Court. The Judge must sign the documents timely to ensure timely service. Once the Court sends the documents to the Constable, the process has been effective in Precinct 1. Unfortunately, much of the inner workings of the JP Court are only known to the sitting Judge. Training for Justice of the Peace can only be accessed once elected and not before. Any issues regarding process serving would only be known by the Justice of the Peace office, the Constables and the citizens being served.
EARLY VOTING SCHEDULE - DEMOCRATIC & REPUBLICAN LOCATIONS Government Center Conference Room, 712 S. Stagecoach Trail, San Marcos Feb. 18 thru Feb. 21 8 am to 5 pm Feb. 22 (Saturday) 8 am to 5 pm
Feb. 23 (Sunday) 1 pm to 6 pm Feb. 24 thru Feb. 28 7 am to 7 pm (More early voting locations on next page) (More Early Voting Locations) Hays County Pct. 2 Office, 5458 FM 2770 @ Crystal Meadow Drive, Kyle Feb. 18 thru Feb 21 8 am to 5 pm Feb. 22 (Saturday) 8 am to 5 pm Feb. 24 thru Feb.28` 7 am to 7 pm Wimberley Community Center, 14068 Ranch Rd. 12, Wimberley Feb. 18 thru Feb 21 8 am to 5 pm Feb. 22 (Saturday) 8 am to 5 pm Feb. 24 thru Feb.28` 7 am to 7 pm Hays County Pct. 4 Office, 195 Roger Hanks Parkway, Dripping Springs Feb. 18 thru Feb 21 8 am to 5 pm Feb. 22 (Saturday) 8 am to 5 pm Feb. 24 thru Feb.28` 7 am to 7 pm Texas State University, LBJ Student Center, San Marcos Feb. 18, 19 & 20 11 am to 7 pm Seton Medical Center Hays, 6001 Kyle Parkway, Kyle Feb. 27 & 28 11 am to 7 pm Buda City Hall, 121 N. Main St., Buda Feb. 25 11 am to 7 pm ELECTION DAY POLLING LOCATIONS - 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. REPUBLICAN AND DEMOCRATIC PRIMARIES, MARCH 4, 2014
Check your voter registration card for your precinct number. Look up the location below.
PRECINCTS 110 & 113 111 & 112 120 125 127 129 221 223 224 225 226 228 230/232/236/238 Buda 229 & 234 301 & 315 San Marcos 316 & 317
POLLING LOCATION Hays County Health Dept., 401-A Broadway, San Marcos Dunbar Center 801 MLK Drive, San Marcos San Marcos Housing Res. Office, 820 Sturgeon, San Marcos Chapa Middle School, 3311 Dacy Lane, Kyle Tobias Elementary School, 1005 E. FM 150, Kyle City of Kyle Fire Station #2, 150 Bunton Rd. Kyle ACC Campus, Kohlers Crossing, Kyle Kyle City Hall, 100 W. Center St. Kyle Buda City Hall, 121 N. Main St., Buda Hays County Precinct 2 Office, Jack C. Hays Trail, Kyle Hays Hills Baptist Church, 1401 N. FM 1626, Buda Tom Green Elementary School, 1301 Old Goforth Rd., Buda Southern Hills Church of Christ, 3740 Ranch Road 967, Goforth Water Supply, 8900 Niederwald Strasse, Niederwald First Baptist Church San Marcos, 325 W. McCarty Lane, Hernandez Elementary School, 333 Stagecoach Trail, San
Marcos 318/330/334 332 333 Wimberley 335 & 339 Wimberley 336 Marcos 337 Wimberley 413/414/415 Marcos 416/417/418 419/420/421 440 & 441 Dripping Spr. 442 & 443 444 Springs 447 449 Dripping Springs
Crockett Elementary School, 1300 Girard St., San Marcos Travis Elementary School, 1437 Post Road, San Marcos First Baptist Church Wimberley, 15951 Winters Mill Pkwy., Wimberley Community Center, 14068 Ranch Road 12, Horizon Bay at San Marcos, 1720 Old Ranch Road 12, San VFW Post 6441, 401 Jacobs Well, Veterans Park off RR12, Allenwood Homes Auditorium, 1201 Thorpe Lane, San Blanco Vista School, 2951 Blanco Vista Blvd., San Marcos Wallace Middle School, 1500 W. Center St., Kyle Dripping Springs Church of Christ, 470 Old Hwy. 290 West, Belterra Clubhouse, 801 Belterra Drive, Austin Sunset Canyon Baptist Church, 4000 E. Hwy. 290, Dripping Promiseland Church, 1650 Lime Kiln Rd., San Marcos Dripping Springs ISD Admin. Ofc. 510 W. Mercer St.,
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