The Collin County Observer

The County Observer and The Frisco DWI Lawyer blogs have teamed up to prepare a 10 question Q & A with the 4 candidates for Collin County District Attorney.

The questions have been sent to each of the candidates. We have promised to post their unedited responses (or lack of) and we hope their answers will give voters a better understanding of the approach each one of these gentlemen plan to bring to the DAs office.

Bill

[Note: This completes the series of articles introducing each of the primary candidates, posting their campaign finance information as well as a video of each when possible]

Complete copies of these and other January, 2010 Semi-annual form C/OH campaign finance reports are available on-line here.

JERRY HOAGLAND

www.jerryhoagland.com

Contributions July - Dec. $20,354
Expenditures July - Dec. $14,346
Campaign account balance Dec. 31 - $26,908
Loans - $9,019

Major contributors (+- $1,000):
John Aughinbaugh - $1,000
Texas Association of Realtors PAC - $1,000
Carter & Burgess PAC - $1,000
Bill Carmickle - $2,000
Rich Family Partners, LTD - $1,000
C.P. & Y. Inc. PAC - $1,000
CH2M Hill PAC - $1,000
Rodney J. Vilhauer - $1,000
Anthony Jeffrey - $1,000
David Andrews - $1,000
Halff Assoc. PAC - $1,000

RICK KOSTER

www.rickkoster.org

Contributions July - Dec. $0
Expenditures July - Dec. $0
Campaign account balance Dec. 31 - $0
Loans - $0

Major contributors (+- $1,000):
none

KARL VOIGTSBERGER

www.electkarl.org/

Contributions July - Dec. $2,889
Expenditures July - Dec. $2,794
Campaign account balance Dec. 31 - $1,309
Loans - $10,000

Major contributors (+- $1,000):
none

CHERYL WILLIAMS

www.votecherylwilliams.com

Contributions July - Dec. $14,465
Expenditures July - Dec. $8,445
Campaign account balance Dec. 31 - $6,020
Loans - $0

Major contributors (+- $1,000):
C.W. Kendall - $2,000
Carla McPeters - $1,000
William Grant - $1,000
Jerry McPeters - $1,000

Bill

Complete copies of these and other January, 2010 Semi-annual form C/OH campaign finance reports are available on-line here.

KATHY WARD

www.kathyward.org

Contributions July - Dec. $10,250
Expenditures July - Dec. $3,903
Campaign account balance Dec. 31 - $10,296
Loans - $0

Major contributors (+- $1,000):
HNTB Holdings LTD. PAC - $1,000
James D. Dannenbaum - $1,000
LAN-PAC - $1,000
CH2M Hill Texas PAC - $1,000
TREPAC/Texas Association of Realtors PAC - $1,000

DUNCAN WEBB

www.duncanwebb.org

Contributions July - Dec. $17,804
Expenditures July - Dec. $6,372
Campaign account balance Dec. 31 - $11,276
Loans - $0

Major contributors (+- $1,000):
Case, Jordan - $1,000
Joyner, Richard - $1,000
Smith, Joan - $1,000
Wohlers, Craig - $1,000

Bill

After watching the Collin County District Attorney use his Drug Forfeiture Fund for new furniture and then for automatic weapons and ammo, it is refreshing to see a notice that he intends to use $11,115 of the fund to fight crime.

The DA has notified the Commissioners Court of his intent to use the funds to pay an invoice for lab work for "additional evidence analysis needed in a Cold Case".

This type of expenditure is what the Drug Forfeiture Fund should have been used for all along.

Bill

The Collin County Observer has posted the "30 Day" campaign finance report required of all local candidates who face an opposed primary race.

This report details contributions and expenditures from January 1, 2010 to January 27. It is the second of three reports due during the primary season.

The reports, along with the "January Semi-Annual" report (details from July 1, 2009 - December 31, 2009) are linked here.

The Collin County Observer is only publishing the reports from "local, county filers". For a detailed explanation of who files where and how you can see the reports of state and national filers, see out previous post, Observer posts all county campaign finance reports on-line

The County Judge candidates appear to be building large war chests for the final 3 weeks of the campaign. Judge Self has amassed $51,869, while Mr. Muns has $64,155 in his campaign account. Keith self entered the season with over $50,000 in his campaign fund - since July, Self has recieved over $48,000 in contributions and Mr. Muns has recieved over $60,000. John Muns has also loaned his campaign $30,000 of his own money.

However, Keith Self has far outspent Mr. Muns. Self has so far spent almost $45,000 to Muns' $27,000. The winner of the the primary will then face Democrat and former Plano city councilman David Smith in the November election.

For the 3 weeks or so covered by the reports, the top fund raisers were Keith Self ($16,535), Greg Willis ($16,055) and John Muns ($15,550).

By far the worst campaign finance report was filed by Doug Reeves, a candidate for the GOP nomination to the Justice of the Peace Court #4 in Frisco. His report was late, is missing critical and required information and like his first "Semi-Annual" report covers a period of time at variance to what the law requires.

The report is basically incomprehensible and shows either indifference to the law or a gross ignorance of it. And this from a guy who wants to be a judge and mentor kids! During my campaign for commissioner, I accidentally left a few boxes "reason for expenditure" blank and was fined $100 for it. I hope Mr. Reeves has saved lots of nickles - he'll need then if a complaint is filed with the TEC.

A pair of Democratic clubs, while not having any candidates in contested primary races that require a 30 day report, have nevertheless run afoul of campaign finance laws. Conservative blogger Curtis Rath, writing in the McKinneyNews.net discovered that two local Democratic PACs had their treasurers fined recently by the Texas Ethics Commission.

The Texas Democratic Women of Collin County PAC's treasurer, June Perdue Jenkins filed two reports late and then appeared to ignore notices from both the TEC and the Texas Attorney General. She was fined $11,400. Barbara Walters, the President of the TDWCC told the Observer that the group has appointed a new treasurer. Ms. Walters also stressed that the violation and the fines were not against the Texas Democratic Women or their PAC, but against the treasurer, who under Texas law is personally culpable and liable.

The Stonewall Democrats of Collin County's PAC also filed a report lase. Its treasurer was fined $500. Mike Agan, the president of the group has noted that the Stonewall Democrats have appointed a new PAC treasurer.

Bill

County In Need Of Advocates For Abused Children

February 4, 2010
Stephanie Lucero -- CBS 11 / TXA 21


COLLIN COUNTY (CBS 11 / TXA 21) - Virginia Barrett says the intimate details of child abuse appalled her when she served on the Collin County Grand Jury. It was the gruesome details behind a number of cases that led Barrett to become a Court-Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer.

"People say, 'How can you do this?' and I think my response is 'How can you not?'" Barrett asked. "If you see a need, you just have to put aside all those heartbreaking things and think 'What can I do to make it better?"

There is a shortage of CASA volunteers across North Texas. CASA of Collin County is currently serving 250 children who have been removed from their parent's home. The agency serviced 460 children last year.

"CASA gets involved with a case once Child Protective Services (CPS) has done its initial investigation and determined the child cannot be safe at home," explained Susan Etheridge, the Executive Director of CASA Collin County.

David Shevlin adopted twin brothers, Alex and Andrew, when they were 14 years old. The twins were adopted after their parents lost custody of them in Florida. Shevlin says his entire family, of eight, has bonded with the teenagers and that experience led him to become a CASA volunteer.

"There was quite a bit of abuse in the past," Shevlin said of his adopted sons' experience. Alex and Andrew were severely malnourished and weighed only 38 and 40 pounds when they were adopted.

Shevlin was one of 28 men and women trained to be CASA volunteers last week. "It's a hard job to hear about the horrific abuse that these children have suffered," Etheridge said of those who step up to help.

Volunteers go through a week of training and report to a CASA Supervisor. The volunteers interview children, advocate for their best interests, and investigate each case. During their investigation they talk to the parents, family members, teachers, therapists and anyone who has knowledge of what is taking place in the home.

The CASA volunteer then recommends, to the judge overseeing the case, whether the child should be returned to the parents or be removed from the home permanently. Etheridge says, "The volunteer forms a strong relationship with the child", and visits with him or her at least twice a month.

There is a shortage of CASA volunteers in Collin County, with the more experienced advocates handle multiple cases.

Virginia Barrett says she stays in contact with many of the children she has advocated for over the past 11 years. "In some cases the parents, who have been drug abusers, they get their act together and the family gets back together and that's happily ever after too," she said.

Find out more about possibly becoming a CASA volunteer in Collin County.

Link to article and more on CBS-11....