Politex

Clark, Campbell, Huffman, Siegel lead in Tarrant County Constable races

Here are the latest breakdowns in Tarrant County Constable races:

In the Precinct 1 Republican runoff, Dale Clark leads Tommie Hathorn 2,802-2,071.

In the Precinct 3 Republican runoff, Darrell Huffman leads Jason McCaffity, 5,789-4,532.

In the Precinct 6 Republican runoff, Jon Siegel leads Glen Bucy, 3,073-2,853.

In the Precinct 8 Democratic runoff, Michael Campbell leads John Thompson, 2,650-2,219.

- Scott Nishimura

Collier keeps big lead over Gaines in Texas House District 95 race

Nicole Collier is maintaining a big lead over Jesse Gaines in the Texas House District 95 race to fill the vacancy left by Marc Veasey. The latest numbers have Collier leading, 2,914-1,919.

- Scott Nishimura

Klick maintains lead over Sapp in Texas District 91 race

Stephanie Klick continues to lead Ken Sapp, 2,458-2,237 in the race for the open District 91 Texas House seat in Northeast Tarrant County.

- Scott Nishimura

Klick leads Sapp, Collier leads Gaines, in Texas House 91 and 95 races

Voters in Northeast Tarrant County were electing a new District 91 Texas House representative tonight, while southeast Tarrant County voters were choosing a Democrat to face a Republican this fall in the District 95 House race.

In the District 91 early vote, former Tarrant County GOP chairman Stephanie Klick led former North Richland Hills Mayor Pro Tem Ken Sapp, 2,239-2,094.

In the District 95 early vote, attorney Nicole Collier led attorney Jesse Gaines, 2,818-1,853.

There are dozens of state and local runoffs throughout Texas today. Polls close at 7 p.m.

In other runoff races on ballots in Tarrant County, voters were choosing: 

• Tarrant County constables in Precincts 1, 3, 6 and 8.
• A judge in the 153rd State District Court in Fort Worth.
• Two Texas railroad commissioners.
• A Texas Supreme Court judge.

Elsewhere around Texas, several State Board of Education runoffs also were on ballots.

In the District 91 GOP runoff, ex-North Richland Hills Mayor Pro Tem Ken Sapp is running against the former Tarrant County Republican Party chair Stephanie Klick. The district covers North Richland Hills, Richland Hills, Haltom City, Watauga, and part of Fort Worth. There is no Democratic challenger. The seat was left open when Kelly Hancock stepped down to run for State Senate.

In the District 95 Democratic runoff, attorney Nicole Collier is running against attorney Jesse Gaines. The seat opened when Marc Veasey ran for the new 33rd Congressional District. The winner faces Republican Monte Mitchell in the fall. The district includes Forest Hill, Everman and parts of East and Southeast Fort Worth.

In Constable Precinct 1, Lt. Tommie Hathorn of the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Department and former Haltom City Councilman Dale Clark face each other in a runoff. In the absentee and early vote, Clark led 2,491-1,874.

In Constable Precinct 3, Deputy Constable Darrell Huffman is running against Godley Police Lt. Jason McCaffity. In the absentee and early vote, Huffman led 5,599-4,414.

In Constable Precinct 6, Jon Siegel is running against Arlington police officer Glen Bucy. In the absentee and early vote, Siegel led 2,578-2,295.

In Constable Precinct 8, Michael Campbell is running against Chief Deputy Constable John Thompson. In the absentee and early vote, Campbell had 2,578 votes to Thompson’s 2,167.

Constables’ offices in Texas serve legal documents in eviction, child custody, child support, truancy and similar cases.

In one of the Railroad Commission runoffs, Warren Chisum was facing Christi Craddick. The winner will run in November against Democrat Dale Henry, who was unopposed in the primary..

In the second Railroad Commission Republican runoff, Barry Smitherman was facing Greg Parker. There is no Democratic challenger.

The three-member Texas Railroad Commission, despite its name, regulates the petroleum industry. It issues permits for drilling and other oil-field activities, regulates intrastate pipelines and natural gas distribution, inspects wells and enforces rules governing pollution and safety.

In the Texas Supreme Court Place 4 runoff, John Devine was facing David Medina.

 - Scott Nishimura

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thinking outside the voting box doesn't always help in finding it

Maybe it's just me, but when I tried out the new QR code printed on my Tarrant County voter's registration certificate this morning in search of my polling place, Smartphone technology once again made me feel dumb.

I scanned in the ubiquitous marbled square that accessed the county's elections site, entered my name, hit a couple of prompts, and voila, no voting location. I tried scrolling up and down, running through the prompts again, but no dice.

Was my Droid the dud? Had my fumbling digits once again failed the digital test?

A quick computer search (faster than the phone) turned up a subsequent page on the county election site that gave me the address of my polling place.

""It's definitely new this year," said Steve Raborn, the Tarrant county elections administrator, as he talked me through the QR steps later. "It's useful, but we really haven't had a lot of feedback about it yet."

Raborn reported later that he had no problems when he tried it on his own phone, and suggested that differences in phones or downloaded QR apps could be responsible.

_Shirley Jinkins

 

 

State Rep. Marc Veasey picks up endorsement from former Texas Democratic Party Chairman

State Rep. Marc Veasey picked up a new endorsement today from former Texas Democratic Party Chairman Boyd Richie and his wife Betty, who is a member of the Democratic National Committee.

Veasey, D-Fort Worth, faces off against former state Rep. Domingo Garcia, D-Dallas, in Tuesday's  primary runoff election as they both seek to become the first person to represent the newly drawn 33rd Congressional District that stretches from Fort Worth's Stockyards to Dallas' Oak Cliff neighborhood.

"Marc has been a dear friend for many years," Betty Richie said. "Boyd and I could not be more proud to support his run for Congress."

Said Boyd Richie: "As chairman, I often found myself having to fight to protect minority voting rights and there was no fiercer ally in that fight than Marc Veasey. Many of the Republican voter suppression tactics currently being deployed around the country had their genesis in Texas. Having Marc Veasey in Congress will go a long way towards putting an end to those dirty tricks.

"Marc has always been a leader I could count on and having him in Congress will go a long way towards Democratic efforts to take back Texas."

The winner of the Democratic primary runoff will face Republican Chuck Bradley in the November general election.

-- Anna M. Tinsley

Fort Worth closer to completing funding for new police and fire center

Fort Worth’s moving toward locking up the final piece of funding for its planned new $97 million police and fire headquarters and training complex.

Fort Worth’s Crime Control and Prevention District board – Mayor Betsy Price and the City Council – is scheduled on Aug. 30 to vote on using $10 million from a projected fiscal 2013 CCPD surplus to help build the complex on Fort Worth’s South Side. The $10 million would pay for the police firing range.

The City Council in early August is set to vote on selling debt to finance $77 million of the cost of the new center. Another $10 million is to come from the expected sale of the Police Department’s main building downtown to Tarrant County.

City and county officials are meeting Monday to work out the timing of the deal, which has to go before Tarrant County Commissioners.

Councilman Sal Espino, in a CCPD meeting Thursday night, wondered whether more of the police and fire construction budget should come from CCPD funds, given the city’s tight budget and major capital needs.

"I’m not going to stand in the way of a police and fire center," he said. "But why only $10 million from the CCPD? Why not more?"

- Scott Nishimura

 

Thousands gather for FreedomWorks rally

The crowd grows at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.

-- Anna Tinsley

Armey's FreedomWorks works for Cruz

FreedomWorks, the anti-tax group led by former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, North Texas Republican, is weighing in on the U.S. Senate race with a big call-in get-out-the-vote bomb for Ted Cruz a week ahead of the July 31 run-off.

The so-called phone banking event will take place July 24th from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. ET with activists at its DC headquarters and around the country making calls to Texas voters.

The organization endorsed Cruz back in June 2011 as a fiscal conservative and in a release today described Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst as a "tax-and-spend moderate opponent."

-- Maria Recio

Fort Worth establishes 14-member passenger rail committee

Fort Worth on Tuesday established a 14-member Passenger Rail Working Group to oversee the city’s participation in passenger rail initiatives.

Chair is District 6 Councilman Jungus Jordan. Other members are Mayor Betsy Price, District 9 Councilman Joel Burns, District 4 Councilman Danny Scarth, T Board members Gary Cumbie, Rosa Navejar, Gary Havener, and Steve Berry, County Judge Glen Whitley, Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce President Bill Thornton, Fort Worth Black Chamber, Dee Kelly Jr., North Central Texas Council of Governments Director Michael Morris, and the president of the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber.

Dick Ruddell, CEO of The T, updated City Council members Tuesday on TexRail, the line that will connect southwest Fort Worth to D/FW Airport.

Ruddell said negotiations continue on rigiht of way with Fort Worth and Western Railroad, and he thanked Price and Jordan, who have taken the lead on negotiations.

- Scott Nishimura