Filing news: Jaworski, Jordan, and Tison

Joe Jaworski made his filing for SD11 today. From the press release:

"Voters want positive change, not more of the same," Jaworski said. "They know we can do better if we have more leadership and less partisanship. I'm ready to meet that challenge."

Jaworski filed his campaign paperwork in Austin as a candidate in the SD-11 Democratic primary scheduled for March 4, 2008.

"The stakes are too high in Texas to allow our public policies to continue to be hijacked by narrow special interests," Jaworski said. "Let's not settle for the thought that things could be worse. Let's demand that things be better."

Polling shows that Jaworski's opponent, a 20-year Austin political veteran, is in a vulnerable position with a year to go before the general election. The survey of 400 likely voters, conducted by Hamilton Campaigns on October 27-29, found that fewer than one-third of voters in SD 11 approve of the incumbent's job performance and that the race is statistically tied -- 48 percent to 44 percent -- with Jaworski polling a full 20 percent higher among independent voters.

A former three-term member of the Galveston City Council, Jaworski earned a reputation for insisting on strict financial accountability to hold the line on new taxes while safeguarding vital services. First elected in 2000, he was re-elected in 2002 and then again in 2004 as Mayor Pro-Tem. He stepped down in May 2006 under the city's term limits law.

In 2005, Jaworski helped lead the team that faced Hurricane Rita and won praise for his role in that region's emergency preparation and response to the devastating storm.

Jaworski has a primary opponent (about whom I know nothing), so a strong win in March would be a nice start towards finishing the job in November. There's an amazing number of contested Democratic primaries for Republican-held seats this year. We'll see what effect that has on turnout. If you're in SD11, make sure you get out and vote for Jaworski, beginning in March.

Previously, I had mentioned that there was a candidate looking at the remaining Supreme Court seat. Now BOR reports that Dallas District Judge Jim Jordan is in.

Jordan, a veteran civil defense attorney and past member of the Texas Association of Defense Counsel, noted a serious backlog in cases at the state's highest court. "They are failing to do their work as the backlog in cases has reached record levels."

Jordan, who currently presides over the 160th District Court in Dallas, is Board Certified in Civil Trial Law - a certification earned by less than 2% of Texas Lawyers.

"When the system is broken, the responsibility must fall on the leader," Jordan noted, explaining his decision to seek the Chief Justice position. "I am running for Chief Justice because this Court has lost its way. Instead of upholding the law, it is advancing an ideology," Jordan added, referring to a recent study released by a University of Texas law professor that criticized the court for routinely exceeding its Constitutional authority, ignoring the role of juries, and using the bench to make policy instead of deciding questions of law.

Jordan, who first presided over the 44th District Court in Dallas, was a partner with the firm Shannon, Gracey, Ratliff & Miller before returning to the bench. In 2006, he won election to the 160th District Court. In amending his filings with the Texas Ethics Commission, Jordan also reaffirmed his intention to voluntarily comply with the Judicial Campaign Fairness Act.

We are now potentially one candidate away from having a full statewide slate. That's excellent news. We'll see how it turns out.

Last but not least, Weatherford Mayor Joe Tison has resigned that position and made his filing to challenge State Rep. Phil "Tax Swap" King in HD61. I wish him the best of luck in that pursuit.

Posted by Charles Kuffner on December 21, 2007 to Election 2008