(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates on the November ballot. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote. I am running these responses in the order that I receive them from the candidates.)
Tracy Good
1. Who are you and what are you running for?
My name is TRACY D. GOOD. I am running for the 313th Juvenile Court.
I’m a native Houstonian. I have been married to my wife for almost 25 years. We have two adorable twin daughters. I am a graduate of the University of Houston with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. In addition, I obtained my Juris Doctorate from the University of Houston Law School. I am a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Internal Auditor. Despite these credentials and many years of experience in corporate America, my passion and focus has always been defending the defenseless, ensuring that the rights of individuals are upheld to the full extent of the law. I want to carry these traits to the bench so that the powers of the government are equally balanced with the rights of individuals. This balances is especially important when it comes to protecting the rights of children.
2. What kind of cases does this court hear?
Juvenile and CPS termination cases.
3. Why are you running for this particular bench?
I have a passion for justice. I believe everyone regardless of economic status, ethnicity, gender, or sexual preference should all be seen equally in the eyes of the law. This is especially true with respect to the rights of children. The old cliche that “the children are our future” is a profound truism. OUR CHILDREN ARE YOUR FUTURE!
The question is: what type of future are we creating? I believe that the laws of the state of Texas with respect to juvenile justice are designed with a goal, in part, to ensure that the children of the state of Texas have a promising future as contributing members of our adult society. However,
bureaucracy,
an inefficient governmental administration,
and a broken ad litem appointment system.
are negatively impacting THIS goal of the juvenile justice system. These are just some of the problems that I see. These are the reasons why I am running. In my courtroom, I will efficiently manage juvenile and Child Protective Services (CPS) cases, and I will ensure that ad litem attorney caseloads are manageable.
I want to exam the juvenile justice and child protective services issues from a complete perspective including:
teen pregnancy/prenatal care
family therapy/unity
mental health issues
socioeconomic disadvantages
teen peer pressure/gang-related pressures
law enforcement and community outreach
I want an impactful and critical examination of the “cradle to prison” pipeline concluding in resolutions to positively address this serious issue.
Harris County has an annual budget of over 92 million dollars devoted to the Juvenile Justice System. It is important that the people elected by Harris County are good stewards of these funds. A primary characteristic of good stewardship is independence. Because of my internal audit background, I am a firm believer in not only the actuality of independence but the appearance of it. Therefore, I will not accept any campaign contributions from attorneys seeking ad litem appointments in my court!
With a 92 million dollar annual budget, the residents of Harris County deserve to be among the nation’s top ranked Juvenile Justice Systems. As your judge, it will be my passion and focus to make Harris County a model for the nation.
4. What are your qualifications for this job?
Nine Years of practicing primarily family law. I am a CPA with many years of corporate experience.
5. Why is this race important?
Families and children are important, not distribution of MONEY to favored Lawyers.
6. Why should people vote for you in November?
I am the better candidate for the job.