Tuesday, October 15, 2024
As election season draws near, the Tri-County Reporter has reached out to get to know the candidates running for local offices. Listed below are their answers to a questionnaire sent in by the responding candidates. Candidates who did not submit a completed questionnaire by press deadline are not listed.
Craig Goldman, US Congressional District 12
Occupation: State representative, HD 97/small businessman
Education: University of Texas, liberal arts degree, 1991
Community Involvement: Chair, Texas House Republican Caucus; Founding board member, Tarrant County College Foundation; Board, Women’s Center of Fort Worth; Member, Cowtown Executive Association
Family: I am proud of my family roots which are anchored in the congressional district I wish to serve. I’m a fifth generation Texan and a fourth generation native of Fort Worth, and the Goldman family has been actively involved in the Fort Worth and Tarrant County community for over 100 years. My paternal grandfather was a Polish immigrant, who came to America in the 1920s, eventually landing in Fort Worth where he became a successful small businessman. His son, my Dad, was born and raised in Fort Worth and carried on the family business.
Why are you running: I have served the people of southwest Tarrant County as their state representative for 11 years. With the retirement of U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, many in my community who I respect tremendously asked me to consider running for her seat to represent parts of Tarrant and Parker County. It is a bittersweet decision because I feel like I have been an extremely effective conservative leader in Austin and have a voting record to prove it. But Washington, D.C. is broken, and I want to take my leadership abilities to Congress and change the way they do business. Our nation’s capital is in dire need of new leadership to provide conservative solutions to the many problems we face. In my campaign, I’m honored to have the support of Parker County leaders such as Texas Senators Phil King and Drew Springer. I look forward to serving the citizens of Parker County and humbly ask for their vote. I encourage anyone who wants to review my detailed positions on the issues to visit CraigGoldman.org.
Goals: 1. Border Security — the federal government must do their job and protect and defend our southern border from the influx of illegal immigrants and drugs. This situation also leads to human trafficking of women and children.
Cindy Stormer, District Judge Tarrant County, 213th Judicial district, Criminal/Felony Court
Occupation: Attorney, professor, author
Education: Doctorate of jurisprudence, South Texas College of Law, Dean's List
B.A., University of Texas at Arlington, graduate with honors
A.A., Tarrant County College, Fort Worth, graduate with highest honors, Dean's List
I have handled every aspect of criminal cases from police officer to elected DA. I have handled thousands of criminal cases (jury trials, hundreds of appellate briefs, etc.).
Community Involvement: Selected by Texas Department of State Health Services to assist in developing a Jail Based Competency Restoration program as mandated by the Legislature (SB 1475 in 2013) which resulted in Dallas receiving the grant for same (only prosecutor in the state on this committee); Attorney Ad Litem of the Year, Court Appointed Special Advocates North Texas Planning Committee, State Bar Advanced Criminal Law Course; Distinguished Alumni of Tarrant County College; “Above and Beyond” award, Dallas District Attorney’s Office; Fellow Texas State Bar Foundation since 2003; hundreds of hours of police "in-service" training, including the F.B.I. Academy in Quantico, Virginia.
Family: I was raised on a farm near Stephenville. I have over 100 cousins. That helps me to see the humanity in unfortunate individuals that find themselves in jail or those with mental illnesses or with addictive tendencies. When people are at the lowest point in their lives a little support can go a long way to put them on the right path; restore lives, restore families, restore communities. I will provide a court with resources to help people thrive in the community.
Why are you running: Deaths in the jail (several times the national average) and the resulting largest lawsuits in Tarrant history are due in part to judges not moving cases efficiently and timely. Deaths include murder by jailers, abuse, dying of thirst, baby dies after being ignored after birth in a jail cell, dead man in cell until rigor mortis sets in … Taxpayers pay the legal fees on both sides of these lawsuits. The costs to the families who lost loved ones is too high. According to a recent study done by Tarrant County judges, the average sentence in the Tarrant County Jail was 70 days, while the average time served was 133 days. People are serving twice as much time as that to which they are sentenced because judges are not doing their job.
Retired State Rep. Lon Burnham stated at Commissioner's Court "I went to the Central Jury Room with over 200 other people when I was informed … over 30 judges that are not holding court today … the judges are not working a 40-hour work week and they are getting paid way too much for the time that they don’t spend on the bench getting the job done.”
Deaths in the jail could be prevented by moving cases faster to prevent overcrowding and using many other practices outlined in my book. See www.stormerfortexas.com
When I was an elected District Attorney, I was able to reduce crime significantly while drastically reducing the jail population and eliminating the need to send people to an out-of-county, for-profit prison. Tarrant County taxpayers paid $44 million dollars for an out-of-county, for-profit prison last year. From police officer to elected DA, each position I have held has given me a unique perspective to understand how to be the most effective.
Goals: 1. Move the cases faster. Currently, our judges are leaving violent offenders/murderers in the community for up to five years pretrial, making us less safe.
Our juvenile system has been stripped of rehabilitation dollars due to right wing extremism. My opponent is the judge that stripped these juveniles of these services — 86% of which are children of color — because the provider used the words “systemic racism” on their website. I was the Conviction Integrity/DNA attorney in the Dallas District's Attorney's Office. The most common reason for wrongful convictions is cross-racial misidentification. Systemic racism is real. His actions are indicative of his lack of empathy. Also, studies show that for every dollar spent on these programs, eight tax dollars are saved.
I was the Chief of the Mental Health Division of the Dallas District Attorney's office. I will appoint a competency attorney to my court. This will save millions in lawsuits.
Rayna Glasser, State Board of Education, District 11
Occupation: Instructional coach
Education: Master of Education in teacher leadership with an emphasis on curriculum and instruction from Lamar University. Bachelor of Science in mathematics from Texas Woman’s University. Associate of Arts from Tarrant County College.
Community involvement: Campus Site-Based Decision Making Committee
Superintendent Advisory Council
Leadership ISD
Organized trip and funding to HBCU for Dunbar seniors
Created “Adopt a Wildcat” during the pandemic to celebrate all graduating seniors
Family: I was a single mom who raised my son while putting myself through college. My boyfriend and I have three grown children and three grandchildren.
Why are you running: I care about the kids. My students have always been my main focus above anything else. As a mother and grandmother, I always want what’s best for my own children and I know that’s what all parents want for their own children as well. Over my 18 years, I have seen things that we, as educators, can and need to do better for our kids. The more I learned about school governance and education advocacy, I realized I had a unique opportunity as an educator to use my voice and expertise to advocate for change and that’s what I’m trying to do.
I have 18 years of experience in education and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction. I have written curriculum and assessments for the past 15 years. My experience and education in conjunction with the relationships I have formed over the years in the schools and communities I have served will allow me to collaborate with all stakeholders to make the best decisions for our children.
Goals: My top priorities as a member of the State Board of Education would be restructuring our students assessment and expanding our academic pathways for graduation, providing comprehensive, rigorous and relevant curriculum, and strengthening the rules proposed by the State Board of Educator Certification to ensure highly qualified teachers are recruited and retained. My goal is to capture the full potential of our students and educators, building an exceptional system for Texas schools.
William Knight, Judge, Criminal District Court No. 2
Occupation: Prosecutor
Education: attended All Saints’ Episcopal School where I currently sit on the school board. I earned a B.B.A. degree at Southern Methodist University, and J.D. and M.B.A. degrees at St. Mary’s University where I was on the dean’s list and graduated with honors.
Community Involvement: I am a prosecutor and spent years as the assistant chief of the District Attorney’s Intimate Partner Violence Unit (IPV) seeking justice for abused men and women. Previously, I prosecuted child abuse and elderly abuse cases in the Special Victims Unit (SVU). In 2019, I was voted Child Abuse Prosecutor of the Year for Tarrant County by my law enforcement peers. I also lectured for police departments on best practices for investigations. I was named Top Attorney in Criminal Law for 2021/2022/2023/2024 in Fort Worth Magazine. I have also lectured at Texas A&M Law School and for the State Bar.
Family: I was born and raised in Fort Worth and my father was a prosecutor at the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office. Tarrant County is my home, and I care deeply about making sure our county is the safest place to raise a family.
Why are you running: I have always wanted to be a judge because of what happened when my dad was threatened in court. My dad was a prosecutor and was at the DA’s Office until his death. As my dad walked by a man in court, the man mentioned me and my mother by name. For someone to know our names before the internet took serious effort, and it terrified my dad. As a result, I was never allowed to go anywhere at school alone. When I was older, I asked my dad why we had that rule, and I can still remember how angry I was that someone threatened our family. I asked my dad how it was resolved, and he explained it by saying, “The judge kept us safe.”
Ever since then I have wanted to be a judge to help keep people safe.
I am the only candidate in the race endorsed by law enforcement, which says a lot for a criminal bench, and I am the only candidate who is board certified in criminal law. I’m honored to be endorsed by the Arlington Police Association, Tarrant County Law Enforcement Association, Frederick Douglass Republicans of Tarrant County, 34 elected officials, 20 groups, the chair of the criminal law section of the Tarrant County Bar Association, and many others listed on www.knightforjudge.com.
I am the only career prosecutor in my race — that matters. I’ve spent my career holding murderers and child molesters accountable for their actions. I’ve served in two special prosecution units and have supervised prosecutors. Victims deserve to be heard, and defendants deserve due process. It takes a judge with the right kind of temperament and experience to make sure those things happen at the same time. Hire me as the next judge and that is exactly what you’ll get.
Goals: My goal is to be a judge with sound judicial temperament that enforces the law with well-reasoned, thoughtful decisions while treating the litigants with fairness and respect. I will better manage the docket to more effectively keep our citizens safe. It should not take six years to go to trial on a felony case in our county. We cannot let our community become a dangerous place to live like a handful of other counties in our state. Better docket management and enforcing the rule of law are important to making sure Tarrant County stays a great place to live.
MarQuetta A. Clayton, Judge, Criminal District Court No. 2
Occupation: Owner and Managing attorney at The Clayton Law Firm, P.C. where I primarily handle criminal defense cases in Tarrant and Dallas County.
Education: I received my Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics with pre-medical studies from the University of Oklahoma in 2006. I received my Juris Doctorate degree from Texas A&M University School of Law in 2015. I became licensed to practice law through the State Bar of Texas in May 2016.
Community Involvement: I have significant ties to the community, reducing recidivism happens through community engagement. I served on the L. Clifford Davis Legal Association board in various roles including president. The Tarrant County Expunction Clinic Chair where we assist with clearing criminal records for indigent individuals. Helped organize the Tarrant County Lawyers Against Injustice who provided free services to protestors. An active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.®, Xi Theta Omega Chapter where I serve as the treasurer and social justice committee. Founded Girl2Girl Foundation to be a resource to young parents. Award scholarships to high school students.
Family: I am the proud mother of 3, Ariana (19), Joshua (9), and our fur baby Oreo! Ariana is in her 2nd year of college at Hill College where she’s studying Kinesiology with an emphasis on Athletic Training. Joshua is a 4th grader who loves football, gaming, traveling, and swimming. Oreo is a rambunctious 1.5-year-old Malti-poo who’s white and black, hence the name Oreo. My mother, 2 brothers, their wives, and children are all Tarrant County residents and we are all great cooks! Through family, I have learned the true meaning of patience, compassion, and determination.
Why are you running: I am running for judge because Tarrant County’s criminal justice system need change and diverse representation. I recognize the problems plaguing Tarrant County’s criminal justice system and I have solutions to help. I will do my part to keep our jails safe by running efficient dockets, protect our juvenile resources, and ensure tax dollars are not wasted. I’m also committed to reforming our rehabilitation programs to include career readiness skills to enhance lives, not just punish them. I will follow the law and uphold our constitution.
I have the most diverse experience for this role. I have litigated cases as a criminal defense attorney, prosecutor, and family law attorney. This varied experience allows me to keep an open mind when hearing cases. I am a business owner and have held multiple financial roles giving me experience managing budgets, employees, and performing data analysis. I have proven leadership experience through service on several executive board. I will apply these same skills to my commitment on the bench.
Goals: My top 3 priorities are to reduce case backlog, enhancing rehabilitation programs, and protect juvenile resources.
My top priority for reducing case backlog will be to bring any case pending longer than 4 years to finality within the first 6 months. I also have a strategic plan to reduce case backlog by implementing procedures to finalize cases within 3 years of indictment with an ultimate goal of finalizing cases within 2 years of indictment. It serves no one justice, victims nor accused, when cases are delayed upwards of 4 years or more. This plan would assist with reducing the jail population which has a direct impact on the jail deaths we are facing because our jails are overcrowded and understaffed. This would also reduce the need for Tarrant County to pay millions for a private jail and millions for avoidable jail deaths.
I believe the court should also be a place of resource for those whom it’s appropriate for. Many individuals go through a probation. I will collaborate with various community organizations, workforces, job programs/projects, trades, etc. to connect resources that would help an individual become a productive contributor to society. I believe we reap where we sow. We must sow into individuals if we truly desire for the individual to be better.
Last, all Tarrant County district judges serve on the juvenile board. The juvenile board recently defunded the youth advocate program with little to no factual basis and no back up plan. I am committed to being a voice of reason on the board. I will be a member that will look to actual data prior to making key decisions concerning our youth.
