Candidates square off at forum
Submitted by Casscounty1 on
By Bobby Horn Jr.
ATLANTA-- More than 80 people turned out for a meet and greet with political hopefuls during a political forum held Feb. 11 at the Atlanta Middle School.
Nineteen candidates, or their representatives, covering 12 races ranging from national to county offices were given the opportunity to introduce themselves and answer questions from the gallery.
Cass County’s most contested race is for Constable in Precinct 2.
Goodson was the only candidate in the race to attend the forum. He said that during his term he has always tried to do the best job he could for the precinct. He noted that funding was a big challenge to the department and that be personally spent $7,500 out of his own pocket to help make up that gap.
He promised that he would continue to do the best job that he could do.
Constable Jerry Goodson, faces challenges from Anthony Harrison and Ronnie Wilson.
Robin Bass, who appeared on behalf of Congressman John Ratcliffe, called Ratcliffe “the real deal,” saying that he (Ratcliffe) is “acting as our voice in Washington.”
Lou Gigliotti, said that he is running against Ratcliffe for the District 4 seat because the congressman’s voting record showed broken promises to those who supported him. “There are some ugly votes he did.” Gigliotti blamed the Marvin Nichols Reservoir problem on interference by the Army Corp of Engineers, while over-regulation by the Environmental Protection Agency continued to hurt Northeast Texas businesses. “We really need to get rid of the fourth branch of the government (The EPA).”
Senator Kevin Eltife’s retirement opened the seat to a four-horse race between James “Red” Brown, David Simpson, Mike Lee and Bryan Hughes for District 1.
Michael Bullock, speaking on behalf of Simpson, said that Simpson has been called “The Conscience of the Texas House,” and that he had been an opponent of Marvin Nichols and a supporter of funding for volunteer fire departments. “David is not a politician. David is a statesman.”
Mike Lee, of Queen City, attacked Simpson for his vote on decriminalizing marijuana. “I believe telling our youth that drugs are OK is not a good thing.” He also promised to fight for economic development in Cass County if elected.
Precinct 3 County Commissioner Paul Cothren said that he was running for reelection because he loved his community and he felt that he had the heart of a public servant. He noted that during his time on the court he has fought for federal and state funds to repair roads in order to lessen the burden on tax payers.
M. James Brooks IV, who is hoping to unseat Cothren, said that he and his family have deep roots in Cass County and that he wanted to give back to his community, hinting that for Cothren the office was more “career” than public service.
Queen City Police Chief Robert McGee, who is running constable of precinct 3, countered complaints that that he maintained a residence in Bowie County and had only “rental property” in Cass County.
“I love Cass County,” McGee said, noting that he had lived in the county multiple times during his law enforcement career. Since 2006, he said, he has been a registered voter in Cass County.
John Smith, who is running for the office, said his years of law enforcement make his qualified to serve.
“I love law enforcement in Cass County,” said Constable Don Rich, who is running for reelection in Precinct 4.
Rich, who is also a firefighter in Texarkana, said he understands the budget constraints that his office is under and that he would never ask that money being taken from the sheriff’s office and given to his office.
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