Published: February 11, 2008 10:27 am      

Candidates speak at voter forum

It was standing room only for a another of a series of candidate forums Thursday night.

Judge John Roach Jr. of the 296th District Court of Collin County moderated the forum, sponsored by the Cooke County Republican Women at the First Christian Church fellowship hall on North Dixon Street.

A candidates forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters is scheduled for 7 tonight at the same location.

Cooke County Candidates taking part in Thursday’s forum were 235th District Court Judge Janelle M. Haverkamp and her challenger Martin Peterson; 235th District Attorney Cindy Stormer and candidates Janice Warder and Chris Fostel; County Attorney Tanya S. Davis and candidate Frieda Fiske; Sheriff Michael E. (Mike) Compton and challenger Ken Fogus; and Precinct 1 Commissioner Gary Hollowell and candidate Wayne Dodson.

Judge Robert W. Francis, a candidate for Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 4 judge, also spoke. His opponent, incumbent Judge Paul Womack, did not attend.

Also attending were Texas Sen. Craig Estes and his Republican challenger Charles Stafford, who each addressed the audience.

The county candidates participated in a debate, which consisted of a two-minute opening statement, three questions at one-minute each to respond, and a one-minute closing remark.

Francis said the turnout — which filled every table and had a small crowd standing in the back of the First Christian Church fellowship hall — was impressive even for a Dallas event.

“I hadn’t seen a crowd like this in Dallas in awhile,” Francis said. “It looks like most of them came to Gainesville tonight.”

Sen. Estes outlined his conservative views by paraphrasing Thomas Jefferson.

“A government that is big enough to give you everything you need can also take away everything you have,” Estes said, reinforcing his belief in a limited government.

He said he opposes a state income tax.

“If you want a state income tax, then get a new senator,” Estes said.

Stafford, the president of the Denton ISD Board of Trustees and Estes’ challenger, called for ending the TAKS test, using the state’s surplus to fund programs and ending “unfunded mandates.” He said the Legislature should focus on saving Texas jobs.

“We only have a few years left before the manufacturing base ... moves off to China,” he said.

With the District Attorney’s race starting off the local debate, both candidates were on the offensive.

In answering a question about why he should be elected, Peterson said he intends to streamline the 235th District Court.

“The current judge is not serving the public interest,” he said.

Peterson said he would serve the bench well by “showing up for work and disposing of cases ... in a timely fashion.”

Haverkamp said she is a native of Cooke County and is committed to the community. She said Peterson moved to Cooke County in recent years, and has been a Democrat and an independent candidate in previous elections.

“And today he wants to be a Republican,” she said.

District Judge candidate Chris Fostel said the incumbent has “raised her budget and requested more money every year.”

Fostel said he would prioritize cases, based on his knowledge of the community.

Warder called for a stronger rapport between the D.A.’s office, the courts, county administration and law enforcement.

“If you don’t have open, civil communication, you’ll never have improvement in your justice system,” Warder said.

Stormer said she has seen a 28 percent rise in convictions since taking office in 2005 and has worked with “virtually the same office and staff.”

In a question on electability, Fostel said he was “the only lawyer to actually try a murder case” of the three candidates.

Warder differed, and said she tried at least 50 in her career, including three death penalty cases.

Stormer said as D.A. she handled a wide variety of cases.

“As an appellate lawyer, I’m a lawyer’s lawyer,” she said, adding she “is the only candidate who has handled every aspect of a trial ... from intake to appeal.”

“It’s easy to be a critic,” said Precinct 1 Commissioner incumbent Gary Hollowell in responding to the campaign of his challenger Wayne Dodson.

Hollowell said he voted every year to lower the tax rate and voted against his fellow Commissioners when they voted to lower the assistant district attorney’s salary.

“I’ve proven my concern for the county,” he said.

Dodson said road conditions are his main concern.

“If you think your roads are getting better, you need to get out there and take a drive out into the country,” he said.

Dodson called for a dust control program similar to Collin County’s. He said pouring a mixture of water and emulsified asphalt on the gravel roads would cost an individual $708 per request.

“If you like dusty roads and potholes, vote for Commissioner Hollowell,” he said.

Hollowell retorted: “It’s not just about laying roads.”

He said his crew also trims and removes tree branches, removes trash, and he sets a budget, handles purchasing and other administrative duties.

In a question on how to improve the quality of life in Cooke County, Hollowell called for an ambulance station in the south portion of the county, and a feasibility study for a new EMT center.

In the race for Sheriff, Ken Fogus said he would modernize the Sheriff’s department and called for change.

“You can become stale when you sit in one position too long,” Fogus said.

Compton, who has been in office since 1997, disagreed that he has become stale.

“I don’t reckon I’ve gone stale, yet,” Compton said. “I still feel pretty fresh when I get up in the morning.”

He said he plans to continue to keep the Cooke County Justice Center jail full.

In a question regarding financial belt-tightening, Compton said he has made cost-savings measures such as eliminating the use of pagers and keeping the Sheriff’s department payroll to about 70 employees.

“It’s difficult to keep down,” Compton said.

Fogus said the Cooke County Justice Center is not making a profit.

“We’re renting beds out (to other counties) but are we making money when you look at operations?” he said.

In the race for County Attorney, Frieda Fiske called for greater communication between the office and the county and law enforcement. Davis, the incumbent, said she has brought many new features to the office, including a computer program which replaced hand-written paper ledgers.

Reporter Andy Hogue may be contacted at andyhoguegdr@ntin.net