Constitutional Amendments

The Club President, Clara Maynard recently mentioned that we have several amendments to vote on in November and there has been little done to educate the voting public. I went to http://www.tlc.state.tx.us/pubsconamend/analyses07/analyses07.pdf and started the search. I will summarize and report back on my progress.

Chris Duggan & Ernie Bogart campaigning for District Judge

Bastrop County's own Chris Duggan and Ernie Bogart are campaigning for the newly created District Judge bench. The 2007 Legislature passed a bill creating a new District Judge position for Bastrop County.

Both men are members of the Bastrop County Democratic Club and have worked through the years to further the rights of our citizens.

Chris is a prosecutor in the Travis County District Attorney's Office. Chris and his wife Sharon and their two daughters are outstanding individuals and are always willing to help with Club projects. He has worked on both sides of the court as both a prosecutor and a defendant attorney.

Ernie Bogart has been a local attorney for many years and has a reputation for being smart, tough, and fair. Ernie and his wife Barbara are also great when it comes to helping with Club projects. He has also worked both sides of the court.

At our last meeting, Chris pointed out that they are not "running mates." They are both such outstanding people that it will be very hard to make a choice during the primary. As they both say, "We will have a Democratic District Judge elected in November of 2008."

Bastrop Democrats to field outstanding slate

Bastrop democrats look at constitutional amendments In a recent conversation with Clara Maynard, President of the Bastrop County Democratic Club, it came up that we are very uninformed about the constitutional amendments to be decided in the November 2007 election. She shared that she is going to institute a program to educate Bastrop County Democrats on the content and meaning of these amendments so the electorate can make informed choices.Too many times in the past we have voted on changes to the Constitution without understanding the real meaning they carried.

Yesterday we had a meeting in Schulenberg of the SD 18 Democrats. It was exciting to see 65 Democrats come together in an "off-election" year to plan how to celebrate after we win in 2008.

Woody Jones, Candidate for Chief Justice of the Third Court of Appeals spoke to the group. He shared his excellent experience and passion for upholding the law.

Susan Criss, Candidate for the Texas Supreme Court visited with the group and outlined her reasons for seeking this high post. These included a desire to protect the eroding rights of Texans.

Glen Maxie, Candidate for Travis County Tax Assessor/Collector spoke to the group and outlined his experience and plans for the office after he is elected.

JoAnn Doherty, wife of Larry Joe Doherty, Candidate for U.S. House of Representatives District 10 of Texas attended on her husband's behalf.

We have a lot of work to do but the Bastrop Democrats are up for the task.

lkl