Voter’s Guide for Democratic Candidates Jefferson County Tuesday, November 4, 2014 These are your Democratic candidates for county-wide offices on the November 4, 2014 ballot. Early voting begins October 20, 2014. Be sure you have a valid photo id. Applications for Mail-in ballots may be picked up at the Democratic Headquarters at 2365 IH 10 #1. PLEASE VOTE AND MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD! IT MATTERS! THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW!
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DISTRICT OFFICES Criminal District Attorney for Jefferson County, Texas Judge Bob Wortham Judge Wortham was born, raised and educated in Jefferson County and was in the very last graduating class of Lamar Tech. After shipping out on the Mobil Eclipse tanker for seven months to earn the money to pay for Baylor University Law School, he graduated in 1974. He proudly started his legal career working for Tom Hanna as a Jefferson County Assistant District Attorney. Next he went into private practice for five years before being appointed by Governor Clements in 1980 to be the Judge of the 60th District Court. In this same year, Wortham was voted the Outstanding Young Lawyer of Jefferson County. Judge Wortham left the bench by a Presidential appointment by President Reagan to be the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas, where he served with distinction from 1981-1993. During these twelve years, he developed an office that was known to handle some of the largest and most difficult cases in the United States. He received numerous awards from the FBI, DEA, U.S. Customs service, A.T.F., Department of Labor, Secret Service, H.H.S. Inspector, Postal Inspector, the Beaumont P.D., the Port Arthur P.D., Jefferson County Sheriff’s Dept., Orange County Sheriff, Bridge City P.D. and many more. In 1993, Judge Wortham joined the law firm of Reaud, Morgan, & Quinn as a partner, where he practiced law for fourteen very successful years as a trial attorney, bringing many complex cases to successful conclusion. In 2006, Judge Wortham was elected to the 58th District Court by a 70% mandate vote of the citizens of Jefferson County. He quickly earned a reputation for his long hours of hard work on the bench and was recognized as an even-tempered judge that treated all the parties fairly. In 2008, he received the first St. Thomas Stewardship award for his ethical service to the legal profession from the Catholic Dioceses of Beaumont. Judge Wortham was later honored by Bishop Guillory along with his wife Karen to join the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem. Bob Wortham is blessed to be married to Karen Guzardo Wortham for almost thirty years. He is the proud father of four children: Robert Jr., Baylor, Brittney, and Zach and eight grandchildren. Judge Wortham’s favorite hobby was servicing the public as a member of the Texas Football Officials Association for thirty- three years and working college football for ten years. His life has been devoted to public service. He has served on a vast number of boards. Judge Wortham is proud that every police chief, sheriff, police organization, fire organization and labor union that endorses candidates has endorsed him for office. Website: www.bobworthamforjudge.com 2 District Judge, 58th District Court Judge Kent Walston Judge Walston is a Jefferson County native. He graduated from Port Neches- Groves High school in 1979. He spent four years in the U.S. Navy before working seven years as a Port Arthur policeman. He began night school and graduated from Lamar University with a BBA in personnel management. He was also Assistant City Manager and Personnel Director for the City of Nederland. He graduated from Baylor Law School and entered into law practice in Nederland with Branick, Walston, & DeVenzio, where he has a thriving civil and criminal law practice. He also worked five years as an associate judge for mental health hearings in Jefferson County, and for the past four years, as Municipal Judge for the City of Nederland. He frequently volunteers with CASA, Habitat for Humanity, and the Hughen School for Handicapped Children. He was awarded the Port Arthur Sertoma’s Service to Mankind Award. He is former President of the Jefferson County Family Law Association and former Treasurer of the Jefferson County Bar Association. He is a longtime member of the Progressive Democrats of Southeast Texas. He and his wife, Davilyn, have five daughters. Website: www.kentwalstonforjudge.com District Judge, 172nd District Court Judge Donald Floyd Judge Floyd is a Port Arthur native. He graduated from Lincoln High School, and in 1966, he graduated from Dillard University in New Orleans, La. He graduated Thurgood Marshall School of Law (in Houston) in 1972. From 1972-1974, he was a trial attorney in the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Dept. in Washington, D.C. In late 1974, he was back in Port Arthur practicing law. From 1981-1984, he was on the P.A.I.S.D. Board of Trustees. In 1982, he became a Municipal Judge in Port Arthur, and in December, 1983, he was appointed Judge of Jefferson County Court at Law #3. He became the first African-American elected to a countywide office Court #3) in November, 1984. In 1989, he became 172nd District Judge, where he remains to this day, being the longest serving African-American Judge in Texas history. Email: [email protected]
3 District Judge, 252nd (Criminal) District Court Raquel West Mrs. West is a Jefferson County native. She graduated from Hardin-Jefferson ISD and received a B.A. degree from Texas A. & M. University. She graduated from St. Mary's University Law School (JD). She is a Beaumont Criminal Law and Family Law attorney. She does pro bono work through the Jefferson County Bar and Lone Star Legal Aid (formerly known as East Texas Legal Services). She has practiced criminal law in Jefferson County for over 18 years, handling over 1600 criminal cases in the past five years. Most of the cases Mrs. West handles are serious felony offenses, which are the types of cases handled in the 252nd Court. She is the current President of the Jefferson County Bar Association. She sits on the Board of the Hardin-Jefferson ISD (2009-now), is a CASA Board member, a volunteer mediator at the Jefferson County Dispute Resolution Center, and was the 2010 recipient of the Mickey Mehaffey Pro Bono Attorney of the Year Award. She also is a member and Sunday school teacher at Wesley Methodist Church. She and her husband, Eddie West, have three children. Email:[email protected] District Judge, 317th (Family) District Court Judge Larry Thorne Judge Thorne is a Port Arthur native. He obtained a Bachelor’s of Business Administration degree from University of Texas (1970) before graduating from University of Houston Law Center (1973). He worked in Jefferson County District Attorney’s office (1974-1979). Before going into private practice (1979-1998), he was Master for Mental Health proceedings (1996-98). Judge Thorne was elected Judge of the 317th Family District Court and took office on January 1, 1999. He has served the community in numerous organizations: past Chairman of the Jefferson County Juvenile Board, CASA, Domestic Violence Steering Committee, Regional Child Welfare Board, State Advisory Board for Child Welfare, Chairman of the Jefferson County Child Welfare Board, Jefferson County Task Force for Foster Care, Chairman of the Juvenile Justice Act Board, Court Improvement Project, Pro Bono Board for Jefferson County Bar Association. Judge Thorne received $400,000 in grants for court projects and programs during his tenure. Judge Thorne has won numerous awards: CASA, Minnie Rogers Juvenile Justice Center; East Texas Legal Services Pro Bono Award; Save Our Sons Advocate for Children (2010), and Volunteer of the Year, State Advisory Board to Child Welfare. Judge Thorne also regularly answers legal questions called in on Channel 12 News "Ask the Judge" and has been Chairman of several local Church Boards for at least 3 different churches. He is also an umpire & coach for the West End Little League. Campaign Manager: Lynda Kay Makin email:[email protected] 4 District Clerk, Jefferson County Jamie Smith Mr. Smith is a Beaumont native. He graduated from Westbrook H.S.(1987), attended Texas A& M and Lamar U., and in 1990, enlisted in the U.S. military, where he received several medals and commendations, including the ARCOM medal. After four years of military service, he returned to his studies and graduated St. Phillips College in San Antonio with an Associate degree in Applied Science, and later returned to Lamar to graduate in 2002 with a Bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems. While at Lamar, he was a Correctional Officer with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department. Jamie has been the Regional Director of the National Black Caucus, Local Elected Officials, and is a member of the NAACP, the YMBL, and the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity. Jamie Smith is the Beaumont City Councilman from Ward 4 (since 2007) and has worked in the Jefferson County Clerk’s office as an office administrator since 2005. He and his wife Melanie have three children. Email: [email protected] COUNTY OFFICES Judge County Court at Law #3 Judge Terrence L. Holmes Judge Terrence Leon Holmes is the product of a broken home and was raised in Desire Housing Project in New Orleans, Louisiana for most of his childhood and his entire teenage years. He holds a B.S. degree from Southern University in Baton Rouge, LA and a Master of Science degree from Prairie View A & M University in Prairie View, Texas. In 1987, after working for the United States Department of Agriculture Southern Regional Rice Research Laboratory in Beaumont, Mr. Holmes attended Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University in Houston. He was on the Dean’s List each semester and graduated third in his class in 1990. He worked as an Assistant County Attorney for the Orange County Attorney’s Office in Orange, Texas (1990-94) and as an Adjunct Law professor at Thurgood Marshall School of Law from 1993-1996. He entered the private practice of law with offices in Beaumont and Orange, Texas (1994). In addition, he worked as an Adjunct Professor at Lamar Institute of Technology(1996) and co-hosted “The Law and You” weekly legal information radio talk show on KALO radio 1250 AM (1996-1997). He was appointed a Certified Hearing Examiner for Texas Education Agency (1996-1998). He is an ordained minister, serving as an Associate Minister at St. John Missionary Baptist Church, Beaumont, Texas. Judge Holmes was appointed and has served as a Judge of the Municipal Court for the City of Beaumont since 2009. 5 Mr. Holmes has received numerous awards and has been involved in several community service activities in Jefferson County over the past thirty years: (1) volunteers for the Jefferson County Bar Association Pipeline Project (STARS) (2) mentors and tutors students in several BISD schools, (3) mentors at Lamar University, (4) mentors youth in the Kappa League, (5) coaches Little League basketball at the YMCA, the Salvation Army Boys and Girls Clubs (6) volunteers at local nursing homes, (7) serves on the boards for Police Activities League (PAL), YMCA, Salvation Army, Beaumont City Reinvestment Zone, NO.1, Beaumont City Historical Landmark Commission and Garth House. He is a lifetime member of the N.A.A.C.P, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. and a member of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, Inc. His professional memberships include the State Bar of Texas, American Bar Association, Jefferson County Bar Association, Jefferson County Bar Association, and the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. He is married to Tammy and has two daughters, Tamaria and Brittanie. Email: [email protected] County Clerk Carolyn Guidry Mrs. Guidry is a Beaumont native and a graduate of Hebert High School (1970). She attended Durham Business College and is a lifelong member of Our Mother of Mercy Catholic Church. She retired from Southwestern Bell after thirty years of service, where she was Vice-President of Communication Workers Union, Local 6139. She is a member of SBC Pioneers; a former President of APRI (Phillip Randolph Inst.); former Board member of L.L. Melton YMCA. She sat on the Lamar University Advisory Board .She has been County Clerk since October 18, 2004. She is the mother of two children. Email: [email protected] Tax Assessor/Collector Thomas P. Sigee, Sr. Mr. Sigee is a native of Beaumont, Texas and a 1979 graduate of Beaumont Charlton Pollard High School. He enlisted in the United States Army under the Delayed enlistment program while he was still in high school. Initially, he served as a warhead assembly technician, and throughout his 33 years of service, he worked in logistics, transportation, personnel, recruiting, and as an instructor. In 1989, he was mobilized for Operation Desert Shield/Storm Calm and in 2004 for Operation Iraqi Freedom. As a result of his service in these mobilizations, Sergeant Major Sigee received the Nation’s 5th highest medal-the bronze star-in both campaigns. He retired from the military at the rank of (E-9) Sergeant Major, and he is a 2004 graduate of the United States Army Sergeants Major Course. 6 Mr. Sigee earned an Associate’s Degree in Business Management from El Paso Community College in 1989, a Bachelors of Science in Criminal Justice from Lamar University in 1991, a Certificate in Strategic Organizational Leadership from Villanova University in 2006, and a Certificate in Lean Six Sigma Green Belt from Villanova in 2011. He has also taken several of the classes required to obtain the certification required by the State of Texas to be a Tax Assessor Collector. Mr. Sigee has worked for Jefferson County for twenty-three years in various positions: as the Community Supervision and Corrections officer, as the Director of Pre-trial Release, as the Collections Officer for the Auditing Department, and currently serves in the capacity of the Collections Officer for the Treasurer’s Office. Mr. Sigee volunteers his time with numerous organizations: as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), as a mediator in the Jefferson County Dispute Resolution Center, with the Historical Commission for the City of Beaumont, on the Black Adoption Council, on the Legacy Health Care Advisory Board, on the Lamar University Advisory Board, in Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, as an umpire for District 12 Little League baseball and as a member of Kappa Alpha Fraternity and Masonic Lodge 291. His email is [email protected] . U. S. Representative, District 14 Don Brown Don Brown can trace his lineage back six generations to Jefferson County when his family first landed in Port Arthur. His father was a shop steward with the IAM Union, and his mother was a teacher. The entrepreneurial bug bit Don at a young age. From working retail sales jobs as a teenager to starting his first business at nineteen, Don has been a proud working man all his life. His interest in politics began when he moved to the top of the 2nd largest financial recovery serving company in America only to be told that he would never go any farther because of who he was. Since his then, Don has been helping to rebuild people’s lives in the mortgage industry for over fifteen years and purchased Silverstone Mortgage in 2011. Though personal experience, Don has learned that anyone can succeed if given the right tools. His life’s desire has always revolved around improving the lives of those around him. His website is www.donbrownforcongress.com .
7 Texas Representative, District 21 Gavin Bruney Mr. Bruney earned a B.S.N. degree from McNeese State University and graduated from the Charity School of Nurse Anesthesia in New Orleans. He has been a mid and south county resident since 1985. He and his wife the former Catherine Hughes live in Nederland, where she offices as an attorney. Mr. Bruney is a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist and has worked at the Medical Center (and Mid-Jefferson) for the past twenty-eight years. Mr. Bruney served on the Board of Trustees of Nederland ISD. He is an avid outdoorsman, and member of Ducks Unlimited, the SALT Club, and the south county Coastal Conservation Association. As a member of the NRA, he believes in the Second Amendment rights. He has coached youth baseball, youth basketball, youth soccer, and supports junior golf in Jefferson County. He and Catherine have three children. His website is www.electgavinbruney.com . Texas State Board of Education, District 7 Kathy King She is an Occupational Therapist with a B.A. in Psychology & Sociology, who has worked in school districts throughout Texas and New Mexico, finding ways to improve how students learn. She has worked with students aged 3-21 for thirteen years and has a thorough understanding of how childhood development affects a child’s ability to learn. In an age when teachers ‘teach the test’ (by rote), so that the students never learn how to think critically, and the State Board’s textbook selection process screens out non-traditional ideas and subjects which cause controversy, Ms. King wants to be a beacon of hope. For a discussion of how issues affecting special education, textbook selection, and curriculum development must be approached to turn around the consistent ‘dumbing down’ that now is becoming institutionalized, see her website is www.kathyking2014.com.
Compiled for the voters of Jefferson County by the Progressive Democrats of Southeast Texas, www.pdsetex.org and the Jefferson County Democratic Party, www.jcdptx.org.
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