ROCKWALL – The decision for whom to vote in the May 29 Republican Primary Election for Rockwall County Constable Precinct 1 is an easy one. Vote for 2010 Police Academy graduate and long-time County businessman John Benedetto.

Early voting is on now through May 25. Find your voting location on the Rockwall County Elections Department website.

From a family of law enforcement officers, Benedetto is well-known and very highly regarded by many area residents after raising his family, plus owning and operating several businesses, here for the past 29 years.

He’s run air conditioning and home-building companies – with homes in Buffalo Creek and The Shores. He has helped construct homes locally for Habitat For Humanity. He built and operated one of the largest child care facilities in North Texas with enrollment of 300-plus children, Stonebrook Learning Center in Royse City, which his oldest son now operates.

He was a member of the McClendon-Chisholm Planning and Zoning Board, and president for four consecutive years of the Rockwall High School Band Boosters.

He is also a Member of the Rockwall County Republican Men’s Club, Royse City Chamber of Commerce, Royse City Early Bird Rotary Club and has served on the Board of Directors for the Rockwall First United Methodist Church, where he and his wife, Pam, attend.

They currently own Rockwall Healthy Solutions Weight Loss, a very successful business that helps area residents to become much more healthy.

Suffice to say, the Benedettos have developed deep roots in the community, a reputation for honesty and integrity, plus generosity – having helped many people along way.

His continuous record of  service to the community – through business, church, school and charities  – provides ample proof that Benedetto is the best choice to serve the residents of Rockwall County as their Constable in Pct. 1.

In addition, after graduating with honors from the Police Academy in 2010, he passed his Texas Peace Officer exam and is current with all laws, preparing him well for service as a Constable.

His opponent, Vince Zubras, has more experience with the courts and in law enforcement, but much of that was as a volunteer in Denton and Dallas Counties, not Rockwall. Of concern is whether he actually lives in Rockwall County, which he claims but multiple sources dispute. Legally, he must have lived in Rockwall County for six months or more to qualify to run for office here.

Even if he has lived at his daughter’s home in Rockwall since 2010 as he says, he clearly does not have the track record of service to the community that Benedetto has and he will no doubt continue. Zubras’ commitment to Rockwall County clearly comes no where close to that of Benedetto’s.

Bottom line is that it is easy to find people who are well-acquainted and friends with Benedetto. They speak very highly of him.

Few really know who Zubras is, based upon our research.

By J.J. Smith, Publisher

He was also a member of the McClendon-Chisholm Planning and Zoning Board, and president for four consecutive years of the Rockwall High School Band Boosters.

Share

ROCKWALL – Experience matters. That’s why we highly recommend you vote for widely-respected Rockwall attorney and former twice-elected Dallas Co. Criminal Court Judge Jim Pruitt for State Representative in House District 33 on Texas Primary Election Day, May 29, or during early voting which runs now through May 25.

The new House District 33 includes all of Rockwall County and portions of Collin Co., including Frisco.

Many others agree. The pro-life conservative has been endorsed by The Dallas Morning News, the Texas Association of Realtors, Americans Ending Abuse, State Sen. Bob Deuell and most of Rockwall County’s elected officials.

Besides being elected twice by voters in 1994 and 1998, Judge Pruitt was elected by his judicial peers as the Dallas County Presiding Judge for three years and Local Administrative Judge for two years.

As the Presiding Judge, he worked closely with the legislature regarding laws that would affect the criminal justice system and was instrumental in creating the first dedicated family violence court in Dallas Co. He also collaborated with the Department of Public Safety to write the first regulations governing driving-while-intoxicated ignition-interlock providers.

While on the bench, Judge Pruitt was also active in outside legal activities. He became Board Certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization (about one percent of the lawyers in Texas are board certified in this area) and was elected Chair of the Dallas Bar Association Criminal Law Section, a group whose membership includes prosecutors, judges and defense lawyers.

A dedicated believer in Second Amendment rights, Pruitt was the founder and a lead lecturer for a Weapons Education Safety Training Program. This class taught weapons law and law regarding self defense and protection of property to groups including attorneys and law enforcement officers.

He has been a member of the Dallas County DWI Task Force, the Interlock Ignition Advisory Council, the American Probation and Parole Association and, currently, the North Texas Crime Commission. He has spoken to numerous legal groups regarding various legal issues including weapons, DWI laws, family violence issues and judicial ethics.

Judge Pruitt earned a reputation as a tough but fair jurist, who demanded that criminal defendants pay financially for the system that was created to deal with their actions. In his eight years as a judge, he collected millions of dollars in fines and court costs from defendants. He once put notorious Dallas Co. Commissioner John Wiley Price in jail.

For his honesty and integrity, he has been lauded by his peers and citizens as a man of action who can work and communicate with people from all walks of life.

After leaving the bench, Pruitt moved to Rockwall County and became the managing partner of Culpepper and Pruitt with offices in Rockwall and Dallas. When his wife, Kenda Culpepper, was elected as the Rockwall County District Attorney in 2008, he created the Pruitt Law Firm which practices law in areas including mediation, family law and intellectual property law. Jim’s daughter also works for the firm.

He recently rolled out a comprehensive plan to improve ethics and transparency in the Texas House. His reform plan comes after several public scandals involving State Representatives and a special interest lobbyist. His proposed reforms include:

• Require all political advocacy groups to provide the names of donors and donation amounts on their website.
• End pension benefits for State Representatives convicted of felony criminal activity.
• Phase out the state pension program for State Representatives because their public service was never meant to be a full-time career.
• Impose additional disclosure requirements when Representatives meet with registered lobbyists.
• Enact more severe fines and penalties, including possible incarceration, for Representatives guilty of egregious ethics violations.
• Prohibit Representatives from serving as paid lobbyists immediately after stepping down from the Texas House.

His ethics reform plan is a first step towards shining the light on the Texas House and ending the backroom politics that have caused Texans to lose trust in their elected leaders.

Although his opponent, businessman Scott Turner, seems to be fine man with plenty of conservative endorsements, this is not his time. Turner has nowhere near the experience nor qualifications that Pruitt has.

Rockwall and Collin County voters would be smart to vote for Pruitt because he is honest, fair and a dedicated, life-long Republican who knows the territory who will hit the ground running as soon as he is elected. Turner would have to spend months learning the ropes in Austin, due to his inexperience.

For more info about Pruitt, see www.pruittfortexas.com or call (469) 698-8550.

By J.J. Smith, Publisher

Share

ROCKWALL – Under the guidance of the Texas Department of State Health Services, Rockwall County has established a Child Fatality Review Team (CFRT) to review the deaths of all children under 18 years old, regardless of cause or suspected cause.

According to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Rockwall Marketing Director Nikki Mutschler, the team brings together the expertise of 25 local law enforcement, legal, child advocacy and medical personnel who will review the reason for children’s deaths over the past decade, from a public health perspective.

By reviewing circumstances surrounding child deaths, she explained teams will identify prevention strategies that will decrease the incidence of preventable child deaths by:

• Providing assistance, direction, and coordination to investigations of child deaths;
• Promoting cooperation, communication, and coordination among agencies involved in responding to child fatalities;
• Developing an understanding of the causes and incidence of child deaths in the county or counties in which the team is located;
• Recommending changes to agencies, through the agency’s representative member, that will reduce the number of preventable child deaths; and
• Advising the State Committee on changes to law, policy, or practice that will assist the team and the agencies represented on the team in fulfilling their duties.

According to Gregory Sonnen M.D., a pediatrician with Pediatric & Adolescent Specialists of Rockwall, who is the Rockwall County CFDT Presiding Officer, there were 12 child deaths in 2011. Most died outside of the County, such as in traffic accidents.

Mutschler said the Rockwall CFRT is comprised of individuals who serve the community in a variety of occupations and whose backgrounds benefit the evaluation and review process for child fatality events. The team had its first quarterly meeting in January and will meet again May 29 at the County Courthouse.

Members of the Rockwall CFRT are:

• Gregory Sonnen, M.D., F.A.A.P., CFRT Presiding Officer; Pediatrician, Pediatric & Adolescent Specialists of Rockwall
• Tami Hawkins, RN, MSN, Child Fatality Review Team Coordinator; Vice President, Patient Care Services, CNO, Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Rockwall
• Christy Peoples, Child Fatality Review Team Data Reporting, Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Rockwall
• Kenda Culpepper, Rockwall County Criminal District Attorney
• Ashley Anderson, Rockwall County Assistant Criminal District Attorney
• Harold Eavenson, Rockwall County Sheriff
• Nancy Beaty, Justice of the Peace, Rockwall County Precinct 2
• Terry Garrett, Director of Public Safety, Heath, TX
• Sara Bonser, Assistant Superintendent, RISD Student/Family Services
• Nichol Smithers, RN, M.Ed., MSN, RISD Student/Family Services
• Laurel Tate, LCSW, Licensed Clinical Social Worker
• David Lensch, M.D., Rockwall City Medical Director, Baylor Family Medical Center at Rockwall
• Gary Bonacquisti, M.D., Rockwall County Medical Director, Benchmark Family Medicine
• Katie Gerber, Child Protective Services Specialist
• Vickie Nettleton, Program Director, CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates)
• Angie Scalf, Rockwall County Chief Juvenile Probation Officer
• Sumer Wassef, LPC, Victim Services, Texas Department of Public Safety
• Susan Clark, Traffic Safety Specialist, TxDOT
• Sue White, Rockwall County Victims Assistance Coordinator
• Samuel R. Crowley, M.D., Emergency Physician, Emergency Medical Consultants
• Vickie Oldham, Detective, Criminal Investigation Department, Rockwall County Sheriff’s Office
• Theresa Marie Snyder MS, RNC, CPN Womens Services, Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Rockwall
• Tim Wolf, LP, CCEMT-P, Paramedic Supervisor, Rockwall County Emergency Medical Services
• Martin Ramirez, LP, Paramedic Supervisor, Rockwall County Emergency Medical Services
• Katie Martin, BS, RN, CEN, Director Critical Care and Emergency Services, Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Rockwall

For more information on Rockwall County’s Child Fatality Review Team, contact Gregory Sonnen, M.D. at 214-771-3712.

By J.J. Smith, Publisher

Share

ROCKWALL – On the heels of this past Saturday’s city and school board elections, early voting begins today for the Texas Republican and Democrat Primary Elections, scheduled May 29, after originally being scheduled for March 6 and then April 3.

The changes were due to redistricting challenges by minority groups, which were finally resolved by the courts.

Early voting will continue through May 25 for the following federal, state and county offices:

• US President
• US Senate
• US Representative
• State Railroad Commissioner
• State Supreme Court
• State Board of Education
• State Representative
• Fifth Court of Appeals District
• County Commissioner
• County Constable

There are also five Referendums on the ballot dealing with:

• School Choice
• Repealing Obamacare
• Public Prayer
• Balancing State Budget
• Redistricting

To see the actual ballots, identify voting locations, hours or obtain voting information, visit the Rockwall County Elections Department website at:

http://rockwall-tx.connect4.clarityelections.com/

It is too late to register to vote in the May 29 election or early voting.

By J.J. Smith, Publisher

Share

ROCKWALL – A candidate debate and forum between the numerous candidates running for County commissioner, constable and Justice of the Peace positions will be hosted by the Rockwall County Republican Women and Young Republicans Monday, May 14, at 6:30 pm, at the Utley Middle School Cafeteria, 1201 T. L. Townsend Dr. across from the RISD stadium.

The three candidates for County Commissioner are former three-term Rockwall Mayor and Council member Bill Cecil, three-term Rockwall City Council member Cliff Sevier and businessman Dick Demien.

Running for County constables in the new Precinct 1 are Police Academy graduate and businessman John Benedetto vs. businessman and Denton Co. volunteer constable Vince Zubras.

Former Rockwall Police Officer Paul Britt is running against former Rockwall Police Officer and County Commissioner Trey Chaney in the new Precinct 2.

In Precinct 3, incumbent John Cullin vs. Tom Egan.

In Precinct 4, incumbent Randy Earl Parks vs. James Cookston.

In the new Precinct 3, Justice of the Peace candidates are former County Judge Chris Florance, former County Commissioner Joe Florey and two-term Rockwall City Council member Mark Russo, who will resign from Council if elected.

In the new Precinct 4, Justice of the Peace candidates are Royse City Council Member James Branch, Former Justice of the Peace David Karr and former County District Attorney Office Felony Administrator Liana Bell Whitten.

Share

ROCKWALL COUNTY – Linda Mitchell Duran in Rockwall ISD and Eric Forte in Royse City ISD were elected as new school board members today.

In a close contest, retired educator Duran (above) defeated Brian Young by 49% to 45% (2,256 to 2,054 votes), with Daniel Fuqua third at 6% (295 votes).

Unopposed candidates Russ Childers and Chris Cuny were also re-elected as Trustees to the RISD school board.

In Royse City, Forte received 72% of the vote, beating Joseph Bennett 197 to 76 votes.

Unopposed RCISD Trustees Charlie Carroll and Don Palmer were also re-elected.

Results are still unofficial.

Share

ROCKWALL – Rockwall voters today elected Dennis Lewis (left) and Mike Townsend (center) as new City Council members, re-elected unopposed Mayor Pro Tem Mark Russo to a third Council term and voted “For” Propositions 2 (Downtown Improvements) and 5 (Road Projects).

Propositions 1 (Athletic Complex), 3 (Fire Improvements) and 4 (Heritage Park) were defeated.

Results are now official.

Lewis defeated Michael Johnston and Freddie Jackson, with 1,366 votes (52%) to their 909 (35%) and 358 (14%) votes, respectively.

Mike Townsend received 2,323 votes (86%) to Jonathan Gideon Singh’s 371  votes (14%).

Proposition 2 – $8.6 million Downtown Improvements, including sidewalks and more parking – was passed by 52% voters (1,822 to 1,710 votes).

Proposition 5 – $19.175 million Street and Road Construction – was passed by 58% of voters (2,050 to 1,456 votes).

Proposition 1 – $25 million Athletic Complex – was defeated by 67% of voters (2,354 to 1,162 votes).

Proposition 3 – $1.6 million Fire Improvments – was defeated by 59% of voters (2,084 to 1,421 votes)

Proposition 4 – $4.95 million Heritage Park – was defeated by 64% of voters (2,251 to 1,265 votes).

By J.J. Smith, Publisher

Share

HEATH – Heath voters today elected unopposed City Council Member Lorne Liechty (left) as their new Mayor, Brian Berry (middle with wife) to the City Council, re-elected City Council Member Julie Zurek (right with husband) and easily passed the beer & wine sales option which opens the door to a local grocery store and other commercial development in the city.

Results are now official.

Liechty, Berry and Zurek will be officially sworn in at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting.

Berry was elected to the City Council over John Curtis with 733 votes (64%) to 561 votes (36%). He replaces Liechty.

Six-term City Council Member Julie Zurek was re-elected to another two-year term over Joan Ream by nearly a 3-to-1 margin, 971 votes (71%) to 404 (29%).

In the Special Election for beer and wine sales, there were 961 votes (64%) and 538 votes (36%) against.

By J.J. Smith, Publisher

Share

ROCKWALL – Want to know what the three Rockwall ISD school board candidates vying for the open seat in the May 12 Board of Trustees Election think about current educational issues?

TheRockwallNews.com asked all three to answer the same seven questions about issues which are likely on the minds of voters.

Subjects are:

1. STAAR/TAKS tests
2. School Choice
3. School Competition
4. Bullying of homosexual students
5. Parental Notification regarding abortions
6. RISD voting record
7. Political party affiliation

Following are their responses verbatim:

DANIEL FUQUA (left photo):

1) STAAR/TAKS testing – Yes or No, and why?

Standardized testing in and of itself is a good thing. It provides the opportunity to see how students are doing in relation to a specific competency level, which provides feedback on areas that need improvement both for the individual student, and for different groups of students, by classroom, by grade level, by school and by district.

While the testing itself can provide great feedback for improvement, the issue comes with everything that is tied to the results of these exams.

The District accountability ratings are based off the scores from these tests, and the overall rating can be determined by a small percentage of students that do poorly in one category in one demographic group.

Per the RISD website, out of the 25 accountability measures for the district we achieved the following:

• 19 Exemplary (90 – 100% of students met standard)
• 5 Recognized   (80-89% of students met standard)
• 1 Academically Acceptable (70-79% of students met standard)
• 0 Academically Unacceptable

For instance Rockwall ISD’s Accountability rating for 2011 is “Academically Acceptable” (down from Recognized the two previous years), but our only Academically Acceptable rating was in science for a specific demographic group. 

It seems that the accountability ratings unfairly penalize the entire district for the poor performance of a few students.  To fully understand the impact of these ratings, understand that people looking to move to the area look at these ratings when deciding where to buy a home. If people do not drill down and look at the underlying results achieved in the district, they could form an inaccurate opinion of the quality of our schools, when we are actually accomplishing great things.

2) School Choice – Should parents be able to send their children to the school of their choice within a district?

There is already a mechanism in place to request a transfer to a different school within the District, and I personally have known people who have requested and received permission to attend a different school in the district.

From the school board’s perspective the focus should be on supporting and making sure that EACH school in the District is providing a quality education to the students and that there is parity between the schools within the District in regards to quality of facilities, technology available, and staffing ratios.

The positive thing about students attending the school nearest their home is that friendships can form with other students who live nearby, offering the opportunity to play and study together outside of school.

3) School Competition – Should parents who send their children to private or charter schools receive tax credits?

To start, Charter Schools are publically-funded and parents do not pay to send their children to these schools, so why would there be a tax credit for them?

For Private Schools (and Charter Schools) presumably what you are asking is: Should they receive a tax credit because they paid property taxes and did not use the public schools? But you have to stop and think about the fact that there are MANY tax payers in the District who do not use the public schools (because they do not have any children, or their children are already grown), but they still have to pay the property taxes and they get to deduct the property taxes on their income taxes.

Deciding to put children in private school is a personal decision for parents, and many sacrifice to be able to afford it, but it does not change the tax systems we have for property and income taxes.

4) LGBT issues – Should RISD allow students to hold a “Day of Silence” to protest the bullying and harassment of gay students?

Why are you singling out a sub-group? We should support programs that curb bullying and harassment of ANY student for ANY reason.

5) Parental Notification – Should schools assist students to obtain abortions without notifying parents?

This is outside the scope of the school’s control. There are counselors at each campus that can refer students to a variety of professionals and organizations that can assist the student when they are in crisis for any number of reasons.

6) Have you voted in the last three school board elections?

I voted in the 2011 School Board Election. In 2010 both candidates (Doug Hamilton and David Loftis) ran unopposed (no reason to vote), and I missed the 2009 school board election which did have two contested and one uncontested race.

7) Although this is not a partisan election, do you tend to vote more for Republicans or Democrats and why?

I vote on individual candidates, not straight ticket, but I am fiscally conservative, and so my vote tends to align with candidates who are fiscally conservative.

LINDA MITCHELL-DURAN

1) STAAR/TAKS testing – Yes or No, and why?

I am for some testing and accountability in our school system.  However, I have seen that the “testing culture” has simply overtaken our school system.

This semester, the high school levels are testing 45 out of 90 school days.  That is just ridiculous!  Now that’s not ALL the students each of those days, but someone in the school is doing TAKS or STARR or some type of state testing for all those days.  This actually disrupts the learning process!

And think how expensive that is!!!!!  Wow, how many teachers could we hire with that money?

A balance of some testing some years to make sure we are on track is good.  But as usual, we have gone too far and need to back off a bit.

2) School Choice – Should parents be able to send their children to the school of their choice within a district?

I rather like the idea of school choice--if there is room in the school and if it is handled in such a way to allow the administrators and teachers time to prepare for the influx of students.  Garland ISD has such a system and it has worked pretty well.  I taught there for a few years and liked it.  I do not, however, want parents to be switching students around every couple of months because they get mad at this teacher or that coach or that student.  There would have to be guidelines.

3) School Competition – Should parents who send their children to private or charter schools receive tax credits?

The voucher system for tax payer dollars going to private institutions is a “hot topic.”  My preference is to make the public system so great that no one would want to move their child, but that is not realistic in some environments.  We have to be very, very careful with tax payer dollars and make sure that these private institutions are teaching the core curriculum adequately. Accountability in this situation would be a must!

Right now, Charter Schools do get tax payer money and people can send their children.  Some are great and doing a wonderful job in educating our children.  Some are horrible and are ripping off your and my tax dollars and not helping our children at all.  I don’t want to inhibit their creativity with the educational process but I do want to make sure that our children actually learn in that process.

4) LGBT issues – Should RISD allow students to hold a “Day of Silence” to protest the bullying and harassment of gay students?

Bullying in schools should never be allowed no matter who the student is.  I’m not for a day of silence because that interferes with the educational process–and school is for learning.  I am for stopping bullying in ALL its forms against any child regardless of the reason. This is actually a matter of life and death for our children! If some training for teachers and students on how to spot and stop bullying is needed I’m for it.  But a day of silence just disrupts education so I say NO.

5) Parental Notification – Should schools assist students to obtain abortions without notifying parents?

Schools should NEVER, let me repeat NEVER assist a student in getting an abortion or any medical treatment-period. With or without parent involvement.  Of course if there is an accident and a student needs to go to the emergency room and there is no way to reach the parent,  the school would do that.  But any other medical issue and especially abortion–absolutely not.  That is not the role of the educational system. Our role is to teach children.  For any medical or health related issues, parents should be notified immediately!

6) Have you voted in the last three school board elections?

I did.  I always do. Not every one of the candidates did!  

7) Although this is not a partisan election, do you tend to vote more for Republicans or Democrats and why?

First I have voted democratic a few times.  I voted in the 2008 presidential primary to see how all that “two step” stuff worked.  It was very educational.  It was obvious that McCain would win the republican primary so I knew it wouldn’t really change anything.

And a friend of mine told me I voted in the democratic primary in 2002.  That was the last year that Ralph Hall ran as a democrat and he had a pretty stout challenger if I remember correctly.  My parents encouraged all of us to vote in the democratic primary that year to support Ralph(a life long friend) so we did.  In 2004, he became a republican and ran for the first time on the republican ticket.

I am not an ideologue and I look at individuals and issues independently.  I have voted republican many, many times.  I have voted republican for Governor and President many,many times. I have voted in republican primaries many times. I always vote for Ralph–no matter the party.   Many people have said not to for several different reasons and of course I don’t agree with him on everything, but not voting for Ralph would be like not voting for my father–impossible!

It’s quite interesting because I spoke with one woman who said if I was independent or republican it was okay but that, “If my mother or Jesus Christ himself were on the democratic ticket I would not vote for them.”  Another lady asked me if I ever voted republican.  Of course I said yes.  ”I could never vote for anyone who ever, even once voted republican.”

BRIAN YOUNG:

1) STAAR/TAKS testing – Yes or No, and why?

We have to benchmark our students learning to those that fund our district; however, we must allow our teachers to focus on teaching in the classroom and not our students learning how to master these type of tests.

2) School Choice – Should parents be able to send their children to the school of their choice within a district?

No, we have based our schools on a neighborhood type model in order to build community and that should continue to be our philosophy.

3) School Competition – Should parents who send their children to private or charter schools receive tax credits?

No, it would dilute our tax base that supports our district.

4) LGBT issues – Should RISD allow students to hold a “Day of Silence” to protest the bullying and harassment of gay students?

Bullying is horrible and it should be addressed on global perspective not to a specific group.

5) Parental Notification – Should schools assist students to obtain abortions without notifying parents?

NO!!!

6) Have you voted in the last three school board elections?

To my knowledge, I have voted in the past three elections.

7) Although this is not a partisan election, do you tend to vote more for Republicans or Democrats and why?

Republican.  I am a conservative in my views and actions.

By J.J. Smith, Publisher

Share

ROCKWALL – Three excellent candidates are running for the Rockwall ISD Board of Trustees seat being vacated by Craig Zurek in the May 12 school board election:  former long-time Rockwall ISD teacher and counselor Linda Mitchell Duran, professional engineer Daniel Fuqua and medical equipment company salesman Brian Young.

Young has already been endorsed by Zurek and former board member Brad Lamberth, which speaks volumes in his behalf.

He is highly invested in RISD, with four daughters at RISD schools, has served for two years on the PTA Board at Pullen Elementary, where he also started Panther Dads. With his wife and daughters, theirs was one of the founding families of Sabine Creek Ranch Youth Camp.

A 1992 graduate of Baylor University, he says that he wants to ensure that emerging technology is made available to RISD students and he has an eye to planning for the future. He is personable and seems well-prepared to become a Trustee.

Fuqua has two daughters at Doris Cullins Lakepointe Elementary School. With an MBA from Amberton University, the graduate of Texas A&M is well-educated and seems focused on ensuring that taxpayers’ dollars are well-spent. The US Navy veteran says he supports transparency, fiscal responsibility and community input, so he should fit in well with other Board members.

As good as both of these candidates are, rarely does a candidate come along so experienced and so well-qualified to hold a school board seat as Duran.

After 12 years of teaching from pre-K through college level, she was a Rockwall High School academic guidance counselor, who assisted thousands of Rockwall students and their families.

Before obtaining a Master’s Degree in Counseling and Bachelor’s Degree in English from the University of Texas, she was raised in Rockwall and graduated from Rockwall High, as did her three daughters.

She was also just named Specialist of the Year for 2012 out of 6,000 Specialists for her work with The National Institute for Trauma and Loss in Children as a certified trainer and consultant, where she has authored an online course for the certification of Trauma and Loss Specialists.

She has also been managing partner for her family’s business, Mitchell Property and Investments, since 2001.

Duran agrees that STAAR/TAKS testing has gone too far, supports school choice for parents, is opposed to students observing the annual “Day of Silence,” is opposed to school nurses assisting with students in getting abortions/medical treatment and has voted in all school board elections. She said she is an Independent voter who has voted for Republicans and Democrats.

Duran possesses a unique set of skills and values which will be of invaluable assistance to RISD. The combination of her educational expertise, business experience, and long-time commitment and concern for RISD make her the best choice to serve as the newest school board member.

We strongly urge you to vote for Linda Mitchell-Duran for RISD Board of Trustees.

By J.J. Smith, Publisher

Share