Jo Ann De Hoyos County Court-at-Law #11

Transcription

1 Laura Salinas County Court-at-Law #9 Judge Laura Salinas has served as Judge of County Court at Law No. 9 since January of She presides over criminal misdemeanor cases for Bexar County that include DWI, Thefts, Possession of Marijuana, Burglary of a Vehicle and other misdemeanors. Prior to her election to the bench, Judge Salinas was a solo practitioner focusing on criminal law and family law cases. Born and raised in San Antonio, Judge Salinas was the first in her family to graduate from high school and achieve higher education. The oldest of four children, Judge Salinas graduated Magna Cum Laude from Robert E. Lee High School in She attended The University of the Incarnate Word graduating Cum Laude in 1994 where she earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in International Business. Judge Salinas then moved to Dallas to attend Southern Methodist University of Law earning her Juris Doctor in May 1997 and passing the Texas Bar Exam in November Knowing she wanted to serve the community where she was raised, Judge Salinas returned to San Antonio immediately after graduation. Judge Salinas has been a member of the State Bar of Texas since She also spends her time mentoring and sharing her experiences with San Antonio s youth through programs like Courts in School which takes real court proceedings and hearings to San Antonio middle schools and high schools to teach students about the legal system and the consequences of committing crimes. In addition to her close knit and supportive family, Judge Salinas had teachers and counselors who guided her and inspired her career decisions. She feels it is her responsibility to do the same and serve her community. Judge Salinas is proud to serve and preside over County Court at Law No. 9 with respect, integrity, fairness and a strong commitment to applying and following the law. She recognizes the challenges and deep responsibility of hearing and treating every person both equally and individually. Decisions affect not only the person appearing before her Court but our community as well. Thus, every case is important and treated as such. Judge Salinas has been honored by La Prensa Foundation, Inc. 12th Annual Salute to Outstanding Women in Action Honoree in Politics and is an active member of several professional organizations. She is running for re-election in the 2010 General Election and would be honored and humbled to receive your vote and support. Her campaign website is Irene Rios County Court-at-Law #10 Judge Irene Rios serves as judge of County Court at Law No. 10, a civil county court, and has served the citizens of Bexar County in this position for the past 11 years. She graduated with a Bachelor's degree from Texas Tech University and a law degree from St. Mary's University School of Law in That same year she became licensed by the State Bar of Texas. Judge Rios and lawyer Raul Rios have been married for 18 years and blessed with four children. She is dedicated to her family and her career. Judge Rios was elected Administrative County Court Judge by her colleagues in She was also appointed by former Mayor Phil Hardberger and re-appointed by Mayor Julian Castro, to the Municipal Court Advisory Committee and currently serves as Vice Chair. She is a member and Treasurer of the St. Mary's University School of Law Alumni Board. She also participates as a member of the San Antonio Bar Association County Courts Committee. She co-founded the Hispanic Law Alumni Association, St. Mary's University School of Law Chapter, and has served as Past President. Her community involvement also includes teaching Sunday School at her church, Holy Spirit Catholic Church, and being a part of the ACTS community. Judge Rios' commitment to the citizens of Bexar County is to dispense justice respectfully and impartially, to promote prompt trials and prompt decisions, and to save taxpayer dollars by minimizing court and judge expenses. With great respect and humility, she asks for your vote and support in November! Jo Ann De Hoyos County Court-at-Law #11 I graduated Salutatorian from Burbank High School and accepted a scholarship to Princeton University due to its emphasis on undergraduate studies. After graduation from Princeton University I attended New York University School of Law where I was afforded the opportunity to study abroad in Greece and France as part of the International and Comparative Law Program. I also served as Staff Editor of The Review of Law and Social Change. After graduating from New York University, I returned home to Texas to begin my legal career. In an effort to serve my community, I ran and was elected as a director to the Edwards Underground Water District. As director, my charge was to protect and preserve our precious water supply, the Edwards Aquifer. My peers elected me as the first female chair in the Edwards 40-year history. Two years into my practice, I was appointed to serve as Associate Judge of the 289th Judicial District Juvenile Court. I served in this position for 10 years. As Associate Judge I made decisions regarding juvenile criminal defendants and also decisions regarding abused and neglected children. I was appointed to my current position in 1999 and elected in 2000, 2002 and In my current position as Judge County Court-At-Law #11, I preside over a criminal misdemeanor docket. I would like to continue serving my community in this role and humbly ask for your vote in the general election, November 2, Richard Garcia County Court-at-Law #12 As a trial attorney handling both civil and criminal cases for over 14 years and with my extensive legal representation of children in the Bexar County Children s Court, I possess the practical experience as well as the legal knowledge to properly and efficiently run County Court at Law 12. County Court at Law 12 oversees criminal misdemeanor and civil cases as well as the mental health court. With a current enormous backlog of very old cases that await trial, my first priority is to expedite the disposition of these cases. My second priority is to implement new technologies available to the court such as g.p.s. and scram monitors to avoid incarcerating low-level criminals which would aliviate some of the jail s over-population and at the same time save Bexar County citizens money. I also plan to stream-line the court s efficiency by sharing the Mental Health Court duties with other county courts. Additionally, before I became an attorney, I received both a bachelor s and master s degree in architecture and urban design. I designed and masterplanned theme parks for Walt Disney Imagineering. I am also a licensed U.S. customs broker. Also, my travels to over seventy countries and five continents continue to give me insight into how others live and influence my perception of what is just and fair.

2 Monica Gonzalez County Court-at-Law #13 Monica A. Gonzalez is the Judge of County Court at Law # 13. She graduated from St. Mary s School of Law in She began her career in law as an Assistant District Attorney with the Bexar County District Attorney s Office. As a prosecutor, she handled both misdemeanor and felony cases. When she entered private practice, she primarily practiced family law and criminal law. In 1997, the City Council appointed Judge Gonzalez as a Municipal Court Judge for the City of San Antonio, Texas. She was a Municipal Court Judge for 12 years. In September 2009, the Bexar County Commissioners appointed Judge Gonzalez to the newly created County Court at Law # 13. This court was specifically created to preside over Family Violence Cases. Judge Gonzalez is a native San Antonian and is married to James A. Hall. Polly Jackson Spencer Probate Court 1 Polly Jackson Spencer is the Judge of Probate Court #1. She graduated from Duke University with a B.A. in History and received her law degree from St. Mary s Law School. Judge Spencer was appointed to the bench in 1990 and elected that same year. She has been re-elected every four years since. She is an active life member of Phi Delta Phi and a fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation and San Antonio Bar Foundation. Judge Spencer is board certified in estate planning and probate law. She was Chair of the Bexar County Mental Health and Substance Abuse Advisory Committee; a member of the Policy Maker Task Force for the Integration of Behavioral Health Care in Bexar County; and a member of the University Health System Tobacco Advisory Committee. Judge Spencer is a speaker at various State Bar of Texas Professional Development Program courses on matters relating to probate, estate planning and guardianships at Texas College of Probate Judges' workshops, seminars and conferences; at San Antonio Bar Association presentations on various matters relating to probate, estate planning and guardian-ships; and before many other professional and non-professional organizations on various matters related to probate, estate planning, guardianships, and mental health. Ernest Acevedo County Court-at-Law #14 Ernest Acevedo Jr. was born and raised in San Antonio, TX. His parents, Ernest Sr. and Olivia Acevedo, raised him along with his five sisters and 2 brothers. He began working at a young age with his father and five uncles who owned and operated J. Acevedo and Sons Produce Company at the San Antonio Terminal Market. Although his parents stressed the value of hard work, they also encouraged education. He graduated from Jefferson High School in 1969 and went on to St. Mary's University where he received his Bachelor's Degree in Business. Following his undergraduate studies, he graduated from the St. Mary's University School of Law in He opened his private law practice in 1976 and began handling civil and criminal cases. He was one of the founding members of the Mexican American Bar Association and was president of the Bexar County Young Democrats. He also served on the San Antonio Bar District 10 grievance committee for two terms. In September of 2009, after 33 years of running a successful and enjoyable practice, he was appointed unanimously by the Bexar County Commissioners Court to preside over the newly created Country Court at Law #14. His court handles both criminal and civil cases and he is presently assigned to the Jail and Impact Courts. As the incumbent judge, Ernest is respectful, fair, and courteous to all parties that appear before him. He is patient and polite, and his wealth of experience practicing civil and criminal law in San Antonio have made him the best candidate for the position. Ernest wants to continue his time on the bench because he believes he can make a difference in the lives of the parties that appear before him. "No one cares for many of the defendants I see. Many are lost, so I do my best to inspire them and guide them in the right direction," he said in a recent interview. In his first year on the bench, he implemented changes in the Jail Court that resulted in a more efficient processing of all cases being disposed. One of his main objectives was to have fewer low-risk defendants in the system in order to increase the available resources to supervise defendants that are most likely to endanger public safety. He has already helped reduce the jail population, resulting in substantial financial savings to Bexar County. He intends to continue expediting all pending cases in the system and wants to improve methods of probation. He plans to address individuals who pass through his court to better understand what is working and what is not. He wants to offer incentives for defendants to complete probation so they're set up for success, not failure. In addition, he plans to practice "smart justice" by increasing involvement and cooperation amongst those working in the justice system in order to improve efficiency. Ernest has been married to his high school sweetheart, Diana, for 41 years. They have three sons, Ernest III, Steve, and Michael, a daughter-in-law, Connie, and four grandchildren, Ernest IV, Victoria, Andres and Alejandro. Michael LaHood County Court-at-Law #15 Judge Michael LaHood is a San Antonio native who graduated from Central Catholic High School and from St. Mary s University with a degree in Business Administration. He later earned his law degree from St. Mary s Law School. Judge LaHood was licensed by the Texas Supreme Court in 1967 and was in private practice from 1968 until his appointment as Judge of County Court at Law #15 earlier this year. He previously served as the Associate Judge for Mental Health from Judge LaHood served in the U.S. Army, Active and Reserved, for 26 years, retiring as a Lt. Colonel. He is an active member of St. George Maronite Catholic Church. Judge LaHood is married to Norma Mendiola, and has three children. I respectfully ask for your vote in the General Election. Judge Michael LaHood Barbara Scharf-Zeldes Probate Court 2 Advocate, attorney, community and religious leader, and mother are all words used to describe Barbara Scharf-Zeldes, or Barbie as her friends and supporters call her. Barbie s life has been dedicated to public service and that is why so many encouraged her to run for Probate Court #2. It also explains why she has such a strong grassroots network of supporters. For the last 17 years, she has served as in-house counsel for San Antonio police officers and firefighters, representing police officers, firefighters, and their families in legal matters surrounding probate and family law. She has helped children, families and senior citizens, bringing stability to lives unraveled by crisis and tragedy. Barbie is certified to serve as an attorney ad litem and guardian ad litem in the Probate Courts and has been appointed to serve by both judges of these courts. In addition, she was trained at the A.A. White Dispute Resolution Center in mediation, and certified as a police instructor by the Alamo Area Council of Governments. Barbie graduated from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts with a Bachelor of Arts degree in American and Legal Studies and received her law degree from St. Mary s University School of Law. Barbie is actively involved in several community and religious organizations in San Antonio and the State of Texas. She is happily married to Adam Zeldes, a San Antonio Police Detective, and they are blessed with two children: Justin, 13, and David who is 10.

3 Margaret Montemayor District Clerk I am the incumbent District Clerk of Bexar County and is running for my third term to serve as your District Clerk. I was born and raised in San Antonio and I started my career with the District Clerk s Office in 1966 and was a Deputy District Clerk for 30 years before retiring to run for office. I was elected District Clerk on November 5, 2002 and I am the first elected Hispanic female District Clerk in Bexar County. My husband is Frank B. Montemayor whom I ve been married to for 42 years. Frank and I have two children, daughter Gina and son Anthony (wife Elly). We are also blessed with two grandchildren Mateo and Anthony. With over 30 years of proven experience in the District Clerk s Office, I have demonstrated the leadership necessary to serve the citizens of Bexar County. Under my tenure, the District Clerk s Office has been transformed to provide valuable information to assist the citizens of Bexar County in an efficient and user-friendly manner. Through the implementation of e-filing, a centralized collections department, a records department, and a litigant search on-line, the District Clerk s Office is able to offer valuable resources to help the justice system run more effectively. On June 3, 2003 the District Clerk s Office accepted its first e-filing form a local attorney opening the door for an e-filing system that has flourished since that day. The District Clerk s Office instituted a Collections Department to collect outstanding court costs, which has brought in $858, additional in revenue to the county. During my administration my office began enforcing the collection of administrative fees allowable for handling registry funds and brought in $410, Additionally, my office pursued Affidavits of Inability and has collected $65, Since 1986, the City of San Antonio and Bexar County have shared an integrated booking process and 24 hour magistrate services. In view of a significant increase in the population at the Bexar County Adult Detention Center, Bexar County assumed responsibility of the Central Magistration Office Department (CMAG) on November 7, To ensure the efficient operation of CMAG, I was named clerk of records for the magistration function. In January 2008, my office implemented a digital imaging system that has made all civil documents available faster and available to the court at any time. With this new procedure no paper files are created which is a savings to the county and requires less storage. I have and will continue to bring innovative technology to the District Clerk s Office that will make our filing system and records keeping more efficient and userfriendly to ensure that not only attorneys but also the general public are served as well. We at the District Clerk s Office strive to provide outstanding customer service to the citizens of Bexar County. I want to continue my service to Bexar County and I hope I have earned your respect these last almost eight years. I respectfully ask for your VOTE on November 2, And always remember Experience Counts!

4 Tim Ybarra County Clerk I humbly ask for your support and vote to become the next Bexar County Clerk in November After serving my community as a public servant for over 20 years, 19 years with Bexar County, currently with the District Attorney s office and 3 years with the City of San Antonio, I will bring experience, knowledge, and innovative insight to the County Clerk's Office. As County Clerk, I will be responsible for maintaining and protecting the important records that you have entrusted with the department such as your marriage license, deed records, and for the Veteran's your DD214. I will lead 147 current employees with a yearly departmental budget of $7 million dollars and oversee an additional $5 million dollars in contract services. When elected, I will focus on the following objectives: * Conducting an analysis to identify areas where the Clerk's Office may be out of compliance with state statues and codes, such as protecting citizens' private information - example, social security numbers and their identifiers as allowed by law. * Implementing modern work procedures of daily operations. * Providing taxpayer's exceptional customer service through additional services by exploring options to allow customers to pay using various methods, using technology to implement improvements that will make it easier for customers to obtain their public records, upgrading the computer system (IT) to be able to facilitate an e-filing system and providing employees with advanced customer training. * Improving communication with employees - i.e., hosting monthly meeting luncheons with supervisors to hear ideas and suggestions to better the workplace. * Employee incentives for work performance to assist with employee morale and to help alleviate the employee turnover rate. * Building better working relationships with other county entities through accessibility. My mission is to make your visit to the County Clerk's Office as enjoyable and convenient as possible. My commitment to the citizen's of Bexar County is to provide excellent customer service, to be innovative in creating policy and procedures, to be fiscally responsible, and to provide a vision for the future in order to continue serving you more efficiently and effectively. I believe in treating people with dignity and respect, that people have the power to impact positive change within their community, and that staff is the greatest resource to accomplish our mission. For more information, please visit and join Tim Ybarra for County Clerk on Facebook. I respectfully ask for your support in My most valued endorsement is your vote! Paul Elizondo County Commissioner Precinct 2 Paul Elizondo has served the public nearly his entire life - as a Marine Corps veteran, teacher, State Representative and County Commissioner,. Additionally, he has worked as a professional musician and bandleader since earning his Bachelor of Music Education degree from St. Mary s University in From 1963 to 1976, Elizondo was a teacher, band director and music supervisor for the Edgewood Independent School District. Afterwards he served in the same positions at the San Antonio Independent School District from 1976 to Commissioner Elizondo was elected to the Texas House of Representatives from San Antonio s District 57-1 in 1978 and served for two years. He served on the House Committee on State Affairs and the House Committee on Public Education. He was re-elected in 1980 to the 67th Legislature where he again served on the House Committee for State Affairs and the prestigious House Committee for Constitutional Amendments. Following his career as State Representative, Elizondo was elected to serve as a Bexar County Commissioner for Precinct 2 in He has been re-elected in every election since then. His current term expires in 2010 bringing his total years of service on the Commissioners Court to 24 years Edmundo Zaragoza Justice of the Peace Precinct 1 Judge Edmundo M. Zaragoza has been in office as Justice of the Peace since He has a Bachelors of Arts degree from Texas A & I. Previously, he has been a Harlandale High School teacher, Harlandale School Board Member, President and Vice-President of the Harlandale School Board and served on the Alamo Community College Board. He is past president of the St. Lawrence Catholic Church Parish Council and is a member of the Knights of Columbus Council #6757. From , he served as the Director of Customer Service for Via Metropolitan Transit. Tommy Adkisson County Commissioner Precinct 4 Commissioner Adkisson has been serving San Antonio and Bexar County as a private citizen and elected official as both State Representative and County Commissioner for many years. After receiving his bachelor s degree from the University of Texas and his law degree from South Texas College of Law, he began practicing law locally in Commissioner Adkisson was first elected as a State Representative for District 57 in 1981 and was subsequently elected to serve District 119 as a State Representative in Because of outstanding work in this capacity, he was named as one of the Top Ten Legislators by the Family Law Section of the State Bar of Texas. Commissioner Adkisson was first elected as County Commissioner of Precinct Four on November 3, 1998, and has since established himself as a leader in the community. Throughout his time in elected office, he has accepted numerous opportunities to serve Bexar County citizens in a leadership role far beyond the scope of the duties required of these positions. In February 2008, Commissioner Adkisson organized the Jail Symposium to bring together experts to discuss the origins of and solutions to jail and prison overcrowding in Texas. As a means to address the issues that were raised at the symposium, he created the Bexar County Reentry Council in June Commissioner Adkisson regularly convenes council meetings comprised of stakeholders representing the judiciary, law enforcement, social services, advocacy groups, academia and the faith community to develop strategies to reduce the incidence of repeat-offenders, reduce victimization and reduce costs associated with incarceration. Aside from providing great transactional service through the Precinct Four Commissioner Office, he is committed to and will continue to provide leadership in Six Transformational Areas: Energy, Health Care, Jail Population, Transportation, Neighborhood Revitalization and Resource Recovery.

5 Roberto Robbie Vazquez Justice of the Peace Precinct 2, Place 2 I respectfully ask for your vote for Bexar County Justice of the Peace, Precinct 2, Place 2. Having been married 23 years with three children and having served as a Municipal Court Judge, Magistrate, attorney, community/neighborhood advocate, and legislative staffer gives me a unique perspective to be an effective Bexar County Justice of the Peace. Bexar County taxpayers deserve to have their tax dollars spent wisely, and I intend to attack the main issues (court backlog, courtroom efficiencies, jail population issues, technological innovation) in vigorous fashion with creative problem solving rather than the status quo. The Court must provide a forum where citizens receive fair and impartial justice, not factory justice. This process demands timely administration, delivered by a judge with an even judicial temperament. I will work to expose root causes of truancy and ensure truants receive meaningful punishments that keep them moving forward in school and reduce recidivism. I bring a strong work ethic and have proven success in reducing backlogs and creating efficiencies while serving as a Municipal Court Judge for the City of San Antonio. I want to do the same for Bexar County. When the City of San Antonio was experiencing a significant backlog in daily jury settings and trials, I devised and presided over an aggressive court docket to dispose of the backlog. My court reduced the average number of daily jury settings by almost 50% while also ensuring that jury trials were heard promptly. This successfully reduced the entire Jury Docket backlog from 6 months to 45 days. I again put into practice these efficiencies when Municipal Court had a backlog in the Code Compliance/ Environmental Court. This court dealt with many volatile and high profile cases and was understaffed while I presided over it. Nonetheless, I reduced the backlog and had more dispositions than previously experienced in this court. Additionally, I implemented a pre-trial Call docket in order to identify cases that necessitated a jury trial. With a Call docket in place, the court produced savings by moving cases to speedier resolutions as well as avoiding the costs associated with paying police witnesses. During my tenure in Municipal Court and as Jail Magistrate, I presided over all dockets including Code Compliance, Assault, Juvenile, Traffic and TDL Suspension. The above mentioned specialty dockets entailed significantly more effort to dispose of than traffic dockets; however, moving the specialty dockets in an efficient manner created additional time to assist with the traffic dockets. I look forward to implementing these tax saving strategies as Justice of the Peace. William Peche Justice of the Peace Precinct 3 I am running for Bexar County Justice of the Peace, Precinct 3. I am a San Antonio native, born, raised, and educated locally. My family roots in San Antonio date to 1811, and the family name is listed among Texas First Families. My beautiful wife Margaret and I have two sons, Jack and Vincent, age 4 and 2. Some day they too will take special pride in the deep roots of their family in Texas history. I am a proud graduate of Central Catholic High School, class of I earned a Bachelor's degree from UTSA, and some years later earned a Master's degree from American University. My career is in the public sector, beginning with service as an adult probation officer and continuing into public affairs. I served as a legislative director in Congress, and take special pride in legislation I developed that would increase penalties on sex offenders who break the conditions of their release. I will make Precinct 3 a full time court. As a former probation officer, I know that real justice requires hard work, determination, and vigilance. The JP, as the court is commonly known, is a true "People's Court" that is supposed to be answerable to the people. As such, I commit to ensuring that each case in the court is treated with fairness and respect, which requires transforming the court into a full time, operation that works for taxpayers. I will make the court answerable to the people, and end the practice of JPs occupying a perch above and out of sight of the very taxpayers who pay for it. Making the court full time is my first priority, and I will use the resources of a full time court to help reduce truancy in public schools. As a truancy court, JPs are responsible for helping to reduce truancy and its negative consequences ranging from ugly graffiti to serious juvenile crime. Truants waste hard earned taxpayer dollars intended to fund classrooms, textbooks, and school programs. I commit to being active in the community and schools to help develop methods to get these youths back in school and on their way to productive, contributing citizenship. I will help infuse an ethic of work and personal responsibility in truants through innovative sanctions and community service. I appreciate your vote for William Peché, for Justice of the Peace, Precinct 3. Rogelio Roger Lopez, Jr. Justice of the Peace Precinct 4 Rogelio Roger Lopez, Jr. is the Justice of the Peace in Precinct 4, and he has served as the judge in this court since he was appointed by Commissioner s Court in Roger Lopez, Jr. is a native Texan. He graduated from high school having the 4th highest grade point average in his senior class of over 700 students. His grades and his involvement in both school and community activities, earned him the Presidential Achievement Award Scholarship to Texas A&M University in College Station. After graduating with his Bachelor s degree, he studied at St. Mary s University School of Law, making the Dean s List his first semester. He also participated in an internship program with the Fifth Circuit, United States Court of Appeals. After getting his license to practice law in 1994, Roger chose to stay in San Antonio making it his home. As a first year lawyer, he had a brief appearance on 60 Minutes as a result of working on a very high profile case. Presently, Roger is licensed to practice law by the State Bar of Texas, the U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas, and before U.S. Tax Court. In 1999, Roger opened up his own law office dedicating himself to representing a variety of clients in the areas of family, civil, criminal, corporate, and tax law. As a small business owner he has come to understand the demands of a budget along with the responsibility of managing an office and staff. This experience has been crucial to his success in managing the Justice of the Peace Court for Precinct 4. This court is a very high volume court, and last year nearly 50,000 cases were processed in Precinct 4. Judge Lopez has proven he has the necessary experience to effectively serve the citizens of Precinct 4. He is married to Maria Olson Lopez. They live in southeast Bexar County and have two children ages 22 and 17. They are involved in a variety of charitable, civic, and business organizations. Judge Lopez is honored to serve the parents, students, schools, and citizens of Precinct 4. He is dedicated to team work within our community to keep our children in school and help them achieve their full potential. He believes in a just and efficient Court that provides excellent service to all. As your judge he has made it a point to let citizens know that he is accessible and available to all parents, students, and members of our community, and he hopes to continue to be able to do so for many years to come.

6 Soto