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| 2/11/2010 8:00:00 AM | Email this article • Print this article |
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| House District 52 candidate Stephen Casey speaks during Monday’s political forum sponsored by the Williamson County Republican Women.
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| House District 52 candidate Larry Gonzales (right) makes a point while candidate John Gordon listens, during Monday’s forum that the Williamson County Republican Women sponsored in Round Rock. |
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House candidates take the podium
GOP candidates take part in forum
The level of basic agreement among the Republican Party's four candidates for House District 52 is such that on Monday, at a luncheon and candidate forum, hot-button social issues such as gun control and abortion were barely touched upon.
Among those candidates - and in front of that audience - they did not need to be. It is an article of faith with the Central Texas GOP that their candidates are going to be pro-life and pro-gun.
As several observers and moderator Emily Trube from KLBJ radio noted, the disagreements were small and the discourse civil, as about 150 people gathered at Wingate Conference Center for the Williamson County Republican Women's forum.
Aside from the ovation District 31 U.S. Rep. John Carter received, the loudest applause of the afternoon came when Barbara Goergen, president for the Williamson County Republican Women, mentioned HD 52 Democratic incumbent Diana Maldonado by name.
After stating the Wilco Republican Women will not be making an endorsement in the March 2 primary, Goergen emphasized that neutrality will not be one of her group's options come November.
"Just as soon as the primary's over we're going to get the behind the candidate and we're going to beat Diana Maldonado!" Goergen said.
One of four GOP primary candidates will be tasked with that duty and on Monday each made their case for why their own policies, priorities and experience would be the best.
Democratic incumbent Maldonado, who is competing her first two-year term of office, is a former Round Rock school board president.
The District 52 area she represents takes in almost all of Round Rock and almost all of the Anderson Mill and Jollyville areas, as well as Hutto, Taylor and Thrall, plus portions of Georgetown and the Brushy Creek Municipal Utility District.
The early voting period, in advance of the March 2 primary, is Feb. 16-26.
The four Republicans looking to unseat Maldonado are Stephen Casey, Alyssa Eacono, Larry Gonzales and John Gordon.
Excerpts from their presentations at Monday's luncheon follow.
Stephen Casey
Casey, 36, emphasized what he called his "servant leadership" approach to the campaign, stating, "We have a tendency in conservative Texas to elect managers. Managers will do good things. Leaders will do the best thing."
While other candidates stated their most important concern is the state budget and deficit, Casey said his top priority if elected would be supporting legislation to let health insurance customers in Texas "shop across state lines."
Regarding taxes, Casey said he believes in lower property tax rates.
"Even if your home is paid off the government can still tax you out of your home," he said.
Casey said with state government's loss in property tax revenue would be offset by raising the sales tax rate to somewhere between 9 and 12 percent.
Casey said he supports Gov, Rick Perry's decision to reject federal stimulus dollars for education, stating Texas should not accept money that has "strings attached."
He also opposes tolling existing roadways and proposed several methods for relieving traffic congestion, including "drivable shoulders."
He favors voter ID legislation.
A U.S. Navy veteran, Casey and his family have lived in the Brushy Creek Municipal Utility District for two years. He maintains a local law practice, specializing in civil litigation - generally family law and civil appeals.
"I don't have any ties to the legislature right now," Casey said. "I think that's an asset."
Alyssa Eacono
Neither Eacono nor Gordon (nor the other two candidates) mentioned the biggest controversy of the campaign so far: Gordon's lawsuit concerning Eacono's residency.
Eacono moved into District 52 last year but one of her campaign's major themes has been that she - as a 1990 Westwood High School graduate - is the "hometown" candidate.
Eacono, 37, works as chief of staff for District 114 state Rep. Will Hartnett, who represents the North Dallas area.
"As chief of staff, I have been writing legislation for years," Eacono said. "I know the budget."
Eacono said she supports Perry's decision to reject federal stimulus money for education.
"We would be teaching here in Williamson County, in our classrooms, what the federal government asks of us," she said. "That they [in classrooms] would be singing the praises of Obama, whatever, that they would be indoctrinating our kids."
Eacono said she favors a waiting period, before a woman can have an abortion, but opposes waiting periods for firearms purchases.
Regarding roadways Eacono said: "My ideal transportation plan is to have Williamson Count at the center of the table. There is no time to have Williamson County in the back seat to Travis County. We are the second-fastest-growing county in the state."
Eacono also expressed concern that she has heard some parents are having their children - as young as 5 and 6 - tattooed with gang insignias.
She said that is "child endangerment" and it should be illegal.
Larry Gonzales
Gonzales, 39, is a Round Rock resident and owner of Lazarus Graphics.
Gonzales said he and his wife - Marie Gonzales, the department chair for special education at McNeil High School - are each active in church and community life.
"Just living in a community is not enough," he said.
Gonzales is making his first run for elected political office, but since 1993 he has worked in advisory roles for a number of elected officials, including then-Lt. Gov. Rick Perry in 1999 and then-Attorney-Gen. John Cornyn in 2001.
Like Eacono, Gonzales has also been a chief of staff, working four years for Dist. 18 state Rep. Jim Otto of Dayton.
"It's a body of work," Gonzales said. "It's a body of experience."
Gonzales called for transparency in the state's budgeting process, so that money allocated for a particular government service will be actually spent for that service.
"It all starts with the budget," he said. "We need to get back to understanding what a dedicated fund is."
Regarding questions about illegal immigration and potential voter fraud, Gonzales said he supports voter ID and that official documents - such as driver's licenses, birth certificates and marriage certificates - should be made more difficult to forge.
Like the others, Gonzales said Perry was right to refuse federal funding.
"Two years from now, that [money] is gone and we're stuck with the rules about how we do our business here in Texas," he said.
Gordon also said he wants to see public schools put greater emphasis on career and technical training.
John Gordon
Gordon, 63, touted his four decades of involvement with Williamson County Republican politics and described himself as a defender of the underdog.
"Hutto said: Don't put a transmission line through the middle of our city," Gordon stated, recalling one recent battle. "The PUC just blew them off. We need to put the 'public' back into Public Utilities Commission."
A former Williamson County Republican Party chairman, Gordon said he and his wife, Ruth, have been active in Round Rock and Williamson County life since the 1970s.
"It's a commitment of years and years, supporting the community from end to end," Gordon said, alluding to his efforts in the 1994-95 anti-drug, anti-gang movement called "Take Back Taylor."
Gordon stressed a commitment to higher education, stating Round Rock and Williamson County residents should be able to attend high school and college locally, then be ready to enter the local workforce.
When asked about the federal stimulus money for education, Gordon offered a slightly different take than the other three candidates.
"When people give you money there's always strings attached," he said. "If it is [compatible] with the goals we have across Texas, we should probably accept it because they're going to give the money to somebody [but] we probably need to develop the means to run our business in Texas."
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