02/19/06  District 110 needs new blood, not an old ODB puppet.

The Dallas Morning News editorial in the District 110 Democratic primary is troubling.  While I don’t attack everything that is written in the DMN, their endorsement is not objective.

Jones is Democrats' top choice for District 110 Friday, February 17, 2006

With no Republican opponent, the Democratic primary for District 110 is, in essence, the general election. This election offers up one familiar challenger, Barbara Mallory Caraway, against a lackluster incumbent, Jesse Jones.    As far as their records as public servants, we feel Mr. Jones is a safer bet. The 75-year-old has a more solid track record of being able to work with others, crucial for Democrats in a Republican-controlled Legislature.    Ms. Caraway, once a Dallas City Council member, and her husband, Dwaine, who got his political start when she appointed him to a city board, have consistently managed to get crosswise even with former allies. It's doubtful that she would be a reliable team player on Dallas' legislative delegation. Mr. Jones, a Baylor University professor, may not show a lot of initiative, but he can be counted on to support the city's interests in Austin.    Ms. Caraway is 49. She owns a political consulting firm, according to her campaign Web site.    We encourage Mr. Jones to find an office in his district. Frankly, we don't buy his reason (not having found an appropriate space) for not having an office where his constituency can voice concerns. We also advise Mr. Jones to revise his opinion on recorded votes, which, in his questionnaire, he called "expensive and sometimes meaningless." The process doesn't have to be costly, and recorded votes do mean something to most voters, who want to know what their elected officials are up to.    Finally, this is a district that could benefit from some fresh political blood; we urge others to consider a run for this seat next time around.

 What are “the city’s interests”  What they should have said is the interests of rich people that run the city behind the scenes.

 District 110 is in a deplorable state.  The District is the most crime-ridden in the city, if not the state.

 Jones is never out front on any issue which affects the welfare of residents, such as crime, lower utility bills, education, or anything else.   

When you look at the editorial, you don’t see any accomplishments listed for Jones.  This is amazing, except he doesn’t have any accomplishments that have impacted his voters.  He has been in office for 12 years and still hasn’t done anything of note.

One thing I can say about some of the other districts is that you know whom the representatives are.

You have heard of folks like Rep. Rafael Anchia and others because they fight for their community; you wouldn’t know who Jesse Jones is if he walked up and stole your pocketbook … which he has been doing for years to the residents of his district.

It’s a known fact that Jones doesn’t live in District 110.  He works in Waco at Baylor and lives in Waco.  If you parked a car in front of his house for a month, you could count on one hand the amount of times he sleeps there.  And, the neighborhood reflects it.

In other interviews, he said things like “I will rely on the support of the precinct chairs”  I bet he will, since he bought most of them Thanksgiving turkeys.

A lot of the same old tricks are still going on in the Southern Sector.  When you all live in North Dallas and other places and wonder why nothing is being done in these areas, you can look to an invisible elected representative like Jones as one of the main reasons. 

His recent claims to fame as a legislator are bills declaring “Dutch Ovens the official state cooking implement” and “Lawn Mower Safety” I’m not making this up.

Look at some of the previous statements in The Dallas Morning News:

N THE MIX Wednesday, March 2, 2005

Where there's smoke ... Rep. Jesse Jones, D-Dallas, filed a bill so blatantly bought-and-paid-for that it's hard to believe this affable lawmaker put his name on it. The bill would make the Dutch oven the Official State Cooking Implement. It calls the cast iron pot "a welcome and dependable fixture at campfires" and notes that the Lone Star Dutch Oven Society promotes it across the state. When Mr. Jones wrote the name of that special-interest group into the bill, he proved what had been suspected all along: He's totally in the pocket of the campfire lobby.

And let’s not forget HB 1372, which is the lawn-mower safety bill. 

79R15651 UM-D


By:  Jones of Dallas                                              H.B. No. 1372

Substitute the following for H.B. No. 1372:                                   

By:  Cook of Navarro                                          C.S.H.B. No. 1372

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the operation of lawn mowers.                                     
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:                        
	SECTION 1.  Chapter 756, Health and Safety Code, is amended 
by adding Subchapter I to read as follows:

SUBCHAPTER I.  LAWN MOWER SAFETY AWARENESS

Sec. 756.151.  DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:                         
		(1)  "Lawn mower" means a machine that is equipped with 
a blade for cutting grass and is designed by the manufacturer for 
lawn care.
		(2)  "Power lawn mower" means a lawn mower that is:                    
			(A)  powered by a gasoline or electric motor; and                     
			(B)  not equipped with a saddle for the use of a 
rider.             
		(3)  "Riding lawn mower" means a lawn mower that is 
equipped with a saddle for the use of:
			(A)  a rider; and                                                     
			(B)  a passenger, if the lawn mower is designed by 
the manufacturer to transport a passenger.
	Sec. 756.152.  REQUIRED WARNINGS.  A person who sells, 
leases, or rents a lawn mower, power lawn mower, or riding lawn 
mower shall:
		(1)  affix a warning to the lawn mower that reads, 
"WARNING: The use of this lawn mower by a person younger than 16 
years of age is dangerous without proper supervision."; and
		(2)  if requested by the person buying, leasing, or 
renting the lawn mower, provide minimum safety instruction 
regarding the use of the lawn mower in the following subjects:
			(A)  preparing the lawn for mowing;                                   
			(B)  handling fuel for the lawn mower;                                
			(C)  appropriate clothing and shoes for mowing;                       
			(D)  proper inspection of safety devices on the 
lawn mower;         
			(E)  the benefits of using a lawn mower with an 
automatic blade cutoff;
			(F)  not mowing the lawn while the grass is wet; 
and                
			(G)  the dangers associated with riding lawn 
mowers.                
	Sec. 756.153.  LAWN MOWER SAFETY ACCOUNT AND GRANT PROGRAM.  
(a)  The lawn mower safety account is an account in the general 
revenue fund.  Money in the account may be appropriated only to the 
Texas Education Agency to make grants to community-based 
organizations to fund lawn mower safety and education programs.
	(b)  The commissioner of education may adopt rules to 
administer the grant program under Subsection (a).
	(c)  The Texas Education Agency may solicit and accept gifts, 
grants, and donations of money for the lawn mower safety awareness 
and education grant program established in Subsection (a).
	(d)  The Texas Education Agency shall deposit any gifts, 
grants, or donations of money received under Subsection (c) in the 
lawn mower safety account.
	SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2005.                           

In fact, if you search on the legislative website you’ll see that they majority of the bills he’s sponsored are commemorations or honorariums for various citizens.

How does this add up to an endorsement?

He has no platform regarding cleaning up the district.  In my opinion, he is not part of the solution; he is part of the problem.  He’s been there for 12 years, and done nothing.

The editors say they don’t accept his reason for not officing in the district. What they didn’t tell you was his reason (in a recent debate) was “there are no 3-story office buildings in the district.”  Of course there aren’t….. You sure haven’t done anything to get any built.  One thing that Ms. Caraway pledged to do is to office in the District and be accessible to the people. 

In the editorial, Jones is called a “Safe choice.” Safe choice means “not an upsetter to the status quo.”  Is that what we really need in the southern sector?

Which former allies are they talking about?  SO, you’re not supposed to say anything to people even though they’re doing wrong and claim to help the community but don’t lift a finger?  Bring them to light….. I can guess whom the sources were for this piece of trash, but to say their names would be to shed light on weasels that don’t deserve it.

DMN Editors, do your research.  Everybody in this town knows that Steve Bartlett appointed Dwaine to the South Dallas trust fund before Ms. Mallory Caraway was in office.  And furthermore, Dwaine’s not running for State Rep so why is his name even in the article?

Jones takes money from TXU as his constituents suffer through utility bills that are more than their house payments.  If you don’t believe me, take a look at his campaign finance reports.

Two recent contributions from TXU are shown here. Note that the most recent contribution occurred in the last month. He also took contributions in 2004.

9/25/2005

1/18/2006

Jones is absent in the community, and silent about its needs.  Is that what YOU would want in your community?  Would YOU vote for a candidate who did nothing for 12 years.  Apparently, that is what the editors of the DMN would advocate.

They’re right.  Barbara Mallory Caraway IS an upsetter to the status quo, which is exactly what is needed in District 110.

Michael Davis

Editor's Comments:  The Dallas Managed News frequently bemoans the lack of challengers to incumbents, but they almost always endorse the incumbent, no matter how incompetent the incumbent might be.  DallasArena.com has not always had good things to say about Barbara Mallory, but she is clearly the more qualified candidate in the race for District 110.  sb