Dallas County Judge GOP Primary
Candidates: Lauren Davis, Edwin Flores
What is the single most common issue voters have raised with you during your campaign, and how do you plan to tackle it?
Lauren Davis: The single most common issue raised by voters during my campaign has been the forced local Government and Dallas ISD mandates. Voters are fatigued with the forced masking of our children in Dallas ISD (still in force) by the local school board trustees and Superintendent, forced vaccines and/or testing on Dallas County residents, and mandated business closures and capacity restrictions that have made it difficult for parents and caretakers to provide for their children and loved ones. Mandates create a scenario where there are only two types of citizens; right or wrong, good or evil. Evil people may be called “terrorists” or “attempted murderers” in society, which is exactly what my family has been called by other families, simply because my children and I chose for them not to wear a mask due to that being the best health decision we made mutually with our long-term Pediatrician. The solution is simple. Dallas County citizens deserve the best health information from a variety of reputable sources, including all available options for treatment, while always maintaining their inalienable and parental rights. Our Constitution protects our human rights, and the mandates that have been instituted at Dallas ISD and by our current County Judge must be removed, and I will do so when I’m elected and ensure they don’t happen again.
Edwin Flores: There are many, but the most common is the need to end the uncoordinated pandemic response, specifically, create a clear and understandable warning system that brings a sense of hope to citizens that the pandemic will end. We need to increase the efficiency of our jail and county hospital. We also need to coordinate between our cities to reduce traffic and increase access to high-speed internet throughout the county.
How would you have responded to the pandemic? Be specific.
Davis: Our Government, including the Commissioners Court, is currently not very transparent. Thus, it’s difficult to say all the changes I would have made without having access to all the relevant data. With that said, I certainly would not have allowed the forced closures of businesses, business capacity restrictions, mask mandates, vaccine mandates, and politicizing of the pandemic that is causing the division of our citizens against each other, which Clay Jenkins is continuing to do.
Flores: First, I would not have used a one-size-fits-all system for protecting citizens. I would have followed the Florida model, which focused on protecting the most vulnerable populations first, redirected available PPE to those most at risk, and would have worked with healthcare providers to protect first responders and healthcare professionals. Second, as a scientist, and working with the Commissioners, I would have designed a transparent set of metrics and a formula for determining the readiness level for the county. A clear, data-driven formula, populated with objective data, would have taken the politics out of the pandemic decision-making. The formula would have allowed citizens to closely track the progress toward the end of the pandemic, rather than knee-jerk reactions when another variant hits the news. A clear and understandable warning system would have instilled a sense of ownership for the county’s residents, and a sense of hope that the pandemic would end. Following a formula, the County would have ended mask mandates months ago.
Do believe that everyone has fair and equitable access to the right to vote? Explain.
Davis: I don’t know “everyone’s” individual story on voting access, so I will not comment on something I haven’t verified directly. What I do know is that the Dallas County Judge position has oversight over the Dallas County Elections Department, and I will be scrutinizing over every detail in that department to ensure that not only do all citizens have proper access but also that election integrity when they do vote is also maintained at all times. There have been many reports already in my campaign of malfunctioning voting machines and political mailers not being delivered to correct addresses, so we need to ensure our elections have the integrity that our citizens deserve them to have.
Flores: Yes, I believe that it should be easy to vote and hard to cheat. I would follow the new state law that increases access to voting, while at the same time providing for hard copies of voting information that can be audited to make sure that elections are fair and to prevent voting fraud.
How are you different from your opponent (or opponents) in this race?
Davis: My opponent is a Dallas ISD Board Trustee who has a voting record that is easily searchable online. I encourage all voters to review his record before casting their vote in this primary election. My positions could not be more starkly contrasted from his. I believe in limited Government, lowering of our taxes to keep more money in our citizens’ pockets to care for their families, removing Critical Race Theory from our schools (per State Law) and local Government, and ending all mandates that are causing our neighbors to turn on each other and are eroding our Texan and American values.
Flores: I have the experience, education, knowledge, and temperament to oversee the operations and budget of Dallas County. Almost three-quarters of the County’s budget is focused on legal matters (e.g., jail, civil and criminal courts). My training as a lawyer and former Dallas County Assistant District attorney gives me the knowledge and skills to oversee these operations. My PhD in Immunology gives me the education and knowledge to bring the pandemic to an end. Finally, for almost 14 years on the school board, I have demonstrated my skills, knowledge, and temperament to work with disparate points of view to do what is best for our community, balance the budget, and maintain the second-lowest tax rate of all the school districts in DFW.
What is the biggest issue the county will face in the next five years, and what is your plan to address it?
Davis: We face so many issues but none bigger than our local Government lacking transparency and the voice of the people. When I’m elected Dallas County Judge, I will shine a light on the darkness inside our billions of dollars spent in our budgeting and contracts, activate thousands of citizens to speak at Commissioners Court to have their voices heard for the first time, and energize Dallas County in a way that has never been seen or felt before in our history. We can achieve Dallas County’s full potential ONLY with our citizens knowing the truth and helping shape the future of our County.
Flores: We must reform the intake system of the jail to reduce the time that police are waiting (up to 4-7 hours!). I would take the following steps. First, very publicly post the current wait time outside the jail. Second, obtain pro bono help from one or more great Dallas based-companies to develop process improvements to provide an immediate decrease in wait time. Third, work with the Commissioners and municipalities to fund the changes in infrastructure needed to reduce the wait time significantly. Other communities have reduced their wait time by decentralizing the initial parts of the intake process. Finally, implement an effective, off-the-shelf jail management software, rather than trying to build our own, which has failed.
