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Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Dallas County Republican sheriff candidates show different levels of ethics

By Nathan Morgan of Richardson City News

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Law enforcement involves character at many levels. In these days and ages character does make a difference. The people should look closely at those who would stretch the limits of legality, especially when selecting a top law enforcement official. Consider the character difference between Lowell Cannaday and Jim Bowles, both seeking to replace Lupe Valdez as Dallas County Sheriff.

Section 255.006 of the Texas Election Code clearly states a candidate commits an offense if they engage in misleading use of an office title, and that the word "for" must be present indicating the office sought and that it must be at least 1/2 the print size of the name of the printed name of the office sought. Compare the campaign signs of the two candidates that appeared around the County Monday and judge for yourself. In a side by side comparison, Cannaday wins the ethics question. Bowles' party-neutered sign suggests his Republican roots may have been planted in sandy soil, where Cannaday's 30-year record with the party is more of a stone castle fortress of conviction. In any case, one would expect a top law enforcement official with a little experience to know and abide by the rules of the road.


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Comments

TexasPatriot

TexasPatriot Anonymous

Technically, you are correct. However, you must remember that Jim WAS the sheriff longer than many of your readers have been alive. He lost in the primary three years ago and even with the time lapse, many of his supporters still think of this election as a RE-election of a man who served Dallas County for many many years.

In this case, I don't think that the issue is of any real legal consequence. Jim and Lowell are both good and qualified men and I wish them both good fortune regardless of who wins the run off election.

Respectfully, Tony Smith, The Texas Patriot

1 year, 7 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

allisonlgriffin Anonymous

I think the wording and font choice on the signs is more than "technical" -- it speaks volumes about the character of the former sheriff.

If he was running purely on his merits, he wouldn't feel the need to hide "former" with a tiny font. Instead, with a little trickery, he is hoping that name ID alone and the suggestion that he is somehow the incumbent being challenged in the primary will carry him through.

If Dallas County voters take 90 seconds to do their research, they'll remember why he is the FORMER sheriff and why we don't a repeat performance of the debacle four years ago.

1 year, 7 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Scott Doyle

Scott Doyle Verified

Ahhh, local politics and another perfect example of why nobody pays attention to it until something goes terribly wrong.

1 year, 7 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

John McClelland

John McClelland Verified

"For" is too small. Also "re-elect" is misleading in the fact in that it implies he is the current office holder. That is a Class A misdemeanor.

The only difference is whether or not someone wants to persue the complaint with the Texas Ethics Commission and spend months waiting for them to do anything. I knew of someone a year ago who violated ยง 255.007, but I didn't want to spend the time to file the complaint.

Though I think the main problem here is when someone thinks they're above the law and dismiss allegations when they are clearly in the wrong.

1 year, 7 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Scott Doyle

Scott Doyle Verified

but I didn't want to spend the time to file the complaint.

Not to mention, it's this kind of nit-picky BS getting blown up in the media that turns people away from local politics.

I hate myself for reading this article in its entirety.

1 year, 7 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

TexasPatriot

TexasPatriot Anonymous

I've known Lowell Cannaday and Jim Bowles both casually for many years and have always respected them. Lowell won the run off and I believe that he will be a great sheriff. Congratulations to Lowell!

1 year, 7 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

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