The two candidates are Chris Daniel and Paul Dwight. I delayed publishing this due to a courtroom challenge by Mr. Daniel of a third candidate, Steve Dormon. You can read about that fight here, here and here. Mr. Dormon was denied a hearing in a last gasp appeal to the Texas Supreme Court.
Chris Daniel
One of our key pillars of conservatism for our Republican Party in Harris County has been the office of District Clerk—the office once held by Charles Bacarisse. Today the office is now held by a Democrat thanks to the 2008 general election. With your help, we will take back one of our key county offices.
The Harris County District Clerk’s Office is probably best known to the general public for its jurisdiction over the summoning of prospective jurors for the 74 courts in its jurisdiction. It is responsible for much more than that, however: the office manages the dockets and filings for these 59 District Courts and 15 County Criminal Courts. This involves a new online filing system that speeds up the process of bringing a legal action before the courts. The District Clerk also handles the deposits paid in certain civil actions. As part of the ongoing historical preservation activities of our county government, the District Clerk’s office now also takes part in the preservation of certain key historical documents, including original founding documents for the City of Houston. Also, the office manages the collections and disbursements of child support and plays a key customer service role in this area.
With the many functions that the District Clerk office performs, it is critical that we have the right conservative leader to manage the office and bring it into the 21st century. Several areas need immediate improvement, per voter survey:
- Parking and the overall burden of performing jury duty have plagued the office for some time.
- Collections and disbursements for child support are antiquated at the District Clerk’s office.
- The online filing system has much room for improvement.
Click here to read Mr. Daniel’s complete response.
Paul Dwight
The District Clerks Office is responsible for the administrative functions for 59 District Courts and 15 County Criminal Courts in Harris County. The office supports those courts by providing services that enable the courts to function efficiently. These services include:
- the summoning of prospective jurors.
- accounting for all money paid as deposits on civil cases awaiting disposition and all funds awarded to minors in court action that are paid into the court registry.
- custodial care and safekeeping of all court records.
The office is also the custodian of historical court documents dating back to 1837.
The office employs several hundred full time career associates, making it one of the largest departments in county government. These associates are located in each of the courts they serve, as well as in the main office located at 201 Caroline.
The District Clerk provides leadership and direction to the staff, and is responsible for cost control and service innovations similar to a business manager in the private sector. The ideal skill set for the District Clerk would include “people skills”, technology experience, and organization abilities. Responsibility for legal rulings rests with the judges inside the courtroom, and responsibility for the business side of the court system is assigned to the District Clerk’s Office.
Top Three Issues:
Technology Innovations
Cost Control
Jury Duty Enhancements
Click here to see Mr. Dwight’s complete response.
Wow! Great responses and I learned more than I ever thought I could about this office. Many thanks to Mr. Daniel and Mr. Dwight for taking the time out during this hectic campaign season to provide this information.