By Marla Crockett, KERA 90.1 reporter.
Dallas, TX – Next Tuesday, Republican voters in Dallas County will choose a candidate to run for County Judge in November. The judge presides over the five-member Commissioners Court, which handles all the county's business - from the Sheriff's office to Parkland Hospital. The two Republicans on the ballot have focused on their qualifications, but the race has grown more contentious.
Lee Jackson knows what it's like to serve in an important - but not very visible - public office.
Lee Jackson, Dallas County Judge: "There aren't many people except for relatives who know what the constitutional County Judge does in Texas."
Judge Jackson has held the job for 16 years and is widely praised for his leadership in overseeing county government. Last fall, when Jackson announced his retirement, he declined to endorse a successor.
Jackson: "The Republican Primary voters have a right to look at both candidates and make their decision; that's why we have elections."
[Sound of candidate forum]
A Republican women's club got a recent look at the two candidates - Richard Rozier and Margaret Keliher - at a candidate forum in Farmers Branch.
Margaret Keliher, candidate for County Judge: "My name's Margaret Keliher, running for Lee Jackson's position. You all know what a lot of my qualifications are."
Keliher is a state district judge and a former assistant D.A. and certified public accountant. She's made her business and government experience the centerpiece of her campaign.
Keliher: "I'm the only one in this race who's had experience with big budgets. Looking at this race, we know something about our opponent. We know the budgets he's dealt with have been about 20-million dollars. The Dallas County budget is $1.3 billion.
Richard Rozier, candidate for Dallas County Judge: "I'm the only in this race that's managed a public budget of any size."
Richard Rozier helped do that as Mayor of Desoto from 1995 to 2001. In public appearances, he says Keliher understates his city's budgets. According to a Desoto finance official, Rozier's last budget as Mayor was more like 43-million dollars. In addition to his experience in office and on boards and commissions, Rozier also likes to talk about transportation.
Rozier: "Before Judge Jackson, this hadn't been the job of county judge, but Lee said somebody had to take leadership, get the cities together, and make sure we do something about transportation."
Keliher acknowledges traffic as a major concern, but says Rozier's off the mark here, because transportation isn't part of the county's budget; it's more of a state issue. She also criticizes Rozier for not fully disclosing his current occupation.
Keliher: "He is a lobbyist. What he does is he lobbies county government for his clients. I think it's inappropriate for someone with special interest groups to be the judge and help determine who ought to have the contracts from Dallas County."
Rozier says Keliher's wrong; he does consult with companies seeking local government contracts, but that doesn't make him a lobbyist. The Texas Ethics Commission, which registers all state lobbyists, doesn't list him currently, although he has been registered with the state in the past, including when he was Mayor of Desoto.
Rozier: "My record is clean. I've never been cited by the Ethics Commission or anyone for doing anything wrong, and it's really unfair of Margaret to paint some kind of conspiracy here, or a problem."
Rozier says if elected, he'll close down his company.
Rozier: "I'll be a fulltime county judge, and I won't be involved in the consulting business. I happen to believe my consulting business and the understanding of local government and my lobbying experience bring a wealth of knowledge to this job that Margaret doesn't possess."
One thing Keliher does possess more of is money. She's raised almost three times as much as Rozier has - and sports hundreds of endorsements from the county's Republican establishment. Rozier counts 12 area mayors on his side - and two Republicans on the Commissioners Court, Kenneth Mayfield and Jim Jackson. Commissioner Mike Cantrell has endorsed Margaret Keliher. Lee Jackson calls this development a departure for the Court.
Jackson: "The tradition was that?they'd stay neutral and have a good relationship with the winner. Maybe the times have changed."
Times may also be changing for the GOP. The party has dominated county government for years and holds 4 of the 5 seats on the Commissioners Court. But everyone agrees that the Democrats have gotten more competitive and that Keliher or Rozier will face a tough fight in November against Dallas State Representative Harryette Ehrhardt. She's running unopposed in Tuesday's Democratic primary. For KERA 90.1, I'm Marla Crockett.