Thank You!

The 2022 Election is over. With the incredible energy of volunteers, students, activists,

and neighbors talking with neighbors, Democrats swept almost all the county-wide

offices. Hays County voters painted the Hill Country blue, which is an achievement in

Texas. Statewide, Democrats did not fare well. Not for lack of effort. These volunteers,

students, and activists put so much energy into Beto’s campaign. I myself was especially

eager to see Rochelle Garza unseat Ken Paxton. And even though I’ve never met anyone

who had anything good to say about Dan Patrick, he somehow held on to the office of Lt.

Governor.

So yeah, we still have work to do in Texas. But with the significant victories in Hays

County, there is a solid base for improvement in 2024. Baby steps.

Thank You!

Now, about those volunteers, students, and activists...

The Hays County Democratic Party was far more successful than the state party.

Disproportionately successful. And that is because of the local Dem groups and activist

organizers who share Dem policy goals. All deserve our profound thanks.

So many people went out in the heat and knocked on doors, talking with neighbors,

encouraging them to register, to show up at the polls. This is important. This is

organizing. When you hear that a candidate is a community organizer, support that

candidate. They’ve put in the hard work already. And without pay. These people do it to

make the world a better place. Every volunteer I met was doing it to make the world a

better place, and to connect with others like them. It is beautiful, and I think they’re great.

You can meet with them and be involved in the next election, which might be pretty

heavy. We’re gonna do the president thing again in 2024. You really should get in touch

with the best fitting group near you pretty soon, come to think about it.

I’m talking about groups like HaysDems, San Marcos Area Democrats (SMAD),

Kyle/Buda Area Democrats (KBAD) College Dems, Dripping Springs Dems. And I’m

also talking about Mano Amiga, which is not partisan except when policy goals coincide,

and they did in this campaign. All these groups are working for that better place, and

even when they differ they work it out by talking it over. They are all just neighbors, and

you should get involved because making the world a better place isn’t about the good

feeling of doing it. It’s about getting it done. And the more people work at it, the more

likely it is to get done before it’s too late.

So, my eternal thanks to all these groups and everyone in them.

Where we are now:

I have begun the work of transition into the DA’s Office. From now on, I’ll say “we,”

because the team is assembling.

Here’s what you should know first. I have asked Gregg Cox to serve as my First Assistant

DA. And I am honored and grateful that he has come on board. Gregg is a veteran

prosecutor with long administrative experience. He retired from the Travis County DA’s

Office and now works for the Texas District and County Attorneys’Association

(TDCAA) as an instructor, lecturer, and educational media producer for the entire state of

Texas. Gregg Cox is a top state-wide professional educator of every DA and prosecutor in

Texas. I encourage anyone to look him up online, although he has sent so many bad guys

to prison you won’t find much personal info there. But you can see who he is perfectly

clearly.

His presence is a big deal, so can I include another couple of paragraphs about Gregg?

Because it bears heavily on where we are now. I’m not going to tell the stories here about

how and why Gregg is with us, but I will. For now, it’s just what it means to have Gregg

on board.

I started letting on to the ADAs a couple of months ago that Gregg would be First

Assistant. This is a key position in the office. This is the person each trial chief reports to,

the person each prosecutor is responsible to until you get me the elected DA. ADAs care

 immensely about who the 1st Asst. is. So you know what they said when I told them. No

way. No way. Gregg Cox? THE Gregg Cox? No way, dude. There’s more to tell about

them going to one of his speaking events, but that’s for another time.

Now they know it’s real. And they are happy about it. Their direct supervisor will be a

man they truly respect as a seasoned and dedicated career prosecutor. And Gregg is a

state-wide figure, bringing immediate connections among the law enforcement

community to the office. Frankly, Gregg is the key to a smooth transition and the careful

implementation of the policies I have campaigned on. He doesn’t much want to be in the

spotlight; I think it’s because he’s sent so many bad guys to prison.

I am hoping for the cooperation of the outgoing DA. I’m not going to say any more about

this now, even though it might could make a feller wonder why.

So that’s where we are now.

What we can expect:

We are also about to enjoy a majority on the Commissioner’s Court. I believe this means

I will get support for my policies there as well. So I am more confident than ever about

our ability to make the change voters want.

As for the courthouse, now that the campaign is over party doesn’t matter. The newly

elected judges will just be judges. I will be DA. No one cares what party you’re in when

you’re in court. At least I’ve never felt it. It is a world apart from politics.

The way forward...

It’s time for me to bury all hatchets, to forget the campaign, to let go of any energies

related to the election. I have 255, 397 new bosses to think about.. If you’re reading this,

you’re probably one of them. If you see me out and about, please remember that I

respond better to constructive criticism from my boss than to shouting. And I always

want to say hi to my neighbors.

Thank you, Hays County, for entrusting me with this important mission. I promise I will

do the best work of my life over the next four years. I want to make Hays the safest

county in Texas, the fairest county in Texas, the best county in Texas.