Our Children Lose Out

This month, the County Commissioners decided to fire the Teen Court coordinator. Not because of his work, which has been exemplary over the last two years, or his budget, which has been well within the County's needs. No, they fired him over the fact that he's gay.

Justin Nichols is an openly gay administrator for the County's Teen Court, a group whose goal is to keep high school kids out of the system by giving them a jury of their peers, and to introduce teens who are interested in our court system to how justice works. His work on the Teen Court inspired thousands of students over the years to stand up for their rights and respect our legal system. It is a shame that the selfsame Commissioners who commended Justin for his work this time last year have seen fit to remove him purely out of bigotry. If we cannot have justice for the Court Coordinator, can there really be justice in our Teen Court?

Justin’s accomplishments in the Teen Court have been exemplary. He worked with Mothers Against Drunk Driving to create a pair of scholarships for the students who worked on Teen Court. His leadership helped them win the North Texas Teen Court Competition this year. His leadership and dedication will be sorely missed in Collin County. And I see it as yet another reason why we need change on the Commissioner’s Court this November.

Oh, What A Day... And Night!

'Twas an amazing experience at the Democratic Party Convention on March 30th. The Campaign Staff arrived in full force, and we gathered more information and talked to more voters than you could shake a stick at. In all, there were over 3,000 delegates and alternates at the convention - and that doesn't include the hundreds of guests (and politicians!)

I had the opportunity to address the convention that evening, and was well received. We spoke with several groups who had some incredible ideas for the race, and many more who had opinions on how the issues of the day need to be handled.

The convention started at 9 in the morning and went on into the night in order for the party to conduct its Primary caucuses. In fact, the final work did not get completed until 7:00am the next day! All in all, it was an amazing experience for both old and young Democrats alike.

The Last Supper Debate

The First Baptist Church of Melissa hosted Collin County’s final Commissioner’s Debate on February 28th, with the help of Star Papers and 90.5 FM. Trey Graham moderated a panel of three journalists, with additional questions from the Internet and from audience members. It was a two hour debate that went by incredibly fast, thanks to Trey’s deft handling!
Alas, it was my last debate with Corbett and Joe together – this Primary season has been spectacular. The three of us have really taken the time to hash out a framework of the issues that face Collin County. It’s given me a powerful understanding of the problems we all face, not just as citizens, but together as a county and as Texas.
The challenges coming out of the Primary are many, but our campaign is ready to face whichever contestant is necessary in order to come out on top in November. Onward and Upward!

Princeton High Forum

On Thursday, February 21st I had the opportunity to participate in a Candidate Forum sponsored by the Princeton High School Debate Team and the Princeton Chamber of Commerce. Princeton’s debate team, coached by instructor Kyle Brenner, is in The People Speak’s contest, and has a chance to go to New York for the United Nations Foundation.

This was a good, yet brief, opportunity to debate with Joe Jaynes and one of Corbett Howard’s representatives, and respond to questions from the audience and from students in the crowd. The audience was interested in how we County Commissioner candidates would tackle the growth of the area and how we would face the impending water shortages that are certain to plague Collin County.

After the debate, I had a lively conversation with several members of the Debate Team. We discussed everything from local politics and the growth of Princeton to how Collin County could best tackle our green space issues. These teenagers are excellent speakers and were very well informed on the topics of today! I look forward to speaking with the Princeton Debate Team again, as well as other high school groups throughout Collin County!

Victor Manuel,
Candidate for County Commissioner, Pct 3

MLK Parade in Plano

To help celebrate the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., we joined the Democratic Party’s group with our own pair of PT Cruisers! Thanks to Deloris LaJoy, I had the opportunity to ride in style and visit with the throngs of supporters who lined Plano’s Avenue K in remembrance of the sacrifices Doctor King made for all Americans who want to live in harmony.

We topped off the parade with a presentation from the Mayor of Plano, and then went to raise voter awareness with a Voter Registration drive that lasted throughout the day. All in all, it felt good to connect with friends from all walks of life, and to ensure that people remembered the rights that all people of color have won in America!

Time With The Kids

What could possibly be more important than spending time with our children. As the Primary season grinds on, the time I get to spend with all four of my children is ever more precious. With Patrick in college, Anthony at high school, and Ed & Winter in elementary, every moment with them truly counts.

To say Christmas has been the calm before the storm is only slightly right; Christmas has seen its own share of parties and festivals for my family. It’s really been kind of the mini-storm before the Big Storm in February.

Winter and I took a moment here to go over one of the family picture albums and remember how she got to be such a precocious nine years old, then it’s off to bed for her!

Christmas With The Democrats

The Democratic Party of Collin County held their annual Christmas Party at the Spaghetti Warehouse in Plano this year, and it was a blast! Everyone was there, from Dan Dodd, the party chairman, to Tom Daley, candidate for U.S. Congress District 4.

It was a great chance to sit and speak with several of the party members and celebrate Christmas with close friends. Politics took a back seat to remembering the reason for the season, as they say. Merry Christmas to all!