Clay Jenkins for Dallas County Judge&emdash;Clay Jenkins is a Democratic Candidate for Dallas County Judge in 2010.

It should come as no surprise to Dallas County taxpayers — and potential patients — that Parkland Memorial Hospital has significant, pervasive and systemic deficiencies in the health care it delivers.

This newspaper’s “First, Do No Harm” series examining patient safety in Dallas hospitals reveals as much. So does knowing that Dallas County’s public

The release of a report outlining patient safety problems at Parkland Memorial Hospital is imminent and is likely to require the public facility to make immediate and dramatic improvements, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said Tuesday.

After their regular meeting, Dallas County commissioners met in closed session with the hospital’s Link to Article

Dallas County government rarely shuts down, even in icy weather.

The Metroplex has come to know Friday mornings in August as a great time to pile your plate with not only a hearty breakfast but also a generous helping of political discussion at the Best Southwest Partnerships’ TGIF Legislative Breakfast Series. Methodist Charlton is the title sponsor and host for this event, which allows elected representatives to have a face-to-face conversation with business and community leaders. The Aug. 12 meeting featured Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins.

Read More ››  by: myduncanville.com - {AD}

Category: No category found
Tags: Current News,

Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins came to Irving today to speak at the Irving Chamber's third annual State of Dallas County luncheon. AT&T sponsored the event at theDoubletree Hotel. Chamber chair Robert Martinezwelcomed guests and Irving Mayor Beth Van Duyne read a proclamation announcing the day as AT&T Day in Irving.

Jenkins presented a slide show that listed accomplishments and challenges. The good news--the county budget is balanced. The bad news--more unfunded mandates from the state. He took a few questions, including one on redistricting.

Read More ››  by: Dallas News - {AD}

Category: No category found
Tags: No tags found

Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins talked this morning about his recent two-day trip to Washington D.C. that included a visit to theWhite House and a meeting with President Barack Obama.

Jenkins said he was invited to the White House as part of a meeting between cabinet members and county officials from across the nation to discuss how to work together on key issues.

The all-day me

After listening to more than 30 minutes of public comments in favor of the proposal, the Dallas County Commissioners Court voted 3-2 along party lines Tuesday to add transgender protections to the county’s employment nondiscrimination policy.

Read More ››  by: Dallas Voice - {AD}

Category: No category found
Tags: No tags found

The candidates for Dallas County judge disagreed Tuesday on how to bring more decorum to Dallas County Commission meetings.

Republican Wade Emmert backs a proposal that would remove unruly commissioners or participants from meetings, while Democrat Clay Jenkins says kicking commissioners out of proceedings would result in votes unfairly being taken after a commissioner was removed.

"The goal is for everyone to be able to speak their mind and for no one to feel like that they can't speak their mind because someone else will attack them personally or with profanity or maybe even physically," Emmert told The Dallas Morning News Editorial Board. "So you need ground rules."

Emmert said people acting inappropriately in meetings should be warned and the meeting briefly adjourned. If that doesn't work, they should get the boot – and even be taken to jail.

"You can't let in

Dallas County government is a rough-and-tumble place where courtesy and decorum frequently give way to name calling, insults and personal attacks.

And that's just the stuff you hear in public.

The candidates for county judge – Democrat Clay Jenkins and Republican Wade Emmert – want that to change.

They envision a Commissioners Court where people are treated with dignity and the opinions of rivals, even in dissent, are respected.

Additionally, both men would make county government more transparent and push for tougher ethics policies.

"Unfortunately, our Commissioners Court resembles a bad episode of Jerry Springer," Jenkins said. "It needs to resemble a board that runs a public company that serves the citizens."

Emmert agreed that some of the shenanigans that occur during the weekly county meetings are out of bounds.

"It's shameful t

The good news is that Clay Jenkins didn't shoot a friend or bystander.

But the Democratic nominee for County Judge did hurt his right eye while dove hunting last weekend in West Texas. Jenkins said his eye was sprayed with small debris and dust after he pulled the trigger on a shotgun used to shoot birds. When the eye did not improve, he sought medical treatment.

"I was out bird hunting with some supporters and right as I'm shooting a bird I get something scratchy in my eye," he said. "In hindsight I should have pulled my contact out of my eye and quit hunting."

Jenkins says he owns a lot of guns, including a shotgun, deer rifle, a pistol and other assorted weapons. He adds he loves hunting and supports Second Amendment rights.

As I questioned the civil lawyer's hunting skills, Jenkins blamed his injury on his use of a friend's shotgun, instead of his own.

"I like to dove hunt

Wade Emmert and Clay Jenkins, the candidates for Dallas County judge, have watched as the county's last economic frontier desperately waits for revitalization.

Both men agree that the future of Dallas County as the hub of the region's economic base depends on whether the southern half of the county begins to enjoy the vitality of the north.

"Enough people are beginning to recognize that the right thing and the smart thing are the same thing right now," said Jenkins, a lawyer who lives in Highland Park. "If we do not focus and make a concerted effort to jump-start our economy and renew development south of I-30, we will cede control of the metroplex in the next generation to Collin and Tarrant counties, and we will pay exponentially higher taxes in the process. That's going to give us the impetus to finally get something done."

Emmert agreed that developing southern Dallas was one of the most important tasks

Dallas lawyer Clay Jenkins, virtually unknown to voters six months ago, overwhelmed Larry Duncan Tuesday to win the Democratic nomination for Dallas County judge.

“I’m humbled by it all,” Jenkins said amid a jubilant celebration at the Studio Bar & Grill in Dallas. “Democratic voters in Dallas County showed that it was time for new leadership on the Commissioners Court and that people need to work together.”

He now faces Republican Wade Emmert in a November general election that could determine the balance of power on the court.

Along with a Jenkins victory, Democrats hope former Dallas Mayor Pro Tem Elba Garcia can beat incumbent Republican Ken Mayfield in the District 4 commissioner race. That would give Dallas County Democrats control of the Commissioners Court to complement their already roster of elected officials

Dallas County judge: Clay Jenkins
The Commissioners Court has foundered under Dallas County Judge Jim Foster’s lackluster leadership. Fortunately, Democratic primary voters recognized that the status quo was insufficient when they left Foster in distant third on March 2. Clay Jenkins came within a hair’s breadth of winning that contest outright and avoiding a runoff. He would bring energy, new ideas and civility to a county government that has been mired in public relations disasters. Jenkins offers thoughtful ideas for improving efficiency, making government more transparent and spurring economic development at the International Inland Port of Dallas.

The Democratic primary race for Dallas County judge is ending the way it started, with civil attorney Clay Jenkins outspending rival Larry Duncan and rolling up the support of most of the Democratic establishment.

Duncan, the Dallas County Schools board president, is running a cash-poor campaign that relies on his longtime political connections and familiar name.

On the eve of the primary runoff, the race to become the Democratic nominee for county judge is expected to hinge on which candidate does a better job of getting out their supporters on Tuesday.

No matter who wins, the extra five weeks of campaigning has not come without cost to the Democratic cause.

Jenkins has burned through more than $500,000 to win the nomination and would have to reload for a general election contest against Republican Wade Emmert, who won the GOP nomination without opposition.

On an icy Texas road in 1993, Clay Jenkins was on the phone with his best friend when his compact Cadillac slid over the median and was broadsided by an oncoming car.

The wreck shattered his body and broke his neck. He spent a week in a coma and later endured surgeries and months of rehabilitation.

But it's the lessons he learned on his long road to recovery that he thinks about now as he contemplates his status as the front-runner for the Democratic nomination for Dallas County judge.

“To be in those sorts of valleys, in a strange sort of way, is a blessing,” he said. “Whatever happens on the commissioner’s court, it’s not my toughest day. I know I’ve had my toughest day.”

Jenkins faces Larry Duncan, board president of Dallas County Schools, in an April 13 runoff. The winner of that contest will compete with Republican W

For more than three years, the Dallas County Commissioners Court has lacked a true leader. County Judge Jim Foster has been sitting at the helm, but he’s never really managed to steer the ship.

And as scandals, controversies and general discord boiled over into public view, the leadership void on the court became more apparent.

Fortunately, Democratic primary voters recognized that the status quo was insufficient when they left Foster in distant third on March 2. Clay Jenkins came within a hair’s breadth of winning that contest outright and avoiding a runoff. Voters should return to the polls April 13 to ensure that Jenkins advances to the general election, where he would face a Republican opponent.

Jenkins, a 45-year-old lawyer and co-owner of a health services company, is a relative newcomer to county politics, but he is well prepared and would bring the leadership

Democratic hopefuls for Dallas County Judge, Larry Duncan and Clay Jenkins, are running full throttle towards the finish line of April 13th. That’s when voters pick a winner in this hot runoff race. KERA’s Bill Zeeble caught up with the candidates this weekend at official party meetings.

Thomas Jefferson’s high school auditorium on Saturday offered fertile territory for Clay Jenkins and Larry Duncan. Filled with hundreds of party loyalists, it was the meeting place for the Democrat’s 16th Senatorial District convention. Just the folks Duncan says he’ll need to win next month.

Larry Duncan, Dallas County Judge candidate: These are the people that’ll go out and reach out to other voters.

In the March 2nd primary, Dallas County Schools Board chair Duncan trailed Jenkins with almost 30 percent of the vote. Attorney Jenkins, with many Democratic endorsements and a lot of cash, nearly won outright, falling just short of 50 percent. Duncan, running uphill, says he’s ready.

When Clay Jenkins fell a handful of votes short of a majority in the Democratic primary for Dallas County judge, it forced a runoff that few voters will turn out for.

County election officials project that as little as 1.5 percent of eligible voters will show up for the April 13 Democratic runoff. The contest between Jenkins and Dallas County Schools Board President Larry Duncan tops the ballot.

Jenkins, a civil lawyer, led the competition by more than 20 percentage points, but he was a few dozen votes short of topping 50 percent, as state law requires to prevent a runoff.

Now, the Democratic nomination for county judge hinges on which candidate can muster the most votes in an arena where shoe-leather, hard work and powers of persuasion trump money, institutional support and sometimes name recognition.

“There used to be a televisio

For more than three years, the Dallas County Commissioners Court has lacked a true leader. County Judge Jim Foster has been sitting at the helm, but he’s never really managed to steer the ship. And as scandals, controversies and general discord boiled over into public view, the leadership void on the court became more apparent. Fortunately, Democratic primary voters recognized that the status quo was insufficient when they left Foster in distant third on March 2. Clay Jenkins came within a hair’s breadth of winning that contest outright and avoiding a runoff. Voters should return to the polls on April 13 to ensure that Jenkins advances to the general election, where he would face a Republican opponent.

Read More ››  by: Dallas Morning News, Editorial - {AD}

Category: No category found
Tags: No tags found

Jenkins, a 45-year-old lawyer and co-owner of a health services company, is a relative newcomer to county politics, but he is well prepared and would bring the leadership skills that have been lacking.

For more than three years, the Dallas County Commissioners Court has lacked a true leader. County Judge Jim Foster has been sitting at the helm, but he’s never really managed to steer the ship.

And as scandals, controversies and general discord boiled over into public view, the leadership void on the court became more apparent.

Fortunately, Democratic primary voters recognized that the status quo was insufficient when they left Foster in distant third on March 2. Clay Jenkins came within a hair’s breadth of winning that contest outright and avoiding a runoff. Voters should return to the polls April 13 to ensure that Jenkins advances

In last week’s Democratic primary for Dallas County judge, Clay Jenkins nearly ran away from the field with 49 percent of the vote, coming just short of the 50 percent plus one ballot needed to win the race without a runoff.

Larry Duncan finished second with 29 percent, followed by incumbent Jim Foster, who came in a distant third and will leave office when his term ends next year.

With Duncan 20 points down and Jenkins so close to winning outright, questions have been asked, including: Why is Duncan still running? Why is he making Jenkins spend critical campaign dollars that could be reserved for Republican nominee Wade Emmert?

For Duncan, the answers are simple. He believes he can win and does not want to bow out for a candidate who has yet to prove he can go the distance. And while at first glance one could question Duncan’s logic, his go

Wade Emmert and Clay Jenkins, the men competing to be the next Dallas County judge, have watched with interest as commissioners struggle to close a $22.5 million shortfall in the county's $450 million general fund.

Although neither man has a role in the decision-making process – yet – both have definite ideas about how the budget-making process should be handled.

First and foremost, neither believes taxes should be raised to close the gap. Last week, commissioners tentatively agreed to a 1.5-cent tax increase that would add $18 to the tax bill of the owner of a $150,000 house.

Jenkins, the Democratic nominee, says commissioners should cut their discretionary road and bridge funds and explore the bond market to balance and fortify the county budget.

Jenkins would also scan the budget for needed cuts and efficiencies, but would refrain from laying off employees.

"In tough ec

Clay Jenkins has chosen Jane Hamilton to manage his campaign for county judge.

Hamilton, 32, replaces Taylor McCarty, who left the post after steering Jenkins through a Democratic primary election and runoff.

A New Orleans native, Hamilton directed the 2006 coordinated campaign that resulted in Democrats winning every countywide race they entered. Before officially joining the Jenkins campaign, she was the North Texas Director of the Texas Democratic Trust, a political action committee pushing to turn the Texas House blue. She's still a consultant for the Trust.

Hamilton, who Jenkins describes as the best campaign manager in Texas, will be matched against Kim Garza. She's the manager for Republican Wade Emmert's campaign for county judge.

Garza is the former executive director of the Dallas County Republican Party and was an aide to U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Flower Mound.

The contest for c