Meet the Democratic candidates running for Texas Senate District 12
The Star-Telegram sent questionnaires to all candidates. Responses have been edited for clarity and length.
Randy Daniels
Occupation: Retired.
Prior experience: Commercial Banking Lending Officer for both Texas and New York City financial center banks, International CPA Firm Senior Executive Management Consultant, Fortune 500 role as Chief Financial Officer. Responsible for managing yearly budgets of greater than $200 Million, designing Employee Bonus Plans, managing compensation and benefits, primary role of economic forecasting in Senior Executive group.
Age: 60
Websites: https://www.facebook.com/TexasDemocratsSmallBusinessCaucus, https://www.facebook.com/HistoricJenkinsDanielsHouse/, http://www.HeritageCapitalConsulting.com
Public offices you’ve held or run for, with years: This candidate has not yet run for “public” office. Thus, I am not a career paid politician. However, this Candidate for SD12 has previously served in many quasi-publicly-elected roles for The Democratic Party of Texas, both in Austin and Tarrant County: Serving 2004-2020 Tarrant County Election JUDGE, and County Deputy VOTER REGISTRAR; Serving 2016-2020 CHAIR, State of ‘Texas Democrats Small Business Caucus’; Serving 2012-2020 currently sitting Democratic CHAIR Texas Senate District 12 State Caucus (Republican Jane Nelson’s SD12), CHAIR is voted by joint State Delegation for SENATE DISTRICT 12, both Denton County & Tarrant County State Democratic Convention Voters.
Have you ever been arrested, charged with a crime or otherwise been part of a criminal proceeding? If yes, please explain:
Yes, but Mr. John Teakell, Prosecutor and Attorney Mark Daniel described the situation as a “civil matter gone awry”. I had left a Mortgage Company on November 21, 1995 with my insurance funds paid me by Chubb Insurance Lloyds for damages from what has become known as ‘The May Fest 1995 Hail Storm’. However, someone at the Mortgage Company called the FWPD five weeks later, on December 28, 1995 claiming that I had stolen my own funds. The Supervising Lieutenant of the FWPD fraud division reviewed the Police Report, closing the case, marking: “DISPOSITION: “UNFOUNDED”. Terri Moore prosecuted years later.
Have you been involved in a civil lawsuit or bankruptcy proceeding? If yes, please explain:
Yes. In my career as a Small Business Owner, I have been required to file suit in order to collect monies owed by Companies, sometimes in bankruptcy, and dating back to 1991.
Why are you seeking this office?
To provide public service. To STUDY AND DEVELOP SOLUTIONS that will serve all Texans in their lives, their families, their values, beliefs, and their hard work. I do passionately believe in serving. I am at my best when serving the interests of others. I have served in many roles without pay throughout my life. However, I achieve in my primary goals, and I want my perspective and abilities to benefit us, all Texans, Immigrants, and even State of Texas Visitors.
What would your top 3 policy priorities be?
PUBLIC HEALTHCARE:
I believe adequate Healthcare is a right not a privilege. Texans would be more securely insured, protected against unfair insurance underwriting practices such as excluding “pre-existing conditions.”
PUBLIC PROPERTY TAXES/PRIVATE PROPERTY INSURANCE:
Residential Homestead Properties of Texans would face a lessened Property Tax percentage burden on homes valued at less than $200,000.00. In regards to the TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF INSURANCE, we would push to initiate the “Sunset Clause” as TDI no longer protects individual consumers.
PUBLIC EDUCATION:
We would utilize my experience in budgeting to initiate stronger revenue for the State and fully fund Public Education for Texans.
Why should voters choose you over your opponent(s)?
My specific goals for changing the Office which will aid the Citizens of the State of Texas. The State Budget will increase. My history of proven public service and electability. This proven and tested candidate has the breadth of experience needed for this important State of Texas Senate seat, and the desired resulting electability. I will win this tough race against 20-plus year incumbent, Flower Mound’s elected Senator Jane Nelson, in office since 1993. I will reverse Ms. Nelson’s positions on Public Health and Public Education for the public good, and will not be beholden to any special interest lobbyists.
What changes in Texas gun laws would you vote for?
I propose closing the “Gun Show Loophole” for background checks, a step already enacted by all other major Cities in Texas, except Fort Worth.
We Democrats proposed this necessary step. I have spoken in person to Mayor Betsy Price, despite Fort Worth’s highly attended, lucrative Gun Show currently held at City facilities, enriching my neighborhood.
I will help reverse laws currently allowing certain “Concealed Carry” licenses, and return Texas to common sense legislation. In safe steps I vote for banning assault-style weapon sales and ownership by private citizens, better arming our police and deputies, and enacting smart purchase waiting periods.
How would you address increasing property taxes? What changes to the property appraisal process do you support?
See answer #8 - specific. Texas behaves as if a poor State since the 1970s decade of the Oil & Gas Windfall Profits Tax. While allowing municipalities to attract business, I would choose to attract commercial entities with a stronger Public Education system, and stronger Texas infrastructure of roads, bridges and public services.
Our State Legislature and Governor currently reject Federal funding our State is owed for Public Healthcare. Born here, publicly educated here, but having worked extensively in larger Cities, I have a broader perspective necessary for DFW, Denton Fort Worth Corridor, achieving our status of ‘World Class MetroPlex’.
The state enacted major changes in school funding in 2019. Is the new law working? What additional steps, if any, should the Legislature take? How should it pay for more money for schools?
The new law is not working to reform the Texas Public School System. Texas ranks low in pay and achievement – we are not winning corporate relocations to Northern Tarrant and Denton Counties due to concerns that we do not have a resident trained workforce.
I specifically propose increasing the Texas State Budget with a new “graduated scale” for Residential Homestead Property Taxes – but, study is needed; I believe that we could exempt homes from some property tax categories, for valuations from $0 to between $100,000 - $200,000 valued homestead residences, while raising the relative burden on Corporations and Luxury residences.
What should the state do to improve voter turnout? Would you support online voter registration or election-day registration? Should the voter ID law be changed?
I have previously served the Texas Attorney General’s Office as a Democrat poll watcher, and as a Tarrant County Election Judge, placed into office by the Tarrant County Commissioners’ Court for each 2-year term from 2004-2020.
Tarrant County should make the new “Voting Centers” permanent because they allow voters to go from work, without driving to their home Precinct. But we will not jump headfirst into on-election-day registration, or use cute telephone APPS for registration or voting – changes need to be made incrementally, wisely, in order to avoid disaster akin to the Democratic Iowa Caucuses’ computer glitch.
Shadi Zitoon
Occupation: I am a quality analyst for an automotive parts manufacturer. We supply parts to the auto manufacturers and I am the person who troubleshoots and ensures problems get fixed.
Age: 40
Website: www.shadizitoon.com
Public offices you’ve held or run for, with years: Precinct Chair - 2019
Have you ever been arrested, charged with a crime or otherwise been part of a criminal proceeding? If yes, please explain: No
Have you been involved in a civil lawsuit or bankruptcy proceeding? If yes, please explain:
Yes. In 2011, I became very sick and my insurance refused to pay. After 2 years of fighting for them to cover my hospital stay, we ran out of options and faced $1,000,000 in medical debt and had to declare bankruptcy.
Why are you seeking this office?
I’m running because I look at my son and the world we are leaving all of our children and I’m scared. Hate and bigotry are coming more out in the open. Climate change is not being addressed. Medical care is too expensive and the costs keep rising. I don’t think this is what most people want or most people stand for. It has been a long time since we have had representatives that are in touch with our needs.
What would your top 3 policy priorities be?
Affordable healthcare
Improved education
Clean environment
Why should voters choose you over your opponent(s)?
I want to be a voice for Texans and represent the issues that are facing us. I will have town hall meetings and make myself available and I will do my best to read and respond to all communications from my constituents.
I will fight for the health of the people of Texas. We need to take federal money and invest in Texans by expanding Medicaid, we need to ensure funding for Planned Parenthood, we need to ensure a woman’s right to body autonomy, and we need to ensure our environment is clean.
I will also fight for our children. Our education system is chronically underfunded. We need to make funding available so we can invest in our children’s education. I want to ensure teachers are paid like the professionals they are and want to make affordable high-quality Pre-K available to all Texas students.
What changes in Texas gun laws would you vote for?
We need to tighten the background check laws. What is the purpose of having them if they can be circumvented by just buying at a gun show? We need to respect everyone’s 2nd amendment rights but also be safe while doing so. A background check ensuring that we are not giving a gun to someone convicted of a violent crime is not too much to ask for.
How would you address increasing property taxes? What changes to the property appraisal process do you support?
First, because the state has chronically underfunded education, school districts are forced to raise taxes to have money to educate our children. I will restore funding to the education system and I will support the legalization of marijuana and will use those tax revenues for education. We also need to ensure that large corporations are paying their fair share and are not paying a lower rate of property tax than their residential neighbors.
The appraisal process should be clear and transparent with protections in place to prevent taxes from pushing people (especially those on fixed incomes) out of their homes.
The state enacted major changes in school funding in 2019. Is the new law working? What additional steps, if any, should the Legislature take? How should it pay for more money for schools?
The 2018 legislature took some steps to address insufficient school funding, but it was nowhere near enough. There was some money for our teachers, but they are deserving of significant permanent pay increases. We should also ensure that all children have access to high-quality affordable Pre-K. I would support legalizing marijuana and directing the taxes to pay for improvements to the education system.
What should the state do to improve voter turnout? Would you support online voter registration or election-day registration? Should the voter ID law be changed?
We need to do all we can to encourage all citizens to get out and vote. We have the ability to do a lot of things to increase the vote, but there has been deliberate suppression under current leadership to ensure they stay in place. Same-day voter registration, extended polling hours, removing obstacles to vote (i.e. voter ID laws), increased polling places, and making voting day a holiday are all things that are feasible and could increase voter turnout, and therefore, representation.
This story was originally published February 12, 2020 at 4:21 PM.