Published: February 15, 2008 09:47 am         

Senate hopeful Stafford visits Mineral Wells

From Staff Reports

Republican candidate for the Texas Senate District 30 seat Charles Stafford on Jan. 29 officially kicked off an 18-county tour as part of his campaign.

On Thurs-day, he traveled through Stephens, Palo Pinto and Parker counties, stopping in various communities to talk to constituents and media along the way. Stafford is challenging incumbent Craig Estes in the March Republican primary. There is no Democrat challenger for the seat, meaning barring a write-in campaign, the winner on March 4 will virtually win the seat in November.

“This will all be decided in a few weeks,” said Stafford during his stop in Mineral Wells.

Early voting begins Tuesday at the Palo Pinto County Courthouse.

Stafford said he will travel the entire district. During his kickoff event in Wichita Falls, Stafford issued a challenge and invitation to Craig Estes:

“One of the main complaints I hear from families across the district is that Senator Estes rarely gets out into their communities to listen to their concerns,” said Stafford. “Voters have repeatedly told me that Senator Estes has never done anything to them, but he has never done anything for them, either. So today, I would like to publicly invite Senator Estes to join me on my travels through the district and hold a series of debates. Who knows - he may even learn a little something about the district he represents.”

Stafford, through his leadership role as a director of the Texas Association of School Boards, has traveled extensively throughout Senate District 30 and said he is keenly familiar with the geography, the demographics and special needs of its constituents.

“If you’re like me, you’re tired of the do-nothing mentality from our elected officials,” said Stafford. “It’s time for a call to action in Austin. We need a fresh approach and trusted, reliable leadership that will get real results that touch families like yours and mine. I pledge to work hard and make a positive change in all 18 counties of our district... and my door will always be open. We need a senator who will be genuinely concerned with everyone in this district - from our large cities to our large rural areas - and not sit back in his Austin office while hanging out with special interest groups.”

A conservative Republican, Stafford identified a few of the primary issues of his campaign, including:

• Helping taxpayers by reducing government waste.

• Tougher penalties for criminals who target our children.

• Better schools and higher pay for our best teachers.

• Protecting our water supply.

• Securing our borders.

• Defeating Democratic plans for a state income tax.

Stafford, a long-time Denton ISD School Board Trustee, is a business owner and professional real estate agent. He also is a founding member of the Denton Public School Foundation and the Denton County Children’s Advocacy Center. He and his wife, Debbie, reside in Denton and have seven children, four of whom were adopted from Child Protective Services.