Why we need a change in the Brazos County District Attorney’s office?
- Every public office requires accountability. Public review and accountability becomes virtually impossible when the same person holds an office for twenty-five years or more. The only person who can hold Bill Turner accountable at this moment is himself. It is time the public demand accountability, and the way they do that is to elect a new district attorney.
- Bill Turner has been district attorney so long he has developed an attitude of self-entitlement. Public office is about service to others, not being served by others. The infrastructure that has developed around Turner, especially by certain defense lawyers, dependent assistant district attorneys, and certain judges is weakening the independence of justice n Brazos County. No district attorney should believe himself above the law or indispensable to justice.
- Bill Turner has a history of ignoring alleged serious felonies, for example the Corcoran case (Corcoran was the victim), until it becomes politically expedient to pursue them (the defendants were recently indicted nearly three years after the alleged offense). Further, he jumps at opportunities to try high-profile cases, for example Margraves, Texas A&M employees, and the Romei case apparently to grab publicity. He often ignores prosecution of serious crimes if they don’t have the potential to make headlines. He disregards the impact his office has upon individuals and the community and instead focuses on how it impacts his future career.
- Bill Turner’s frequently proposes prosecution and punishment in ways that defies all sense of equality under the law. Brazos County justice, under Turner’s leadership, oftentimes punishes the poor and minority members of this community differently than the majority. This must be stopped.
- Bill Turner has bragged that he influences judicial races in Brazos County (in a January Eagle article, he said he supports judges aligned with the State). This is offensive. It is not right that a member of the executive branch uses his resources and influence to select judges that will be biased toward one side of a case over the other. The judicial offices must be independent in order to ensure justice for all. We need a district attorney who does his job and does not try to sway justice arbitrarily or politically.
- Bill Turner collects campaign contributions from his employees on a massive scale. It is not right that an employer who is elected by the public uses his influence to garner political contributions from state employees. His conduct in this regard may be a violation of Federal law (see for example, 18 U.S.C. §601). It may be legal, but that doesn’t make it moral or right. We need a district attorney who will not politicize his employees. I have never and will never ask a government employee who works for me for a political contribution.
- Bill Turner ran his deputy district attorney, Shane Phelps, against a long-serving Deputy Assistant County Attorney, and, in the process, attacked, maligned and disparaged the good work that they have been doing for years. This contributes to bad morale in the Brazos County courthouse and leads citizens to suspect his motives. The district attorney should focus on his duties and not try to handpick other officers, judicial or otherwise, in the courthouse.
Response: Thoughts on the “Feud”
Below is a question I received last night.
I’d like to support Davis for DA, having been impressed with with several things I saw with you/him on the bench.
I do whoever have one big question that I haven’t seen addressed yet. If it’s addressed on one of the web sites, for example, I’d like to read whatever is available.
What part do you, Rick Davis, think you played in the Davis – Turner feud? What should you have done differently, and what have you done to heal tensions caused by the feud, tensions which go beyond just those two men?
Thank you for your questions about the very public differences I’ve had with District Attorney Bill Turner. Also, thank you for considering me as your choice on November 4th for District Attorney of Brazos County. I would be honored by your vote.
The part I played in the “feud” as you refer to it with Bill Turner is exactly one-half. He and I both made mistakes in how we handled a serious disagreement regarding our public duties and responsibilities. For my part, I apologized and regret that what was a private matter was made public in a manner beyond my control or expectation. I am sincerely sorry that we both acted in ways that could have been better, and more importantly should have been better.
It serves no good purpose to re-hash all the details of the circumstances and causes surrounding that sad affair. Suffice it to say that my actions would be different today than they were those many years ago (it has now been over seven years). From that experience I have learned that a public official’s first duty is to serve the public. The public is not served well when private disagreements and highly charged emotions interfere with a public servant’s duties and responsibilities.
Pride is a terrible thing, and when one’s pride is offended because of a sense of betrayal it can lead to unfruitful and counterproductive disruption. Since that disagreeable engagement, I have committed myself to suppress my own feelings and emotions in favor of the public good.
One more thought… were such a situation to arise again, I would be more humble and ask the person with whom I have a private disagreement to agree to a fair and just mediation so that the eventual resolution serves the public, not those who are elected to serve the public.
That conflict is history and it taught us all good lessons. Not only in words, but also in deeds as a judge who sought to serve with integrity and dignity for nearly eight years, I have tried to soothe differences and to serve the good citizens of Brazos County and Texas. My rating as the top rated district judge in Brazos County demonstrates my commitment to service above self.
My actions toward Mr. Turner are respectful and cordial, and his are the same toward me. As recently as last January in The Eagle, Mr. Turner said those issues are water under the bridge and that we must move forward. I agree.
Moreover, it is the public whom we serve, not ourselves. And, that is my commitment to you.
Thank you again for giving me this opportunity to explain a rather unfortunate past incident. I look forward to serving you and all the public in the future.
On Duty…
When I seek public office, especially one as serious as that of District Attorney or, as in the past, State District Judge, it is with a profound sense of humility that I ask for your trust. I see public service as an honorable calling.
The trust that you have shown me is not taken lightly. I value your support and I am committed to serving you with honor and integrity. My life as an Aggie, an Army veteran, a businessman, a lawyer, a judge and a husband and father has prepared me to be district attorney of Brazos County. I will serve with firmness and compassion, fairness and equality, and with what is best for the community always first and foremost in my heart and mind.
Long ago, as a fish in the Corps of Cadets, I committed to memory Governor Richard Coke’s advice to the first A&M students in October 1876.
“To the students: Let your watchword be duty. Know no other talisman of success than labor. Let honor be your guiding star in your dealings with your superiors, your fellows, with all. Be as true to a trust reposed as the needle to the pole. Stand by the right even to the sacrifice of life itself. And learn that death is preferable to dishonor.
In that spirit, I will strive to be as true to your trust as the needle on a compass is to the North Pole. I am grateful to people who are publicly supporting my candidacy for District Attorney.
Those who know me know that I will ensure justice for all and favoritism for none. There will be no “sweetheart” deals for friends or supporters and no “rotten” deals for those who have opposed me in the past. There will be justice for all – equal, fair and honest.
Rick’s Qualifications
I bring to the office a love of justice, a breadth of legal experience and a breadth of life experience. I am married with six children, three of whom are adults, and my wife and I have worked hard all of our lives.
As a former Cadet at Texas A&M and as an Armor Officer in the National Guard, I learned leadership. My work experience is not limited to the practice of law. I have worked as a sacker, a retail salesman, a concrete worker, a waiter, a pizza delivery man, a carpenter, a computer programmer, and as an engineer.
Having a degree in Mechanical Engineering and an analytical background from working in the U.S. Space Program is conducive to legal reasoning.
Having been licensed to practice law for more than 16 years, having more than eight years judicial experience and having presided over many jury trials, I know what is effective lawyering and advocacy. Most important, though, is my passion for truth and justice.
