Representative of the People

Counties are administrative arms of the state. They are defined by the state constitution and offer an interface with the local citizens for conducting state business such as registering births, deaths, vehicle license, property deeds, etc. They localize certain state functions such as property assessment, state/local tax collection, legal document service, many state court actions and they  are responsible for conduct of elections.

Dallas County overlays the city of Dallas. Every county in Texas has a Commissioner's Court comprised of four commissioners elected by equal population precincts and a County Judge who is the presiding officer of the commission. John Wiley Price has been a county commissioner for several terms now. He is a very visible and very vocal presence and he is nothing if not flamboyant and controversial.

Shortly after convening following last fall's election, Price orchestrated a surprise resignation of the County Elections Administrator. There had been no evidence of dissatisfaction with his performance or dereliction in his duties leading up to the dismissal.

So, here we have the Commissioner's Court meeting to discuss the situation:

One Way Street on Racism

Some points to ponder. Don't citizens have a right to communicate with their elected officials in public meetings? Is an elected official within bounds when telling constituents to "shut up" and "go to hell"?

Would it be surprising for a defense attorney to attempt to incite someone under suspicion as adversarial to their client? Wouldn't a senior elected official understand that?

My history and record will reflect that I am one whose tolerance is limited or non-existent when it comes to racial slurs. The comments were bad enough, but to have them hurled by a member of the Tea Party, known for their racial insensitivity, was more than I plan to absorb.

Excuse me commissioner, but aren't you the guy who just told the citizens to shut up because they are white? Aren't white citizens entitled to some level of immunity from racial slurs as well?

And how does a Tea Party supporter get broad-brushed as "known for their racial insensitivity"?