Speaking of the Dallas County Commissioners Court (or at least I was, to myself, since you're probably doing something far better with your last holiday-break day off) ...
Late last night Cecile Fernandez sent word that she wants to replace back-to-BBQ Maurine Dickey as the commissioner for the new-look District 1. Which we already knew: Fernandez, who also goes by Cecile Newberry-Fernandez, had officially filed a few weeks back, along with Larry Miller (though, sadly, not this Larry Miller). And there was this note in November: Fernandez told Channel 11 she doesn't much care for commissioners court rules that demand you give your home address and phone number before speaking -- a rule that's been in place for a long while. Bud Gillett asked if she was raising her concern now because she's running for county commissioner, to which she replied: "I've been a patriot for a long time, and I think free elections and free speech are important."
Speaking of, first time we ever mentioned Fernandez was in February, back during that whole dust-up over County Judge Clay Jenkins and JWP's maneuvering to oust longtime County Elections Administrator Bruce Sherbet. Fernandez -- who Sam described at the time as "a Republican fund-raiser and consultant [and] former community outreach coordinator for
Commissioner Maurine Dickey" -- was among those trying to pressure Jenkins into explaining the move to replace Sherbet with Toni Pippens-Poole. She wrote a lengthy piece about Jenkins and Price and Sherbet, which included the line: "Using Jenkins as the puppet that he has proved himself to be, Price is attempting to all but shut down any recourse from the public."
Now she wants to take Dickey's role as Price's chief antagonist, insisting in last night's email:
"In the new District 1, the split between Republican and Democrat voters in the 2010 elections was very close to 50/50, with the Democrats barely receiving a majority of the vote. I am confident that the recent and ongoing FBI investigations, indictments, and corruption trials of so many Democratic elected officials in Dallas County is going to result in a victory for Republicans county-wide in 2012. Dallas County voters have had enough and are demanding a change."
