2020 Candidates

Lucio Del Toro

District Judge, 395th Judicial District

I was born in the small South Texas town of Alice and raised in nearby Corpus Christi. As the grandson of immigrants and the son of parents who were raised as migrant farm workers, I know how important it is to make Justice and Equality accessible to everyone in our community. I have the privilege of being married to a Round Rock I.S.D. educator and we are the proud parents of three wonderful teenagers, all of whom attend Round Rock public schools.

I attended the University of Texas at Austin and received my law degree from Texas Tech University. Working and raising a young family as my wife and I finished our education showed us the value of hard work, perseverance, and dedication. These life experiences help me appreciate the challenges that many in our community face every day to provide for their families and has served as inspiration for our dedication to careers in public service.

Stan O. Springerley

County Attorney

Licensed by the State Bar of Texas since 1999, he graduated from the SMU Dedman School of Law in Dallas, Texas. In addition to his juris doctor, he has a B.A. degree from the University of Texas at Tyler, and an A.A.S. from Tyler Junior College, where he graduated cum laude.

His experience and training are primarily in the area of local government law. He has contributed and been involved with litigation related to counties (e.g., depositions, contributing to expert reports, mediation, and drafting pleadings). Mr. Springerley has served as an adjunct professor of government and political science at both Letourneau University in Longview, Texas, and Tyler Junior College in Tyler, Texas. While teaching in Tyler, Mr. Springerley developed curriculum for the college’s paralegal program and brought in numerous special guests with relevant expertise for these classes. He also taught legal writing and research classes.

Mr. Springerley has also served on many boards and committees. In this capacity, he has presented training sessions and seminars for county department heads and elected officials. He has also presented highly specialized articles on such topics as federal bankruptcy law, spoken at county-related conferences, and successfully submitted a petition for writ of certiorari to the U.S. Supreme Court. He has coauthored an article regarding First Amendment constitutional issues for local governmental entities for the November 2016 issue of the Texas State Bar Journal.

Mike Gleason

County Sheriff

As a native Texan with 24 years of service in Williamson County, Mike Gleason has gained knowledge in every aspect of the Sheriff’s Office. Mike understands the foundation of each division, allowing him to successfully make changes and improvements. By displaying excellent leadership skills and proficiency in his roles, Mike continued to promote within the Sheriff’s Office and last held the position of Assistant Chief Deputy. While at the WCSO, Mike received 109 letters of commendation from numerous citizens, senators, congressmen, local chiefs of police, civic organizations, council members, mayors, corporate CEOs, HOA/MUD boards, and the current Williamson County Sheriff, Robert Chody.

After retiring from the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office, Mike has continued to serve his community by using his vast law enforcement knowledge to provide consulting and transportation services.

Mike founded FOCUS Security Consultants, which is comprised of law enforcement professionals from all over the public safety industry and provides consulting in all facets of law enforcement, public safety, large public events, specialized tactical events, dignitary/executive protection, and special needs transportation. Mike is also a co-owner of BUBBL Austin, which specializes in securely and safely transporting children, elderly, and special needs residents in the Austin Metro area. BUBBL uses a fleet of standardized cars driven by off-duty or honorably retired Texas Peace Officers.

Terry Cook

County Commissioner, Precinct One

1801 East Old Settlers Blvd.
Suite #110
Round Rock, TX 78664
Phone: (512) 244-8610
Driving Directions
commissioner1@wilco.org

Doris Sanchez
Communications Specialist
(512) 244-8610 Direct Line
doris.sanchez@wilco.org

Garry Brown
Executive Assistant
(512) 244-8615
garry.brown@wilco.org

Terry believes elected officials should respond to all of the people they represent. She knows that once a candidate is elected to office, he or she makes the duties and responsibilities a top priority. As a member of the Williamson County Commissioners Court, Terry works tirelessly to ensure that the Court manages county business and resources consistent with her vision to benefit all county residents in a fair and non-partisan manner.

She works to make certain that our county funds are used responsibly to ensure that Williamson County is a place where every man, woman, and child can and will have quality, fulfilling lives without onerous tax and debt burdens within the conditions given by the Texas legislature.

Terry’s office creates a monthly electronic newsletter to share what has gone on in the County the previous month. Call the office, 512-244-8610 to be added to the distribution list.  She educates her readers as to how the County works through monthly op eds highlighting departments in the Round Rock Leader. The article is also released electronically by the Statesman.

She has a master’s degree in biomedical engineering from Duke University and worked in research and high-tech industries for 23 years. She has extensive experience in managing people and projects, budgeting, and contract negotiation with companies small and large alike.

Terry tirelessly urges civic involvement. She has been a volunteer deputy registrar for Williamson County since 2012 in order to register voters from all over the county, has served the county as a clerk, and as an alternate judge during elections.

Over her four-year tenure as the events chair for the Williamson County Democratic Party, she widely expanded both the number of events, fairs, parades, and festivals in which the Democratic Party participated to educate and register voters as well as increasing the number of volunteers for these efforts. She continuously seeks to inspire people to join in the civic processes we are so blessed to have.

Terry and her husband, Wayne, have called Round Rock their home for over nineteen years, and when Terry is not working or passionately advocating for the Democratic Party, she enjoys interior and landscape design, unique dining experiences, traveling, Bible study, live theatre, and music.

Robert Tijerina

Constable, Precinct 2

Robert Tijerina’s family is of Spanish ancestry and has lived in Texas for seven generations. He grew up in south Texas but his mother moved the family to Hobbs, New Mexico following the death of his father. Robert graduated high school there and received an athletic scholarship. He attended Blinn Junior College in Texas and later moved back to New Mexico where he attended New Mexico Junior College in Hobbs.

Robert and his wife have been married for 29 years and have one daughter. He moved to Cedar Park approximately 16 years ago because of the proximity to Austin and the small-town feel. Cedar Park is his home and as it grows, he wants to continue serving the people that also call this area home. His dedication draws from the law enforcement officers who made positive impressions in his past for the services they provided.

Perry Travis

Constable, Precinct 4

Amy Clark Meachum

Chief Justice, Supreme Court

Judge Amy Clark Meachum is running to become the first woman ever elected Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme because Texans want to elect judges with integrity and common sense who will interpret the law fairly with the goal of obtaining the most just result.

Judge Meachum has been the presiding judge of the 201st District Court of Travis County, Texas, since January 2011. She currently serves as Civil Presiding Judge for all the civil and family courts in Travis County and is the judicial liaison for the Administrative and Public Law Council for the State Bar of Texas.

As a Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas board member, Judge Meachum has worked hard to increase access to justice by working to provide basic legal services to Texans in need. Her volunteer work increasing access to justice for those in need earned her the Austin Bar Association Outstanding Pro Bono Judicial Award in 2019.

Active in the non-profit and volunteer community, Judge Meachum is a former board president of Bookspring, where she helped expand programs that provide children’s books to under-served communities and families in Austin and the surrounding areas. She is a former board member of the Austin Children’s Museum and Thinkery, and is also a frequent speaker and guest lecturer for the State Bar of Texas, Austin Bar Association and Texas Center for Legal Ethics.

Judge Meachum grew up in the small Central Texas town of Lorena, and attended Southern Methodist University in Dallas, where she graduated magna cum laude with degrees in both political science and journalism. She then attended the University of Texas School of Law, where she was a member of the prestigious Texas Law Review and graduated with honors in 2000.

She began her legal career as an associate at Carrington, Coleman, Sloman and Blumenthal in Dallas. She later joined the Austin-based law firm of McGinnis Lochridge, where she became a full equity partner at the age of 31. Judge Meachum was named a Rising Star for general civil litigation by Texas Law & Politics Magazine in 2007, 2008 and 2009. She was the recipient of the Austin Young Lawyer of the Year Award for 2010 and the Austin Under 40 Award for the Legal Industry in 2011.

Judge Meachum first ran for judge in 2010 at the age of 34 and won the contested Democratic primary with over 68 percent of the vote. She then won consecutive general elections in 2010, 2014, and 2018, running unopposed each time. She won a contested Democratic primary for Chief Justice in 2020 with 80.5 percent of the vote, earning more votes (1,434,175) than any other Democrat running in a contested race.

She and her husband Kurt have been married since 2002 and have three children. They live in Northwest Austin, where you can find both of them coaching various youth sports and attending youth soccer tournaments.

Kathy Cheng

Justice, Supreme Court, Place 6

Kathy Cheng, a graduate of South Texas College of Law Houston, is an attorney in private practice who has advocated for her clients for nearly two decades in the Greater Houston area. At the age of nine, Kathy’s parents and the four children immigrated to the United States from their native country due to political uncertainty. Having witnessed the injustice of political oppression, Kathy understands that to achieve equality and fairness, one must have a voice, thus leading her to volunteer with various non-profit organizations to educate citizens of the importance of having a voice through the power of voting in every election.

Besides being a full-time advocate for her client, civically engaged in her community and full-time single mom to her children, Isabelle-11, London-5, and Ethan-3, Kathy is also campaigning for office for Justice Place 6 of the Texas Supreme Court. She is running for office because there is a dire need for diversity on the highest court of this state. The Texas Supreme Court is composed of a panel of nine justices, and for almost a quarter of a century, that panel have consisted of all Republicans. Because that court interprets the law for all Texans, electing justices of diverse background is crucial to the impartiality of the judicial system. As someone who believes in equality and fairness and that justice for all shall truly mean justice for everyone, irrespective of ethnicity, faith, gender, age, race, sexual orientation, or disability, Kathy became the first Asian American female to run for this statewide race in 2018 and came within four points of winning that position. Her passion for justice and her “advocate for all” spirit have inspired not only citizens across Texas but also citizens of the sister states and foreign citizens abroad.

Like her 2018 campaign, Kathy is once again traveling the 254 counties to reach voters, especially rural counties because irrespective of the county population, every citizen’s voice matters. In addition, knowing that local candidates’ races are equally important to the statewide races, Kathy advocates for citizens to vote up the ballot as opposed to down-ballot. “History was made in 2018 and with the slate of so many passionate candidates on the 2020 ballot, across the State of Texas, I am confident that we will once again make history in 2020. Vote up the ballot and vote every position. Vote Kathy Cheng for Justice Place 6 of the Texas Supreme Court. Cheng for Change! Cheng for Change! Cheng for Change!

Staci Williams

Justice, Supreme Court, Place 7

Judge Staci Williams is a two-term Judge of the 101st District Court in Dallas County, Texas. On January 2, 2015, she was initially sworn into office and was re-elected in November 2018. The 101st District Court handles primarily commercial, personal injury, medical malpractice, real estate, oil and gas and consumer disputes. Judge Williams ensures that the 101st District Court is the “Court of Choice” for all parties, attorneys and citizens. She is dedicated to improving the judicial process with fairness and efficiency.

Judge Williams is running for a place on the Texas Supreme Court because it is time that the Supreme Court of Texas have justices who have real life experience, who understand the needs of the working people of Texas and who reflect the diversity of this State.

Gisela D. Triana

Justice, Supreme Court, Place 8

Justice Gisela Triana has over 24 years of experience on the Judicial Bench. Before serving on the Appellate Court, Justice Triana served on every level of the Texas trial courts. Her exceptional experience makes her uniquely qualified to bring fairness and balance to the Texas Supreme Court.

As a Justice on the Third Court of Appeals, Justice Triana helps resolve complex legal matters that reach the Third Court from multiple areas. Before being chosen for the Third Court of Appeals, Justice Triana served as Judge of the 200th Judicial District Court of Texas, where she presided over hundreds of cases involving complex civil matters.

“The judicial system helps people solve problems,” Justice Triana says. “It’s an honor to serve the people of Texas.”

Justice Triana is known for being fair, deliberate, courteous, and for her willingness to listen to all sides of a case. With 24 years on the bench and a reputation for fairness, Justice Triana will bring the best of our legal system to the Texas Supreme Court.

Brandon Birmingham

Judge, Court of Criminal appeals, Place 9

Judge Birmingham presided over a murder trial his first week on the job. It would be the first trial of approximately 100 he’s heard since, none of which have been overturned on appeal. During his first term, he was honored by the Dallas County Felony Judiciary by being appointed as the Presiding Judge of all the Felony District Courts.
He loves trial work, having studied and practiced it both as a judge and a prosecutor for nearly 20 years. His trial experience as lead counsel includes Capital murder, Cold Cases, Sexual Assault, Child abuse, and Intoxication Manslaughter.

His experience in the Courtroom came at a time when the criminal justice system was confronted with the systemic flaws that caused Dallas County to lead the nation in exonerations. Judge Birmingham tried two cases in which DNA evidence exonerated two men, James Curtis Williams and Raymond Jackson, and revealed the true identity of the perpetrators, Marion Doll Sayles and Frederick Anderson. The Dallas County Exonerations have indelibly imprinted Judge Birmingham’s view of our Criminal Justice System.

In addition to trying cases, Judge Birmingham loves to teach. Since 2007, he has taught over 50 hours of Continuing Legal Education to Judges, criminal defense lawyers, prosecutors and police officers locally and nationally. He is also a former member of the Texas Bar College because of his significant voluntary participation in legal education and service to the legal profession. He is a visiting professor at Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law where he teaches an upper level class called “Circumstantial Evidence in Murder Trials.”

Marsha Burnett-Webster

Member, Board of Education, District 10

In many respects “Who I Am” entails both a simple and a complex answer. I am a native Texan. I grew up in Brenham, a small town in Washington County – the birthplace of Texas, the birthplace of Blinn College, and the birthplace of Blue Bell ice cream.

My mother worked as a nurse at various nursing homes in Brenham. My father served in the military and then as a bartender in Houston. As for me, I am a retired teacher, high school assistant principal, and college administrator.

During my formative years, segregated schools were the norm, and I experienced the ‘good’ and the ‘bad’ of that. Although I missed more than a semester out of school due to an illness (scarlet fever), my parents, my teachers, and my principal reinforced in me that failure was not, and never is, an option.

In high school I (and others like me) had to ‘fight’ for equal access – in academics and in extracurricular activities. The same was true to a large extent in college, albeit from a male-dominated field perspective.

I then married a career military officer, and encountered many of the same stereotypes during our frequent military moves. I had to contend with other’s mentality that I did not need a job (my husband made enough money), that a less qualified man needed the job more than I did (as an industrial arts or drafting teacher), or that I would not be around long enough (to serve as a school administrator).

All of that goes into who I am today. And all of that is what I want our children, especially girls, to know – that they will continually face adversity in life, but that they can overcome these stumbling blocks. Education is the key. Perseverance is a necessity. But above all, belief in oneself is critical.

That is what I instilled in my child, who attended eight different schools in six different states and countries. Today, he is a medical doctor specializing in psychiatry, helping youth negotiate the intricacies of life.

I try to instill these same principles in children in my extended family, in my community, in my church, and wherever else I meet them. And through the SBOE, I hope to do the same for children all across Texas.

Jessica Tiedt

State Representative, District 20

Jessica Tiedt is from Austin, Texas and ran for Williamson County Clerk in 2018. Born in Denison, Texas, Jessica spent most of her adult life in Austin, briefly moving to California for work before moving back to Williamson County in early 2017. Jessica has worked in technology for over 10 years and is now the Chief Court Administrator for newly elected Justice of the peace, Judge Stacy Hackenberg. Jessica was inspired to run for office the first time after witnessing the events of the 2016 election and reflecting on the serious threat to liberty having a government that didn’t represent its people posed. In January, Jessica took on the Chief Court Administrator role and she is loving learning and help make changes in the way that the court is run in PCT 4, emphasizing technical and caring solutions. Above all, Jessica believes in the promise of progress and is working to bring that to her community.

Jessica is the Democratic Nominee for the State House District 20 and looks forward to serving the people of House District 20 (Burnet, Milam, and North Williamson County).

Jessica is now running to represent House District 20 in the State House, with a focus on Infrastructure, Election Reform, Cannabis and Health Care.

James Talarico

State Representative for House District 52

Texas has always been a state of opportunity, but today’s broken political system is undermining our future. From the White House to the State House, our leaders often choose short-term pandering over long-term planning. Irresponsible politics is keeping us from moving forward.

Short-sighted decisions at the State Capitol hurt middle-class families in Williamson County. Families, like yours and mine, are paying more for less – for our schools, for our roads, and for our healthcare. From Round Rock to Taylor, we want our state government to get back to basics.

We need leaders who are focused on building a future where every Williamson County family can get ahead. As a Round Rock native, a former public school teacher, and your State Representative, I’m committed to that future. In this campaign, and throughout my service to the great people of House District 52, we’ll be honest about the real work it will take to get us there.

With your help, we can model common sense in our State Capitol and craft responsible policies. We can value Texans of all backgrounds and beliefs. We can respect local communities and the decisions they make for themselves. We can invest in our people and grow our economy. We can build an inclusive Texas where every family can achieve their fullest potential. We worked diligently to accomplish all of these things during the 86th Legislative Session, but we are not done yet, and we need to keep working for a state that supports every Texan.

John H. Bucy III

State Representative, District 136

John H. Bucy III is native Texan, small business owner, and former chair of the Williamson County Democratic Party, serving District 136 in the Texas House of Representatives. Elected in 2018, John represents western Williamson County, including Northwest Austin, Cedar Park, Leander, and the Brushy Creek area.

John was appointed to the House Committee on Elections and the House Committee on Culture, Recreation & Tourism for the 86th Legislative Session. He is chair of the Young Texans Legislative Caucus and was honored by his peers as House Democratic Caucus Freshman of the Year.

A small business owner, John started an organization that serves 200,000 public school students across Texas in athletic, academic, and arts competitions. He is also the immediate past chair of the Williamson County Democratic Party, where his organizational skills and leadership were instrumental in the election of nine Democrats to local office in Williamson County, including the first Democratic County Commissioner in two decades. He also served as Legislative Liaison for the Texas Democratic County Chairs Association.

John grew up in Austin before attending Austin College in Sherman, TX, where he completed his degree in Liberal Arts majoring in history. He is proud to serve on the board of the Special Olympics of Texas and supports the Big Bend Conservancy. John’s wife, Molly, is a public school teacher and small business owner who serves on the board of the local Penfold Theatre.

John and Molly live in Northwest Austin with their infant daughter, Bradley and their two dogs, Bentley and Lily. They spend their spare time in Big Bend or attending Austin Spurs, Texas Rangers, or Texas Stars games.

Darlene Byrne

Chief Justice, Court of Appeals

My name is Darlene Byrne and I am running for the Chief Justice of the Third Court of Appeals in Austin, Texas. Since 2001, I have been privileged to serve as a District Judge in the 126th Judicial District Court in Travis County. I have a proven track record of serving my constituents, working hard on and off the bench, and am fortunate enough to have been recognized for judicial leadership accomplishments and contributions to the community.

I am a firm believer in running my court according to best practices, using peer-vetted model courts, and data driven practices when available. After 20 years at the district court level, I have decided to pursue the next phase of my career at the appellate court level.

Mary “MJ” Hegar

US Senator

As a young girl, MJ’s dreams of becoming a military pilot were dismissed with claims that “the front is no place for a woman.” Unwilling to back down, MJ became a commissioned officer in the Air Force after graduating from the University of Texas. She was selected for a highly competitive spot in the pilot training program, where she graduated at the top of her class. MJ went on to serve three tours in Afghanistan as a combat search and rescue and medevac pilot.

During a rescue mission in Afghanistan, MJ’s helicopter was destroyed by the Taliban, and she was injured by enemy gunfire. MJ received the Purple Heart for her injuries, and she is one of only a few women to be awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with Valor for her actions saving the lives of her crew and patients.

When her injuries left her unable to fly, she was barred from competing for a ground combat position because she was a woman. MJ knew that the rule was not only unjust, but a detriment to military preparedness — and that changing it was a fight she had to take on.

So, she worked across the aisle and successfully led the charge to overturn the outdated policy and open up hundreds of thousands of jobs for women in the military. During her advocacy, MJ got a firsthand look at how broken Washington is — and it left her with deep concerns about the ever-increasing dysfunction we were leaving for the next generation.

Now MJ is taking on the fight for the Senate, to break the bottleneck that’s blocking any constructive progress in Washington from coming to reality. She’s up against Senator John Cornyn, who has spent nearly two decades in Washington serving the special interests over Texans.

Donna Imam

US Representative

People who work for a living are America’s biggest assets. They get up every single morning and dedicate their day to creating value for this country and its businesses, big and small. Even though they create enormous wealth for America, and their hard work is essential to our economic success, most have been left behind.

Right now, half of all Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, in debt, with no path to a higher paying job. Many can’t afford to get health care even if they work full time. College tuition is out of reach for most working families.

How do you go to school or get skills for a higher paying job if you’re on your feet all day trying to make ends meet just to survive?

You can’t.

America’s top health insurance company, just one corporation, reported $226 Billion in revenue last year. The top 10 pharmaceuticals reported almost half a trillion in revenue for 2018. Yet ~30 million Americans have no access to health insurance, while ~48 million have inadequate access to health care even with insurance.

Families are left to decide between groceries or prescription drugs.

There’s no way out for them. And this is wrong.