Opinion: Two Reasons Why I Hope You Vote for Carmen Dusek

Many people are undecided about who should be our next 391^st District Court Judge. We have two excellent candidates in local attorneys Brad Goodwin and Carmen Dusek.

Underneath the surface of a very well run campaign by Goodwin, I found two issues that convinced me that Carmen Dusek would be the best next judge of the 391^st.

Dusek told me that she refused campaign donations from her peers and colleagues in the legal profession who may appear and present cases in the 391^st. She said her reason was she wanted to maintain the integrity of the judicial system.

I don’t think Goodwin would be persuaded to rule one way or the other necessarily based upon who donated to his campaign, but I like Dusek’s approach better—especially in today’s morally challenging environment.

Second, as a business owner, I compared the two candidates through how I select leaders in my own company. I am a general contractor in the construction industry. I found that the best carpenters—the ones who are actively framing, building cabinets, or roofing—tend to be the best leaders of a project team.

Therefore, I usually pick the best carpenters for leadership roles in my company.

Dusek is what her peers call a “trial attorney.” She is in court almost every day, arguing cases in a trial, or attending hearings. She’s a good carpenter in the legal profession. Since returning to private practice in San Angelo, Goodwin has very little in-court trial experience.

This is not to slam Goodwin. His job representing clients is to keep his clients out of the courtrooms. Trials are expensive for Goodwin’s clients. And if Goodwin is representing a plaintiff injured in a car crash, it is likely far easier if not more profitable to settle out of court than go to trial.

Finally, I believe Dusek’s description of the duties of all of our four district courts. They have very few jury trials, meaning most of the cases are decided by just the judge, not a jury. Those cases are the types of decisions that impact families the most: Divorce, child custody, and determining damages a business may have to pay when losing a lawsuit. Arguing those types of cases, in court, is what Dusek has been doing almost daily for 10 or 20 years. She’s immersed in the daily grind of our district courts and is an expert at it.

Goodwin is well liked as his father, Ronnie, was too. I have no reason to doubt his integrity should he win.

I believe Carmen Dusek’s vow to respect the integrity of the judicial system and her depth of experience in court make her best qualified of the two.

She’s the best carpenter. She will excel in a leadership role in our local judicial district.

I’m voting for Carmen Dusek, 391^st District Judge. I hope you will too.