Judge Haverkamp. Lets set the Record Straight!

You have said repeatedly that Martin Peterson is distorting your record and you have no backlog. Several reports from the Texas Office of Court Administration say your backlog has grown and your criminal docket is one of the slowest in Texas. Are your statements consistent with the Judicial Code of Ethics?

You claim to treat everyone with respect in your courtroom. You invite a guest to a campaign function. They are pressed for a donation when they arrive. You pressure them again later in front of your friends. How much does your respect cost??

You say publicly that the District Court bench belongs to the people of Cooke County. Privately you complain about having an opponent and interrogate his possible supporters. How do you reconcile those disparate statements and actions with our essential Democratic system you took several oaths to uphold and defend?

You claim the “DA’s office filed lawsuits against the Judge”. The truth is the DA only appealed two sets of your rulings out of thousands over the past three years. They never sued you personally. They went along with thousands of your rulings, 99.9+ % of the time. One of the appeals was rightfully upheld. The DA doesn’t claim to be perfect. Is it that hard to accept you may have made one or two errors in judgment in three years?

You paid Roger White on December 19, 2005 with Cooke County Tax Dollars for a bill he submitted that was over four years old. The cover sheet said it was for work through December 2005. The detail behind it said the last work he did on it was 5-29-01, 3 ½ years before you were Judge. Why did you pay such an old bill?

You now call me out publicly as a Special Interest and lump me in with a group of “anonymous” “unhappy taxpayers”. While I may sometimes be an “unhappy taxpayer”, I haven’t been very anonymous with my thoughts and ideas. I can see how some feel they have to be anonymous if they have been interrogated, intimidated, or feel their livelihoods will or have been threatened.

You have displayed campaign signs on Courthouse property for months, even during early voting. Is that Ethical? Is it Legal?

Judge Haverkamp, I don’t believe your ethics rise to the level expected of a District Judge, let alone any elected position of trust.

I support Martin Peterson for District Judge. I like his ethics and believe he can reduce the backlog and costs of our Court.

Steve Gaylord www.cookecitizens.org

Pol. Ad paid for by Cooke Citizens for Martin Peterson, Steve Gaylord, Treasurer, 2436 FM 2848, Valley View, TX 76272