Retired judge Vacek takes edge in GOP primary race
Leads in contest over attorney McDonald to succeed Healey
Retired Fort Bend County judge Cliff Vacek appeared headed for victory Tuesday night over Sugar Land attorney Shawn McDonald in the Republican primary for district attorney, a post held for a quartercentury by John Healey.
With nearly half of precincts reporting, Vacek held a commanding lead over McDonald, a former county prosecutor.
“The district attorney has to make some hard decisions, for example what charges to accept and which ones to reject, ” Vacek said by phone Tuesday before the final votes were counted. “I’ve been making those decisions for over 10 years, when determining whether or not to grant search warrants or arrest warrants. Those kinds of decisions take experience and good judgment and I think I have that.”
The victor will face Democratic candidate Brian Middleton in the November election. Middleton, who runs his own law firm in southwest Houston, ran unopposed in the Democratic primary.
Vacek, 71, a native of Fort Bend County, served as a judge in the 400th District before starting his own law practice and serving as managing partner of another. He was endorsed by the outgoing Healey and two local mayors. McDonald touted his endorsement by Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls and other law-enforcement officials, prompting Vacek to suggest that his opponent could feel beholden to those groups. McDonald rejected the charge.
Another hotly contested GOP primary race was for Fort Bend County treasurer.
Partial returns showed Tina Gibson, a Sugar Land resident who’s been active in the Fort Bend community, had a narrow lead over her two opponents, Bill Rickert and Wes Vela.
There are no Democratic candidates running for the position now held by Jeff Council, who is not seeking re-election.
Republican candidate Harold Kennedy, an associate judge in Fort Bend County, had a narrow lead over his two opponents, for County Court at Law No. 3. The winner will vie against Democratic candidate Juli Mathew in November.
Former Sugar Land Mayor Dean Hrbacek had a solid lead over his opponent for the right to compete in November against Democrat Sherman Hatton, Jr. for the judgeship in County Court at Law No. 6.
Healey announced last year that he would retire at the end of his 2018 term.
McDonald, 44, who started his law firm in 2006, said he knew immediately after Healey announced his retirement that he had to run in the race. The lawyer said he felt like an unknown within the political community and knew it would take a lot of work for him to be recognized by others.
“I knew that I had to outwork everybody, not just in my race but in the county,” McDonald said by phone on Monday. “No one knew who I was. I’m not a politician. I’m not embedded in the political organizations. My reputation in the courthouse is stellar, but that only goes so far. I hit the ground running, trying to make an impact for people to get to know me.”
Vacek feels ready to take over for Healey, and stressed that his expertise in the criminal justice system sets him apart. He said he has clear goals for the Fort Bend County criminal justice system, such as reducing the number of times witnesses are called to the courthouse and testimony is not used because the case doesn’t go to trial.
“I’ve had several (people) tell me that the next time the police ask if they saw anything, they’re going to say they didn’t see anything because they don’t want to bothered,” said Vacek. “The public is the eyes and ears of the police and if people quit cooperating, the police can’t do their job. We need to rectify that situation.”
“I’ve been making those decisions for over 10 years, when determining whether or not to grant search warrants or arrest warrants. Those kinds of decisions take experience and good judgment and I think I have that.” Cliff Vacek, candidate for Fort Bend County district atttorney