Felony conviction again sinks Willie D’s bid to get on ballot
Former Geto Boys rapper William “Willie D” Dennis wants to run for Harris County Commissioners Court, but local Democratic party officials rejected his application to get on the ballot, citing his criminal history and a state law that has become a lightning rod in north Houston politics over the last month.
Dennis filed an application Thursday with the Harris County Democratic Party, seeking to challenge incumbent Rodney Ellis for the court’s Precinct 1 seat. He said he wants to bring his unique perspective to government. On Saturday, the party notified him that he was ineligible because of his 2010 felony conviction for wire fraud charges, stemming from an iPhone sales scam.
The party cited a state law that forbids candidates from running for public office if they have been convicted of felony from which they have not been pardoned or otherwise released from its “resulting disabilities.”
The statute doesn’t define
that phrase and has invited varying interpretations that have not been definitively resolved by courts. It is currently the subject of a contentious lawsuit surrounding the stalled runoff in the Houston city council’s District B election.
“I would add that this is not my decision,” said party chair Lillie Schechter. “We follow the Texas Election Code.”
Officials told Dennis that they would reconsider the ruling if he could provide examples in which candidates with felony convictions were allowed to assume office, Schechter said.
Dennis said he was looking at options to appeal the decision. It marks the second time this year his political plans have been foiled by his conviction. His campaign for the District B seat was similarly derailed by eligibility
concerns.
“I want my rights back — all of them,” Dennis told the Chronicle Saturday. “I did my time, now give me my rights.”
The legal question about candidates with felony convictions has continued to consume the District B race.
Cynthia Bailey finished second in the Nov. 5 election and qualified for a runoff with top finisher Tarsha Jackson. Bailey has a felony conviction from 2007 for theft over $200,000.
Renee Jefferson-Smith, who came in third, filed two separate lawsuits arguing Bailey’s candidacy ran afoul of the state law, and she in ineligible to hold public office. Bailey has argued she is eligible and said voters were aware of her well-documented past.
After a judge rejected Jefferson-Smith’s first request for an order declaring Bailey ineligible, she filed an election contest that county officials said forced them
to remove the runoff from the Dec. 14 ballot, when a dozen other city runoffs will be decided.
Dennis said that ruling gave him confidence he could run, too. He was among the community leaders to condemn the lawsuit and advocate for Bailey’s ability to remain on the ballot.
He said at a rally last month that full rights should be restored when one finishes his or her sentence. At the same rally, state Rep. Jarvis Johnson said he plans to file a bill in the next legislative session to ensure that everyone who can vote can also run for office.
Ellis, who Dennis planned to run against, expressed his own frustration with the District B situation at the most recent commissioners court meeting Tuesday. He said a felony conviction shouldn’t hinder candidates from running.
“Regardless of how someone feels about the issue
of someone having a felony being allowed to run, I happen to disagree with the position of those who say you shouldn’t be able to run and spent a good bit of my career in Austin trying to remove that,” said Ellis, a former state senator.
Ellis’ office did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment Saturday.
A hearing in the District B election contest is set for Monday morning, and it could provide more clarity about whether candidates with felony convictions are eligible to run.
The race will now require a special election, which officials said could be delayed until March if there is not a final resolution to the litigation Monday.
Dennis’ campaign for the District B seat was derailed when he declined to submit the paperwork needed to appear on the ballot. Dennis said then that he didn’t want to risk perjuring himself by swearing on the affidavit that he hadn’t been finally convicted of a felony.
He planned to instead run as an open write-in candidate, but county officials said there is no such thing in Houston, where voters use touch-screen tablets to cast their ballots.
Dennis ended his District B campaign in late September after a reporter told him voters wouldn’t be able to support him.
“You’re telling me that I’m good enough to vote, but I’m not good enough to govern?” Dennis said. “You want my vote, but if I try to sit next to you at the table, then that’s a problem.”