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Lawrence Billy Jones III (Texas)
Lawrence Billy Jones III was a candidate for the Place 5 seat on the Garland Board of Trustees in Texas. He lost election against incumbent Scott L. Luna in the general election on May 10, 2014.
Biography
Jones attended district schools and graduated from Garland High School. At the time of his candidacy, Jones was a third-year student at the University of North Texas studying political science and criminal justice. Jones was the youth mayor of Garland from 2008 to 2010 and acted as a student advocate for the city's teen court. Jones served as the District 2 representative on the Garland Parks and Recreation Board and a board member for Dallas County Child Protective Services at the time of his candidacy.[1]
In 2013, Jones worked with nonprofit organization Project Veritas to determine the prevalence of fraud in healthcare enrollment required by the Affordable Care Act. His reporting for Project Veritas indicated that local officials with Enroll America and the Urban League encouraged applicants to lie in order to qualify for coverage. Jones also reported that the state communications director for Enroll America broke IRS rules by releasing private applicant information to a political action committee that supported Democratic candidates.[2]
Elections
2014
Lawrence Billy Jones III sought election to the Place 5 seat against Scott L. Luna in the general election on May 10, 2014.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan |  Scott L. Luna Incumbent |
64% | 3,050 | |
| Nonpartisan | Lawrence Billy Jones III | 36% | 1,714 | |
| Total Votes | 4,764 | |||
| Source: Dallas County Elections, "Unofficial Cumulative Results," May 10, 2014 | ||||
Funding
Jones reported $4,650.50 in contributions and $2,950.37 in expenditures to the district office, leaving his campaign with $1,700.13 on hand prior to the election.[3]
Endorsements
Jones received the endorsement of Texans for Fiscal Responsibility prior to the election.[4]
Campaign themes
2014
Jones explained his themes for the 2014 campaign in an interview with the Rowlett Lakeshore Times:
| “ |
Academics are always our top priority but there are facility repairs that are needed immediately. For example, Garland has a lot of upgrades needed in the district. We have to make upgrading these buildings, that means security and technology, our top priorities. Kids First: A visionary principle where unbridled, dedicated teachers are the key to a school campus and should operate with more autonomy. There are too many layers of bureaucratic management that implement procedures and rules, which cause more work for our teachers. Each principal should set policy and oversee his or her own campus. The GISD administration should not dictate to a school teacher at what time of day he or she teaches math. I believe the students of the GISD are capable of achieving great things. We should set high academic standards and let teachers do their jobs. Transparency: I just finished a national investigation on fraud in the health care system. I worked with county officials, as well as the Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, to insure truth was exposed. I will continue to vote for board meetings to be televised. I will never bend or prevent truth from being exposed Bridge The Gap: We need a member of the board that isn’t too far removed from the classroom. I will work tirelessly to bridge the gap, as I did as a student advocate. I was the youngest employee in GISD. |
” |
| —Rowlett Lakeshore Times, (2014) | ||
Worker visa program
He also responded to the district's worker visa issue that was under investigation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security:
| “ |
This is an issue legally that congress has to address. This board has no authority over this but we can request congressional assistance. |
” |
| —Rowlett Lakeshore Times, (2014) | ||
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Lawrence + Billy + Jones + Garland + School + District"
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Lawrence Jones for School Board, "About Me," accessed March 19, 2014
- ↑ Lawrence Jones for School Board, "Political Activism," accessed March 19, 2014
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through e-mail from Debbie Goodson on April 25, 2014.
- ↑ Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, "Endorsements," accessed May 8, 2014
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Rowlett Lakeshore Times, "Garland ISD Place 5 Board of Trustees candidates answer questions on the district," April 24, 2014
| 2014 Garland Independent School District Elections | |
| Garland, Texas | |
| Election date: | May 10, 2014 |
| Candidates: | Place 4: • Cindy Castañeda • Dwight Davis • Connie Griffin Boone Place 5: • Lawrence Billy Jones III • Scott L. Luna |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
