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Joe Heflin
Joseph P. Heflin (born January 6, 1952 in Morton, Texas) was a Democratic member of the Texas House of Representatives. He represented Texas House of Representatives District 85 from 2007 to 2010.
Education
- Graduated from South Plains College
- Bachelor's degree in agriculture and business from Eastern New Mexico University (1989)
- Juris Doctorate from Texas Tech University School of Law (1993)
Professional experience
Since receiving his law degree in 1993, Heflin has served within the private sector as both an Emergency Management Coordinator as well as owning and operating a solo private practice firm.
Political career
Heflin first entered the local political stage when he served two terms as a member of the nonpartisan Crosbyton City Council, a role he would remain in for two years starting in 1999. He was then elected as a judge in Crosby County, a position he held from 2001 until 2005. In addition to these public offices, Heflin was also elected to two consecutive terms as City Alderman for Crosby and was an administrative county judge for Crosby County.
Committee assignments
Heflin served on the following legislative committees:
- Agriculture and Livestock (Member)[1]
- Elections (Member)
Legislation
- HB 117 - Relating to the amount of a county expenditure for which competitive bidding is required.
- HB 328 - Relating to abolishing the office of inspector of hides and animals.
- HB 478 - Relating to automated telephone solicitation containing political advertising; providing a civil penalty.
- HB 1306 - Relating to the authority of certain counties to use unclaimed money for the benefit of the county.[2]
Noteworthy events
Ethics violation
On Friday, July 2, 2010, the Texas State Ethics Commission fined State Representative Heflin $1,200 for violating state election reporting laws stemming from his 2006 campaign.[3] The two-year investigation was triggered following a complaint filed by Montgomery County resident, Jim Doyle. A report issued by the commission said that Heflin "failed to include the occupations or job descriptions for 46 campaign donors on five contribution reports" and failed to properly report reimbursements to both his staff (about $3,000) as well as his campaign (about $267) for personal expenditures.[4]
Speaking with Texas Watchdog, Heflin admitted to the infractions, saying that "there was no absconding with money or anything like that" and that "it seems like this happens a lot to first-time candidates."[4] The Democratic state representative did not fight the allegation after his lawyer, who warned him that doing so would cost upwards of $10,000 to do so, advised him against it. While Heflin questioned the timing of the report, just two months prior to his bid for re-election, the legal counsel for the State Ethics Commission argued that "the eight-member panel handles numerous complaints a year and studies each complaint thoroughly before rendering a decision."[5] The Democratic House member believed that the fine was excessive, even though his was on the low side of the $0-$5,000 range.
Other roles
- Chair, Crosby County Juvenile Board
- Master of Ceremony, The Cowboy Gathering in Crosbyton
- Member, Missions Committee at First Baptist Church
- Member, National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association
- Member, Regional Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee
- Member/Executive Committee Treasurer, South Plains Board of Governments
- Member, West Texas County Judges and Commissioners Association
- Representative, Crosby County Appraisal Board of Directors
Elections
2010
Heflin lost re-election to the 85th District seat in 2010. He had no opposition in the March 2nd primary. He was defeated by Jim Landtroop (R) in the November 2 general election.[6]
He was unopposed in the March 2nd primary.
| Texas House of Representatives, District 85 2010 General election results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
 Jim Landtroop (R)
|
17,416 | 61.91% | ||
| Joe Heflin (D) | 10,713 | 38.08% | ||
2008
On November 4, 2008, Heflin won re-election to the Texas House of Representatives from Texas' 85th District, defeating Isaac Castro (R). Heflin received 22,865 votes in the election while Castro received 19,970 votes.[7] Heflin raised $244,993 for his campaign; Castro raised $261,808.[8]
| Texas House of Representatives, District 85 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Joe Heflin (D)
|
22,865 | 53.37% | ||
| Isaac Castro (R) | 19,970 | 46.62% | ||
2006
On November 4, 2006, Heflin won election to the Texas House of Representatives from Texas' 85th District, defeating Jim Landtroop (R) and David Schumacher (L).[9]
Heflin raised $316,657 for his campaign while Landtroop raised $887,961 and Schumacher raised $0.[10]
| Texas House of Representatives, District 85 (2006) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Joe Heflin (D)
|
14,323 | |||
| Jim Landtroop (R) | 14,106 | |||
| David Schumacher (L) | 793 | |||
Campaign finance summary
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Awards
- Distinguished Legislative Service Award (2007) from the Texas Municipal League
- Sam D. Seale Award of Excellence (2008) from the West Texas County Judges and Commissioners Association
- Outstanding Service Award (2010) from the County Judges and Commissioners Association of Texas
- Texas Rural Hospital TORCHbearer Award (2010) from the Texas Organizational of Rural and Community Hospitals (TORCH)
External links
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Legislative profile from Project Vote Smart
- Official Campaign Contributions
- Follow The Money, Campaign Contributions: 2008, 2006
- Freedom Speaks profile
- Texas Political Almanac HD 85 page
Footnotes
- ↑ Texas State House - List of Standing Committees (dead link)
- ↑ Texas Legislature - Bills Authored/Joint Authored by Rep. Heflin
- ↑ Texas Ethics Commission - Rep. Joseph Heflin report
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Texas Watchdog, "Rep. Joe Heflin fined $1,200 for campaign finance violations; Heflin: Reporting errors common for first-time candidates" 2 July, 2010
- ↑ The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, "Commission says Heflin violated campaign finance rules, fines him $1,200" 22 June, 2010
- ↑ Official Texas Election Results
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "1992 - Current Election History," accessed February 24, 2014
- ↑ District 85 Texas House candidate funds, 2008
- ↑ Texas House official election results for 2006
- ↑ District 85 Texas House candidate funds, 2006
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Texas House - District 85 2007–2010 |
Succeeded by Jim Landtroop {R) |
