Justice of the Peace, Precinct One
[ About the candidate ]
Daniel Bradford
I grew up mostly in small-town Ohio, but my roots in this region date back to 1822, when my great, great, great, great grandfather Freeman Smalley came here to eventually establish the first antislavery Baptist church in Texas, in a little town called Brushy, which is now known as Round Rock. I like to believe that the sense of justice that moved my grandfather to fight the good fight still stirs in me. And so I'm running for Travis County Justice of the Peace for Precinct One because from there I can continue to fight that same good fight, focused on East Travis county, my cherished home for the last 10 years, my cherished home for many years to come.
Having lived in Brazil and in the United States, I know firsthand the difference that robust and responsive government makes in the lives of a country's citizens. At The Ohio State University, I studied the history and the systems that produced the very different political outcomes in these two great, culturally rich nations. In law school at the University of Texas, I learned how to create and work within the systems to have positive effects in people's lives. And I learned that it's a fairly simple formula – equal parts creativity, humility, good humor, and a dedication to public service. This is what I pledge to bring to you.
And I believe that I have demonstrated my ability to work with this formula. Whether helping students with landlords and criminal records while clerking for UT's Legal Services for Students or making Texas more accessible for the disabled while clerking for the Texas Civil Rights Project; whether defending Austin’s youth offenders in court or finding them fair alternatives to the criminal system by working within the Neighborhood Conference Committee, I have always chosen to work for the people of my community. By living my life openly gay and by struggling to secure recognition of my relationship of 10 years, I have been humbled by the barriers raised and the friendships strained for reasons beyond my control and based on my unchangeable self. And during the last six years as a younger legal professional working at the state and local level, which is dominated by older, entrenched bureaucrats, I have made a place for myself as someone who gets things done, success that I owe to being able to think outside the box, by having a solid knowledge of the law and the good humor to overcome old-school beliefs to get my ideas heard. But these are just examples, you can see my full resume here.
I end with this: Of all the levels of government, local government has the biggest impact on our daily lives. I want to bring you all the innovation, all the best practices of this new century, along with an insider's understanding of our community's needs. I look forward to working with you as the Travis County Justice of the Peace for Precinct One.
[ Travis County Justice of the peace, Precinct One]
Why Daniel is Running
Justice
Justice is about empathy. It is about one's ability to understand the world from another's perspective to make an informed decision when choosing a course of action that is going to affect that person's life. I have lived within diverse cultures and studied human behavior. I have been an advocate within the East Travis County community and know its struggles. And I have studied the art of dispute resolution and trained as a mediator so that I always approach justice not as a zero-sum game but as an opportunity for both parties to walk away with something gained.
As Justice of the Peace, I intend to continue my efforts as a concerned community advocate, as someone who will always push my capacity to fully empathize with every neighbor. I will actively participate in juvenile diversion programs that support our youth and keep them out of the criminal system. I will reach out to students by doing campus visits, encouraging mock-trial competitions, and providing opportunities for community students to work or intern with the court. And I will use the office to work to change the laws that disproportionately punish someone for being poor.
Progress
The justice court needs to better reflect the state of our lives. We live in a demanding world that makes it difficult to physically visit our court. This is especially true to hourly wage-earners, who may have to choose between defending themselves on a traffic citation or missing three hours of work. As Justice of the Peace, I will introduce night and weekend hours to better accommodate the busy schedules of those in the precinct. I will work with Capital Metro to make getting to the court faster and easier, and I will find alternative venues for court proceedings, such as neighborhood libraries and schools. I will create a website to include online court filings and online payment. And I will explore the court’s position in the community at Springdale and Martin Luther King, Jr. as an ideal location for spearheading community art, garden, and energy installation projects. Ultimately, I want to ensure that our court, its grounds, and its justice are a source of community pride for generations to come.
[ About the Office ]
What is a Justice of the Peace?
Known as the people's court, the JP presides over small civil cases of up of to $10,000 and class C criminal misdemeanors (like traffic tickets, animal cruelty cases and environmental crimes). It also includes presiding over mental health and chemical dependency commitments and truancy cases. And, of course, I would have the distinct pleasure of performing marriage ceremonies (in fact, my parents were married by a Travis County justice of the peace almost 40 years ago.)
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Where is Pct. 1?
ENDORSED BY
NxNW DEMOCRATS
OUR NEWEST SUPPORTERS
- Austin Bar Association
- Austin Lesbian & Gay Political Caucus
- Rich Bailey
- Sara Boltin
- Tomorrow Brewster
- Fernando L. Burdett, Sr.
- Capital City Young Democrats
- Joe Carr
- Ralph Carter
- Jacob Clifton
- David C. Courreges
- Sommer L. Coutu
- James Green, Precinct Chair #431
- Hispanic Bar Association of Austin
- Damon Howze
- Charles R. Jones
- Clement Jones
- Freddie M. Jones
- Stacey D. Langley
- Daniel Llanes
- Maria McCann
- Lorri Michel
- Dr. Carl Morris
- Diego Negrete
- NxNW Democrats
- Lou O'Hanlon
- Lametra Price
- Ernest J. Reyes, Jr.
- Brian Thompson
- Faith Steinberg
- Stonewall Democrats of Austin
- University Democrats
Click here for a complete list of supporters.