Perry, White Not the Only Candidates for TX Governor

By Martina Trevino /
NTNewsNet.com
Unhappy with the political situation in Austin, some Texas citizens have chosen to throw their hats in the ring for the Governors office. They acknowledge that they have an uphill battle against the incumbent Republican Rick Perry and Democratic Party’s candidate Bill White.

The following Libertarians are vying for the a place on the November ballot: Jeff Daiell, Katherine Youngblood Glass, Steve Nichols, Katherine Youngblood Glass, M.J. “Smitty” Smith and Edward “Ed” Tidwell.

The Libertarian’s candidate is selected by convention, not in a primary election like the Democratic and Republican candidates. The party’s 2010 gubernatorial candidate will be nominated at the State Convention in Austin on June 12. State law requires that only voters who have not voted in the March 2010 primaries be permitted to vote in the Libertarian conventions.

Kevin Still, Fran Cavanaugh, Stephen Dewayne McGee, Thomas Ritter Helm, Louis Podesta and Dale Robertson have filed to run as independents. They must have a petition with 44,000 signatures, from registered voter who did not vote in a primary election, in order to be placed on the Nov. 2 ballot, in accordance to state law.

Libertarians

Jeff Daiell - Born in 1952 in Louisville, KY, Daiell currently resides in Houston. He is a supervisor for a fortune 500 company according to his Web site www.JeffDaiell.com.  He has previously run for various government offices including the 2002 Governor’s race.

“I am running for Governor as a Libertarian because the Libertarian Party is the only political party in Texas dedicated to both free markets and civil liberties,” he said. “I hope to bring to voters across Texas my message of Texas sovereignty; reduced State bureaucracy, spending, and taxation; a level economic playing field; a re-focusing of law enforcement against crimes of violence, theft, and fraud; affordable school choice; an end to the property tax; and respect for civil liberties and due process.”

Katherine Youngblood Glass - Glass, a Houston attorney who runs her own firm, Youngblood & Associates, PLLC, her listing on the Texas Libertarian Party website does not show a campaign website, nor a telephone number. According to an Examiner.com/Libertarian story on a recent debate between the Libertarian candidates at SMU, Glass supports “a minimum standard for student performance” but wants local control.

Steve Nichols - Born in Dallas in 1965, Nichols now resides in Frisco where he has served two terms as a city council member.  He owns Steve Nichols Appraisal Services, Inc., a 20-year-old Dallas company. His Web site is www.stevenichols.com.

M.J. (Smitty) Smith - Born in 1932 in Petersburg, TX, Smith owns a water utility company. He has not established a Web site and said that he is running in protest, “hoping to get a new face down there.”

Edward “Ed” Tidwell - Born in 1964 in Lovington, NM, Tidwell is an Austin firefighter and a Marine Reserve veteran. He has not held any public office, but said that he has served on boards for various non-profit organizations. His Web site is www.edwardtidwell.com.

Independents

Fran Cavanaugh -  Cavanaugh is a corporate non-profit executive who resides in Allen. “I am running as an Independent for Governor because there is a chasm that has been created between the political class and, what used to be the ruling class, the consenting citizens,” he said.

He said he feels that the Democratic and Republican parties have “insulated themselves from challengers by ballot access rules, media access, and campaign financing that favors the two political parties,” he said. “In short, I am attempting to bring the will of the citizens to their office by a means that has still been left available to a political class outsider.” His Web site is www.francavanaugh.com.

Thomas Ritter Helm - Born in 1959, Helm is retired from the Air Force and resides in San Antonio. His Web site is www.helmforgovernor.com

Stephen Dewayne McGee - Born in 1975, McGee is listed as a student from Dallas on the Texas Secretary of State’s Web site.

Louis Podesta - Born in 1951, Podesta is a San Antonio resident and is listed as a consultant on the Texas Secretary of State’s Web site.

Dale Robertson  - Born in 1962, Robertson currently resides in Woodlake, according to the Texas Secretary of State’s Web site. His occupation is not given.

Kevin Still - A former Republican, Still is a 42-year-old surveyor and U.S. Army veteran from Sturgeon, TX. He said that he is running because “the Democratic and Republican parties have turned a deaf ear to us (the citizens), they don’t remember who they work for.” He has chosen not to align himself to the Libertarian Party because of their position on abortion and the legalization of marijuana, he said. His Web site is www.stillforthepeople.com.