Candidates announce intent

Judge Bill Miller, Judge of the 5th Judicial District of Texas, has announced as a candidate for re-election as District Judge of the 5th District Court for Bowie County and Cass Counties, Texas. Judge Miller filed his application for re-election with the Texas Republican Party on November 9, 2019 in Austin, Texas. The application was accepted on November 18, 2019 and Judge Miller is listed as an official candidate for the primary election with the Texas Secretary of State.

Judge Miller has served as the Judge of the 5th Judicial District Court in Bowie and Cass Counties, Texas since being appointed by Governor Perry in January 2015. Judge Miller was re-elected by the citizens of Bowie and Cass Counties, Texas in 2016 and will serve his current term of office through December 31, 2020.

“I have been honored to serve the citizens of Bowie and Cass counties as District Judge for the last five years and look forward to continuing to represent the District’s citizens in the criminal and civil justice systems.” Judge Miller said. “Since taking the bench, I have handled more than 85 jury trials and thousands of bench trials and closed over 8,100 cases overall. By the end of December 2019, we will have presided over more than 21 jury trials this year alone from child sexual molestation cases, to murder cases, to car wrecks and other personal injuries, to hundreds of family cases. As a Texas court of general jurisdiction court, we hear it all.”

In addition to conducting court proceedings each week in Bowie and Cass Counties, Judge Miller is also the Administrative Judge of both Bowie and Cass counties, Texas. Judge Miller is a current member of the Bowie County Juvenile Probation Board of Directors, the Bowie County Adult Probation Board of Directors, and the Cass County Juvenile and Adult Probation Boards of Directors.

In addition to serving locally, Judge Miller is a current Board Member of the State Bar of Texas’ Judicial Section, has served on the Texas Judicial Region 1 Budget Committee from 2015 to 2018 and the Texas Judicial Region 10 Budget Committee in 2018 and 2019. Judge Miller is currently the technology chairman for the Texas Association of District Judges. Prior to assuming the bench, Judge Miller served three years as a member of the State Bar of Texas’ executive committee and Board of Directors and two years on the Texas Bar Foundation Board of Directors. He was Chairman of the State Bar of Texas’ Law Practice Committee from 2010 to 2015, President of the Texas Young Lawyers Association, as well as the Texarkana Young Lawyers Association, Secretary of the Texarkana Bar Association and President of the Northeast Texas Bar Association.

In addition to having served on local and statewide legal and judicial organizations, Judge Miller also served 10 years as a member of the Literacy Council of Bowie and Miller Counties, Inc., 3 years as a Board Member of the Texarkana Museum Systems and was a Texarkana, Texas City Council member for Ward 5 from 2011 until appointed as District Judge in 2015. In addition to serving as a District Judge, Judge Miller also continues to serve as a high school soccer referee in Northeast Texas and Southwest Arkansas as well as a soccer referee for the United States Soccer Federation. Judge Miller is active in the Moores Lane First Baptist Church’s Boy Scouts of America Troop 16 (he has a son who is an Eagle Scout and two sons who are Life Scouts), a member of St. James Episcopal Church and current Trustee of St. James Day School in Texarkana.

“I feel honored to have been selected to serve the citizens of Bowie and Cass counties as a District Judge. Every day we handle different matters related to crimes, family issues, or civil complaints and I feel blessed to have been offered the trust of the District’s citizens. Fairness, above all else, accurate application of the law, an opportunity to be heard, integrity and justice are my goals every day. I look forward to continuing those goals if re-elected in 2020. Thank you to all who have supported me in the past and I look forward to continuing to deliver fair and impartial justice in the years to come,” said Judge Miller.

For more information about Judge Miller visit www.judgebillmiller.comor visit his photography website at billmiller-photo.com

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Local attorney Monty Murry has announced his candidacy for Judge of the 5th District Court for Bowie and Cass County, Texas. He has filed his application with the Republican Party of Texas and is listed as an official candidate for the primary election to be held on March 3, 2020.

After 34 years of a successful law practice, I would like to spend the latter part of my career giving something back to the community. In the words of John Adams, “Our Republic is a Government of Laws, not of Men.” I care passionately about our Government of Laws and system of justice and will endeavor to work hard to maintain the honor and integrity of the court. It is for that reason I am announcing my candidacy for Judge of the 5th District Court serving Bowie and Cass County, Texas, and have submitted my application for a place on the Republican Party General Primary Ballot. It is my firm belief that a judge should SERVE the bar. A Judge should display judicial temperament, patience, firmness, understanding, and humility, and should further be able to communicate with counsel, jurors, witnesses and parties calmly and respectfully. I have dedicated my life and career to serving others and as Judge, will continue on this path. I humbly ask for your prayers and support.

Monty Murry is married to Ryan Murry, and they are the proud parents of Mari-Alison Bowling, Rebecca Murray, Weldon Murry, and Peter Schneider. Ryan retired from teaching at Texas High School after 30 years and is currently teaching English at Ashdown High School. Monty and Ryan are members of Hardy Memorial United Methodist Church in Texarkana. Murry is also a member of Kiwanis Club of Texarkana, and has served on the boards of Harvest Texarkana, Haven Home and United Way.

Murry graduated from Baylor University School of Law in 1985, and worked his way through school by serving as the Minister of Music and Youth at a Baptist Church in Gatesville, Texas. He is board certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and is a certified Mediator, which includes a specialty in Advanced Family Mediations. Murry is the owner of the Murry Law Office in Texarkana and has spent much of his career helping those involved in personal injury actions.

When Mike Huckabee was elected as President of the Arkansas Baptist Convention, he appointed Murry to serve as the convention’s parliamentarian. Murry then served as parliamentarian for two conventions under the leadership of Mike Huckabee and two more under Dr. Rex Horne, former president of Ouachita Baptist University.

Murry was born October 30, 1961, in Oceanside, CA, while his father was serving in the Marines and stationed at Camp Pendleton. His parents, Gene and Betty Murry, were both born and raised in Hooks, Texas. After leaving the military, his father was ordained as a Baptist minister and spent the rest of Murry’s childhood as the pastor of several churches in Texas, including Temple Baptist Church in New Boston during the 1980s. Murry has completed two Ironman Triathlons and four marathons, including the New York City Marathon in November of this year.

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Audrey Spanko, a social worker from Mineola, has officially announced her campaign for Texas Senate, District 1 in 2020 to represent East Texas and fight for affordable healthcare. Spanko believes her diverse work experience, perspective, and energy make her the best candidate for East Texans.

Spanko, a Democrat, has witnessed how current state policies have affected people and communities across the district, and she is on a mission to fight social injustice, advocate for the people of East Texas, and bring positive change to the state.

“If our current state senator truly cares about our kids and families as much as he claims, he would have fought for affordable health insurance for the thousands of uninsured in our district,” Spanko said. “He would have fought for sustainable state dollars for public education, and he would have fought to ensure every eligible voter can make their voice heard. Unlike our current senator, I will work for quality, affordable healthcare, fight for public school funding, and defend the voting rights of every Texan.”

Currently, Northeast Texas is home to more than 140,000 uninsured residents, and over the last nine years, four hospitals have closed in Senate District 1. A lack of health coverage and healthcare closures put our community at risk. Spanko will work to broaden access to healthcare to every resident in the district and ensure hospitals have the resources they need to thrive.

As the daughter and sister of public school teachers and a proud graduate of public schools, Spanko will work to increase state funding to support high-quality education for our kids and fight to show our public school educators we truly value them by supporting teacher pay increases.

“Our teachers need a true ally in Austin — someone who believes in a strong public school system and who values the positive impact they make,” Spanko said.

Spanko received two social work degrees from the University of Texas at Austin. Over the last decade, she has worked for nonprofits, healthcare facilities, and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. She was raised in Mineola and graduated from Quitman High School.

Senate District 1 emcompasses 16 counties in Northeast Texas: Bowie, Camp, Cass, Franklin, Gregg, Harrison, Lamar, Marion, Morris, Panola, Red River, Rusk, Smith, Titus, Upshur and Wood.

Election Day is Nov. 3, 2020. To learn more about Spanko’s positions on issues from accessible healthcare to strengthening our public schools, visit www.audreyspanko.com.