Wylie Today

Dear Editor and Wylie Citizens,

After these examinations, I ask that each of you join me in supporting the re-election of Mr. Joe Barton as Constable of Precinct Two.

Letters to the Editor are personal opinions of the author listed and do not necessarily represent the views of wylietoday.com.

Billy Meeks is a candidate for Collin County Precinct 2 Constable in the primary election March 4th. Mr. Meeks has been very active in his campaign, but was gracious enough to take some time to answer a few questions for Wylie Today. More information about Billy Meeks can be found on his website, http://www.billymeeks.com.

1) What motivated you to run for Constable this year?

A couple of years ago several people in the area had asked me to look into the possibility of running for Constables. After looking at the situation in the Constable’s office, talking to Constables in other Precincts, officers of the court, and a lot of citizens, I decided this is where I’m needed the most. I have been a public servant for 28 years and I take this job very seriously.

In researching I found areas in the Constable’s office that would benefit from procedures of accountability, up to date methods to improve efficiency and the need to hold the office to a higher standard of professionalism.The skills and experience I’ve gained from over 26 years with the Plano Police Department with 20 years as a detective where I investigated major crimes and death cases, served on the FBI Terrorist Task Force, was the lead investigator assigned to the FBI and DEA Drug Overdose Task Force, gives me all the tools needed to bring the Constable’s office into the 21st century.

2) Why did you choose Precinct 2 over Precinct 3, which is an area you have that you have major support and have worked since 1980?

I have received a lot of support and encouragement from people living in Precinct 3 and am endorsed and supported by the Texas Municipal Police Association, the Plano Police Association and the Collin County Deputies Association, but the need is here in my own backyard. My friends, neighbors and the people I know from Wylie all the way up to Blue Ridge have asked for my help and I can do nothing but respond to that request for help.

In the 20 years that I have lived in Wylie it has changed a great deal. In those 20 years the population has exploded and technology has advanced at an astounding rate. The Constable’s office is just too outdated to be effective. The citizens in Precinct 2 deserve better than that.

3) I have received a lot of feedback regarding the last line of your letter where you state, “With your assistance we can restore integrity to the Constables Office.” How has the current team failed to demonstrate integrity and what are your plans to change that?

Part of integrity is the fair treatment of all citizens whether they are from the family that has lived here a hundred years in the big house on the hill or the young couple that just moved here.

The widow that called and asked for help and was brushed aside, the young woman being violently threatened by her estranged husband was left to fend for herself, these citizens were in dire need of immediate help and their pleas were ignored. The Constable is a Texas Peace Officer and as such it is his duty to preserve the peace by all lawful means and not show favoritism and definitely not just walk away.

In your question you ask how I plan to change that. The answer is simple…by fulfilling ALL the duties of the office, not picking and choosing the easy, safe ones, but ALL the duties.

With the election of Constable for Precinct 2 right around the corner (March 4, 2008) the people of Precinct 2 need to carefully consider whether change is indeed needed in this Precinct. Although Billy Meeks appears to have a stellar law enforcement career with the City of Plano and his experience indicates he could rid Precinct 2 of Heroin and solve Cold Case Murders, the Primary duties of the Constable in Precinct 2 are:

1. Civil process (lawsuits, divorces, evictions, civil subpoenas, etc.),
2. Deliverance of criminal subpoenas for all courts,
3. Execution of writs (court orders) for all courts,
4. Executing arrest warrants (primarily for the JP Courts) and
5. Bailiffing for the JP Court.

With that being said, the election of Billy Meeks would be a crippling mistake for Precinct 2 and it’s residents and here is why:

1. His background is more Criminal than Civil,
2. With only one year of Constable work in Dallas county from1979-1980 Billy Meeks would have to learn a whole new system and a new way of thinking with the current Collin County Precinct 2 Law Enforcement and its residents,
3. He would have to be trained by the incumbent Joe Barton who already knows the area, logistics, and the affairs of Precinct 2 and,
4. With change there comes a “cleaning of house”. This house is already clean and works well with the residents and current Law Enforcement of Precinct 2.

Joe Barton and his team (Earl Newsom and Gary Edwards) have been an excellent resource for the residents of Precinct 2. I can personally say that I’ve used Earl Newsom on a number of occasions as a resource when I’ve had questions dealing with the law, as have many other residents in Precinct 2. Earl Newsom has been a great asset to Joe’s team and Joe did an excellent job when hiring Earl as part of this team. Although I have not had the pleasure of meeting Gary Edwards, if he is anything like Joe Barton and Earl Newsom, he is definitely an asset to the Precinct 2 team.

Also, I would like to add, with the explosive growth of Wylie, Sachse, and now Lavon, because of the past Police experience Joe and his team has, they can easily shift back and forth with the Urban/Rural mentality and not miss a beat. They truly care about all the people of Precinct 2 and still see people as people even when having to deal with the Law. I know sometimes, change is good, but change is only good when change is needed. In this case, a “New Beginning” is not needed with opponent Billy Meeks for Precinct 2. Therefore I strongly encourage and recommend the residents of Precinct 2 to re-elect Joe Barton for Precinct 2 Constable on election day. For more information, please visit Joe’s site at www.constablejoebarton.com.

Letters to the Editor are personal opinions of the author listed and do not necessarily represent the views of wylietoday.com.

Billy Meeks cordially invites you to

Chili with Billy

The event will be held Saturday, February 16th. You are welcome to show up any time between 7:00 P.M. and 10 P.M. at the Bart Peddicord Community Center located at 100 W. Oak St in Downtown Wylie.
No campaign speeches, just the opportunity to enjoy a hot bowl of chili and visit with Billy Meeks.

It has been my honor to serve the citizens of eastern Collin County as Constable since 1989.  As this precinct has grown, we have worked hard to keep pace.  In 1995, Earl Newsom joined the office as my deputy and this year, we added Gary Edwards as the second deputy. Both of these men brought many years of law enforcement experience with them.  Our office has well over 100 years of law enforcement experience.

I, personally, have over thirty-five years of law enforcement experience with twenty-seven years of budget management.  While serving with the McKinney police department I was in the number two position as a Lieutenant.  I hold a Master Peace Officer Certification and a Civil Proficiency Certificate.  I have taught in police academies and Constable schools throughout the state.  Both of my deputies also hold Master Peace Officer Certifications and Instructor Licenses, and Deputy Newsom holds a Civil Proficiency Certificate.  Deputy Edwards has over twenty-five years as a supervisor with a large Constable’s Office in Dallas County.   Deputy Newsom, who has over fifteen years as a supervisor before joining my office,  has taught with the Dallas Police Academy, Texas Justice Court Training Center, Collin County Law Enforcement Academy, and with various police departments in Collin County.

I have been very involved in my community serving as the President of Chaparral Rails to Trails, Inc.  I am a Past President of Rotary and have perfect attendance for over fifteen years.   I have also served on the Planning and Zoning Board of Farmersville, been a member of the Collin County Rape Crisis Center Board of Directors, and served four years on the board of the McKinney Municipal Credit Union, two years as Board Chairman.

I am a strong believer in family values and have been married for thirty-six years to Eva Hartsell Barton.  We were blessed with one daughter, Autumn Barton, who is now a graduate of Baylor University and employed by Presbyterian Hospital of Greenville.

With your support, I and my team hope to continue to serving the citizens of Precinct Two in a professional manner for years to come.

Dear Wylie Today Editor:

In a recent letter published in the Wylie News, Mr. and Mrs. Purdon indicated that they had issues with people causing problems in their neighborhood, because some warrants had not been served. I was unaware that there had been a rash of Issuing Bad Checks in the neighborhood. Mr. Purdon seems to be unaware that the majority of warrants served by the Constable’s Offices in Collin County are for “hot checks.” Although these are crimes, I think they are hardly a matter of safety. I’m sure Constable Barton’s office have served and made arrests, for thousands of these warrants during his period of service in our precinct. Removing Constable Barton from office will certainly not make our neighborhoods any safer. I believe in fact the loss of his 35 years of law enforcement experience, and that of his deputies, would have the opposite effect.

When my family has had occasion to contact Constable Barton’s office we have always found them to be receptive to our concerns and needs. Constable Barton has built up a team which is committed to the service of Precinct Two Citizens. They have a real concern for all people. I would urge my friends and neighbors to keep this team together serving the people of this area and vote for Joe Barton. For more information visit http://constablejoebarton.com.

Jeff Cox
Wylie, Texas

Letters to the Editor are personal opinions of the author listed and do not necessarily represent the views of wylietoday.com.

Dear Fellow Citizens,

I have been examining the candidates for the Precinct 2 Constable’s Office. Candidate Billy Meeks certainly has some impressive credentials as a Detective. The glaring omission from his qualifications is that of supervisory experience in law enforcement. It seems he has none. On the other hand the incumbent, Constable Joe Barton, has spent much of his thirty-five year law enforcement career as a supervisor including time spent as the number two man at the McKinney Police Department. In fact, I found it interesting that the newest deputy hired by Constable Barton has as many years of supervisory experience as Mr. Meeks has in law enforcement.

Constable Barton and Deputy Constable Earl Newsom have been involved in teaching continuing education courses for Constables and Deputies throughout the state of Texas. Constable Barton has shown his dedication to law enforcement education by having his office prepare and teach classes to the Wylie Police Department on various aspects of both civil law and other law enforcement areas where they have particular expertise.

Mr. Meeks goals include making the Constable’s Office a law enforcement resource for the community but this goal has already been met by Constable Barton and his dedicated staff. Other goals, such as positive communication with our police departments have already been achieved with officers from this portion of the county receiving advice and assistance from Constable Barton’s office. Constable Barton’s offices, in both Wylie and Farmersville, receive many calls and visits from citizens seeking information and direction and find ready answers to their questions and concerns.

I hope that the citizens of Wylie, and all of Precinct 2, will join me in supporting and voting for the re-election of Constable Joe Barton in the March 4th Republican primary.

Rick White
Wylie, TX

Letters to the Editor are personal opinions of the author listed and do not necessarily represent the views of wylietoday.com.

To: Editor, Wylie Today

I wanted to share this with the citizens of Wylie. Billy Meeks has been endorsed and is supported by the Texas Municipal Police Association, the Plano Police Association and the Collin County Deputies Association. Over 14,000 law enforcement officer are standing behind Billy Meeks. Apparently they also think it’s important that we get someone in the office that can do the job.

Pat Martin
Wylie, TX

Letters to the Editor are personal opinions of the author listed and do not necessarily represent the views of wylietoday.com.

Friends and Neighbors,

I am asking for your support in my campaign for Collin County Constable PCT 2 which covers Wylie, St Paul, Lavon, Nevada, Josephine, Copeville, Farmersville, Blue Ridge and the communities east of Lake Lavon.

The Primary Election on March 4th is just around the corner with early voting starting February 19, 2008. It is my goal to meet each of the citizens within the district which is an impossible task without your assistance. I am asking each of you to contact your family, friends and neighbors and share with them my vision and goals as their Constable of Precinct 2.

My message is straightforward……….I will restore professional law enforcement and accountability to this elected position with over 28 years experience to draw from. I served over 26 years with the Plano Police Department with 20 years as a detective where I investigated major crimes and death cases. I also served on the FBI Terrorist Task Force and was the lead investigator assigned to the FBI and DEA Drug Overdose Task Force. I was honored to receive the US Attorney Director Award for serving on the Plano Heroin Task Force and gained valuable experience which will make the Constables Office the leading edge in law enforcement. As a 10 year member of the Texas Municipal Police Association Board of Directors and President of the Plano Police Association, I have the experience and knowledge to forecast, prepare and operate within a balanced budget.

Please visit my Web Site, www.billymeeks.com, to better understand the duties and responsibilities of a Constable, my goals and experience. Personal references include John Mondy, Red Byboth, Jeran Akers, Bill & Ronnie Fetzer, Merrill or Toni Young, Jim Griffin, Gary & Charlotte Bowland, Cliff & Pat Martin, Charles McKay, J. I. Page, Don & Paulette Smith, Keith Stephens, Harold Myers, and Jim Bunger.

With your assistance we can restore integrity to the Constables Office.

Thank You in advance for your continued support,

Billy J Meeks
114 Fairmount Dr,
Wylie, Texas 75098
972- 670- 6758