Lydia Long Campaign for Justice of the Peace, Pct. 1, Place 1, Taylor County

Posted in: Old Town Abilene

 

Justice of the peace race: Educator Long seeks to serve the public

By Garner Roberts Special to the Reporter-News

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Lydia Long says a justice of the peace administers "a people's court," and she calls the position "a great fit for me."

A nine-year resident of Abilene, Long is one of three candidates in next year's Republican primary to replace Bryan Smith as justice of the peace for Place 1, Precinct 1. Smith is not seeking re-election.

"This is a position that serves the community," she said, "which I love doing, and it ties into my criminal justice background. It's a great fit for me. I have a base of expertise."

A former professor at the University of Houston, Long is an adjunct professor of criminal justice for Excelsior College in Albany, N.Y., a distance learning institution and online education member of the State University of New York system. She also is a grant reviewer for the Department of Justice.

Over her 25-year career, Long also has taught at Abilene Christian University, Indiana State University and Sul Ross State University.

Long said a justice of the peace serves the public at

 

"a very basic level. It's the people's court. They (justices of the peace) don't have to be a lawyer, but they have to listen to people in a fair and impartial manner. Not everybody can afford to hire a lawyer to hear their story. This may be the only contact a lot of people have with the court system."

She said that, if elected, she hopes to improve the efficiency of the justice of the peace office and improve the flow of information to the public. She said she has visited such offices across the state to improve her understanding of the role.

Long said the wide range of duties of a justice of the peace include small claims court, evictions and arrest warrants.

"It's a judicial step in-between and should be very accessible to the public," she added.

Long has a doctorate in criminal justice from Sam Houston State University in Huntsville. In addition to her other undergraduate and graduate degrees, she completed the Missouri Police Academy and attended classes at the FBI Academy. She has been a certified child advocate for Harris County and is a member of the American Society of Criminology and the American Correctional Association.

 

 

I hope I have your support and Vote! Please "like" my Campaign FB page at:

 

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Lydia-M-Long-Phd-for-Taylor-Co-Justice-of-the-Peace/131424240302699

Letter: Lydia Long is beyond qualified

Staff Reports

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Arlene Shivers, Abilene

My husband, Don, and I know Dr. Lydia Long personally and have always been impressed with her never-ending energy in volunteer services to the Abilene community. Some of those include helping build Camp Barkeley Dog Park, Old Town Abilene Neighborhood Association and founding Friendship Park, The Center for Contemporary Arts, Taylor County Historic Commission, Greater Kiwanis and Abilene Woman's Club to name just a few.

We think Lydia Long is professionally qualified to be the next Precinct 1 Justice of the Peace. She has her Ph.D in Criminal Justice Administration. She has coroner's training, SID's and child homicide training as this position requires declaring "cause of death" in certain circumstances. She has attended the FBI International Symposium on The Future of Law Enforcement in Quantico. This being by invitation only.

Her 22 years as a professor in criminal justice keeps her up-to-date on all aspects and changes in our laws. Plus the important personal intermingling with people in many diverse situations. She has been published in many respected journals on criminal justice.

Dr. Lydia Long is certainly the most qualified candidate for Justice of the Peace. She gets our vote and hope she gets yours.

Thank you so much for all the support!  I truly appreciate everyone's calls and donations. 

 

If you would like to donate to my campaign, you can send your check to:

Lydia Long Campaign Fund, Gary Jay, Treasurer, POB 6191, Abilene, TX 79608.

 

The online 'buzz' has been wonderful! I really appreicate all the comments, they keep my name going!!

 

Best, Lydia Long

 

VOTE LYDIA LONG for Justice of the Peace, Pct. 1, Place 1, Taylor County!

Letter: Long knows what's fair

Staff Reports

Friday, February 10, 2012

Alison Grenfell, Minot, N.D.

I am writing this letter as former Old Town Abilene Neighborhood Association president.

During my year as president of OTANA, Lydia Long was a tremendous help and guidance for me, especially being new to the area. Her ability to regulate and give guidance on neighborhood issues or conflicts was outstanding.

The OTANA area is very diverse and can sometimes be challenging to bring together. With Lydia's help things got done! People were involved and she helped as much as she could.

During our neighborhood cleanup she would reach out to people who needed help and coordinate pickups of old items for the cleanup in an effort to get the neighborhood cleaned up!

Lydia has always put the neighborhood first and doesn't hesitate to help a neighbor in need. As president and member, Lydia helped me coordinate speakers for our OTANA meetings to get information out to the neighborhood and make them more aware, such as police officers coming to talk about neighborhood/home safety.

Lydia has the ability to see what is fair and what is not, based on the best solution for the situation.

I know we had some issues with other members in our association and it could've brought the whole association down. Lydia stood up for the association and kept her cool, because the association is good for the area and good for the neighborhood, definitely a selfless act on her part!

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