DA Hill won't seek re-election
12:21 PM CST on Friday, November 11, 2005
By ROBERT THARP / The Dallas Morning News


Dallas County District Attorney Bill Hill announced Friday that he will not seek re-election to a third term in November 2006 as the county�s top prosecutor.
In a brief statement released by his office, Mr. Hill indicated he had accomplished all of his major goals since taking office.
The district attorney specifically cited his office�s high conviction rate and record number of case dispositions, as well as 26 death penalty convictions including six prison escapees who murdered an Irving police officer in December 2000. He also said he boosted resources for his staff of more than 200 attorneys, and secured the largest pay raise in office history for his staff.
Mr. Hill�s leadership and style has not been without critics, with some saying he was not visible or accessible enough.
Others said the district attorney's office was too slow to react to the 2001 fake-drug scandal, in which dozens of innocent people were wrongly arrested on bogus charges. An independent investigation commissioned by Mr. Hill recommended changes to the office�s policies, and concluded that individual prosecutors were overworked and could have communicated more effectively. The investigation leveled most of the blame on a Dallas narcotics detective who has been convicted of lying in a search warrant about the cases.
Additionally, a lengthy investigation by Mr. Hill's office into a jailhouse contract awarded by former Dallas County Sheriff Jim Bowles resulted in several indictments, but all were legally flawed and eventually were dropped or dismissed.
The announcement came as a surprise - especially since Mr. Hill had already held at least one campaign fundraiser - and opens the candidate field for next year's high-profile race.
Up to this point no strong Republican candidates had emerged to challenge Mr. Hill in the party primary. At least two Democrats, attorneys Craig Watkins and Larry Jarrett, had announced that they would run against him in the general election. Because of recent success in county elections, Democratic leaders had said the were specifically targeting the district attorney�s race in the off-year election.
Official filing for the election begins in December. Mr. Hill said he will remain in office until a new district attorney is elected.

GOP begins hunt for DA candidate

Democrats who had hoped to topple Hill refocusing efforts


11:23 PM CST on Friday, November 11, 2005


By GROMER JEFFERS JR. and HOLLY BECKA / The Dallas Morning News



Bill Hill's exit from the political scene has created a scramble among Republicans looking to replace him.

Minutes after Mr. Hill made his announcement, speculation about the Republican primary ballot began to build.

At the top of the list of possible contenders are District Judge Vickers Cunningham and Dallas lawyer and recent fake-drug scandal special prosecutor Dan Hagood.

The longtime Dallas County district attorney's departure has also refocused the efforts of Democrats who relished the chance to retire him.

The GOP nominee, no matter who it is, probably won't be saddled with the specter of the fake-drug scandal and other controversies linked to Mr. Hill.

"It opens up a good opportunity for a good Republican to run for district attorney," said veteran GOP political consultant Clayton Henry. "Bill Hill would have been a target for Democrats in the 2006 election. This obviously takes him out of the picture and changes the dynamic of the local countywide races."

Mr. Hill's announcement that he would not seek re-election next year shocked most political analysts. Local Republicans had penciled him in atop the GOP ticket with County Judge Margaret Keliher.

But Republican political consultant Pat Cotton said the 2001 scandal in which fake drugs were planted on innocent people by paid Dallas police informants would have resurfaced to cause Mr. Hill problems. He had been criticized for reacting too slowly to the bad drug cases.

"Bill was pretty vulnerable," she said. "It would have been another tough race for him."

Mr. Cunningham said Friday that he was approached about replacing Mr. Hill atop the GOP ticket but had not talked to his family or reached a decision. He said members of the Republican Party had asked him Friday to consider running.

"Nothing has been settled; nothing has been planned," Judge Cunningham said. "It's all way too early."

He said one of the main issues to weigh was the fact that he would have to resign his bench in the 283rd Judicial District Court if he were to run.

He also confirmed that he and Mr. Hagood met Friday, but declined to discuss details of their meeting.

Mr. Hagood's name quickly emerged Friday as a Republican candidate for district attorney.

"Today is Bill Hill's day, and today, it seems to me, the focus should be on Mr. Hill," he said. "To my mind, he's been a great district attorney. And I'm not prepared to say anything beyond that."

Pressed, he admitted he was exploring his possible candidacy. "Certainly, I'm looking at all the options, and at the right time I'll have something to say."

Democrats on Friday said they were surprised by the announcement and are starting to rethink their campaign strategies.

In 2004, Lupe Valdez was elected sheriff after a public corruption investigation helped sink incumbent Jim Bowles in the GOP primary. Democrats also seized three judicial seats and had made winning the 2006 district attorney's race a priority.

"It levels the playing field," said Darlene Ewing, Dallas County Democratic Party chairwoman. "They won't have the experience issue in their favor. You can argue that we lost our target."

Three Dallas lawyers are already vying for the Democratic nomination � B.D. Howard Jr., Larry Jarrett and Craig Watkins.

State Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, has also been mentioned as a potential candidate.

Mr. Watkins spent $73,000 to run for district attorney in 2002 and got about 49 percent of the vote, narrowly losing to Mr. Hill. He said Mr. Hill's announcement was shocking.

"I don't know if it's good or bad," he said. "He surveyed the county and figured the people were ready for a change."

Mr. Jarrett, a former federal prosecutor, agreed that the dynamics of the general election had changed.

"That puts this contest in a totally different light," he said. "Mr. Hill's successor should be experienced and qualified."

Mr. Howard said the Democrats are in a good position.

"They are going to put their biggest gun at the top of the ticket," he said. "But with the demographics the way they are, we have an excellent chance to win if we put somebody with experience at the top of the ticket."

Mr. West said he is "not a candidate at this time."

But he acknowledged that the district attorney's race would be one to watch.

"With Bill Hill not running, the race is wide open," he said.