115: Candidate Forum for Rockwall County Judge

Dates of Candidate Interviews
Hon. Frank New- January 6, 2022
Hon. John Beaman- January 13, 2022
County Judge David Sweet- January 20, 2022

Campaign Websites
David Sweet- https://www.davidsweetforjudge.com/
Frank New- https://www.franknew.com/
John Beaman- https://www.johnbeaman.org/

To jump to questions that most interest you, click the timecode next to the candidate’s name.

Candidate introductions & bio’s.
2:49 David Sweet
4:04 Frank New
6:03 John Beaman

1. Why are you running for election/re-election as Rockwall County Judge?
9:25 John Beaman
16:24 Frank New
34:24 David Sweet

2. Do you have a faith & if so, what is it and how will it/does it guide you if elected/re-elected?
35:44 Frank New
37:58 John Beaman
39:09 Judge David Sweet

3. If elected/re-elected, do you see yourself as a representative or trustee of the people? (A representative will act in ways that he/she believes those who elected them would want them to act while a trustee acts in ways that they believe are in the people’s best interest, even if those who elected them oppose such actions i.e. shutting down businesses and places of worship during a pandemic.)
41:54 David Sweet
43:35 John Beaman
44:12 Frank New

4. When is it okay to enact county-wide restrictions against private businesses or houses of worship?
47:43 Frank New
49:02 David Sweet
53:48 John Beaman

5. I have a simple fundamental philosophy that the role of government is to do the most-good for the most-people at the least-cost. Where government cannot meet that standard, government should not act. What is your philosophy about the role of county government, or when would you say county government “services/responsibilities” are essential and when is it superfluous?
55:00 John Beaman
56:47 David Sweet
1:00:53 Frank New

6. Define “Conservative” in a county with exponential growth where government services must expand.
1:02:11 Frank New
1:03:26 David Sweet
1:05:09 John Beaman

7. Do you support government funding or tax abatement incentives for private ventures, like local restaurants, stores, technology companies, or even professional stadiums? If so, what limits would you put in place to ensure that government is not picking winners and losers?
1:08:58 John Beaman
1:11:42 Frank New
1:12:51 David Sweet

8. Voters approved the road bond in an election with one of the lowest voter turnouts in Rockwall history. Did voters make a good or bad decision and had voters rejected it, would you have supported opening reserve funds to pay for it, as commissioners did to build the county courthouse after voters rejected it in two separate elections? Why or why not?
1:16:32 David Sweet
1:21:59 John Beaman
1:25:24 Frank New

9. What is your vision for Rockwall County? As you share your vision, include what changes/services/programs will you be advocating if elected/re-elected.
1:28:31 John Beaman
1:32:56 Frank New
1:33:57 David Sweet

10. Closing
1:36:33 David Sweet
1:38:59 John Beaman
1:40:20 Frank New

1:41:28 Bunker Bob’s Closing Comments