A long-time Dallas County commissioner has been ousted from the juvenile board of Dallas County.
The Dallas County Commissioners Court opted to replace Commissioner John Wiley Price in his place on the juvenile court at its latest meeting on Tuesday. Commissioner Andrew Sommerman was voted into the seat in a 3-2 decision.
Section 152.0631 of the Human Resources Code requires that one juvenile board member be a county commissioner.
Commissioner Price had accused County Judge Clay Jenkins of driving the movement to remove him from the Dallas County Juvenile Board, according to The Dallas Morning News.
At Tuesday’s meeting, Jenkins moved that Commissioner Sommerman be appointed to represent the commissioners at the juvenile court. Commissioners Price and Theresa Daniel asked to table the item for later. Jenkins moved to override their request as the issue at hand was “time-sensitive.”
“I think we need to do everything we can, and I know everyone on this board is dedicated to doing our best by the juvenile department and the children under our charge,” Jenkins said at the meeting. “I can’t think of anything much more time-sensitive than this, given the things that we have coming out of this report.”
Price and Jenkins appear to have been at odds for some time.
The two Dallas County officials engaged in a verbal altercation over how to resolve issues in the juvenile court during its meeting last month, according to The Dallas Morning News.
Price and Jenkins have previously disagreed over other issues regarding court activities, including tax-office closures, tax rates, and felony backlog cases in the county.
Sommerman said he would be proud to take on the role.
“I would be glad to take forward the issues that are presented within the juvenile department, and I will do so with the understanding and also with listening to all members of this commissioner’s court,” he said.
Commissioner Price described this motion as “one of those great-white-hope moves.” He added that he intends to be present for meetings, noting that most of those in the juvenile system are African-American.
“I will be there. I will register for everything that’s on the agenda, and I will speak to it,” Price said.
Commissioner Elba Garcia voiced her support for Sommerman taking up the role, adding that everyone present on the council had the best interest of Dallas County at heart.
“I hate to be the vote that is going to decide this issue because I understand the political ramifications, but the reality is [that] Commissioner Sommerman is trying to do it, wants to do it, [and] has the capacity and the capability to do it,” Garcia said.
Garcia added that she wants to see that fairness prevails for those in the juvenile court system.
“I’m ready to give a chance to Commissioner Sommerman and see … where we go,” she said.