Announcing My Candidacy

By Bill Lawrence - Contributing Columnist

The News Connection, September 2, 2010

It is a privilege to serve the citizens of the great State of Texas and I am announcing my intent to become a Republican Primary congressional candidate for the United States House of Representatives in 2012. As many people know, the Texas Legislature will start redistricting for an expected gain of three or four new U. S. Congressional seats in less than a year from now, due to high population growth.

These are challenging economic times and almost everyone understands that the federal government in Washington, D.C. is maxing out its credit cards and that the nation's finances are in a mess. Today, the U. S. Government is spending over $1.5 Trillion dollars more than it is taking in each year. As a result, the Treasury Department must borrow money to meet Congress's appropriations. Deficit spending has our national debt sky-rocketing to over $13 trillion dollars. In addition, we are also facing a national unemployment rate near 10%, a home sales market that is lagging and the outsourcing of jobs by American companies at a staggering pace. Now is the time for fiscal restraint; not more unbridled spending. Now is also the time for Republicans to take back our country from the Washington, D.C. liberal elites, to fix the economy, restore prosperity and return government back to "We the People."

I have decided to run as a Republican Primary candidate for the United States House of Representatives because I'm convinced that America is headed in the wrong direction and that I am one of the best qualified people to help bring a much needed fiscally conservative approach to problem-solving in Washington. My varied and successful career has been guided by an unwavering sense of fairness, hard work and personal integrity. I have political experience at the national, state and local levels. Overall, my experience includes; military service, government work, corporate management, business ownership, state board & commission appointments, elected public office at the local level and a Republican grass roots activist, who has been there in the trenches.

I'm a proud American, a Texan and a Conservative Republican, who is committed to the political principles embodied in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. My key priorities in Congress will include; keeping taxes low, strengthening the economy, creating jobs growth, limiting the size of government and safeguarding the security of the American people. Principally focused on the economy, I also support a revised healthcare plan that would be market driven, reduces costs, keeps quality high and provides families an option to purchase coverage from other states. I support lessening America's dependency on oil by encouraging development of alternatives such as hydro, solar or wind. Finally, I believe that "All" illegal immigration should be stopped. I further believe that former President George W. Bush's Temporary Workers Program was at least a good start at a mostly realistic direction for addressing the problem of illegal immigration.

In addition to a law degree from Indiana University, Maurer School of Law in Bloomington, William "Bill" Lawrence received his bachelor's degree from Tuskegee University. He is owner and CEO of B. Lawrence Consulting, LLC, a mostly dispute resolution firm, and a former three-term Mayor of Highland Village. He has served on the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct, responsible for investigating allegations of judicial misconduct or inability and for the discipline of over 3700 judges throughout the State. Lawrence is a board member of the Medical Center of Lewisville, the Denton County 911 Board of Managers, the North Texas Tollway Authority and the Business Diversity Advisory Council. The former IRS Attorney and Air Force Reserve Colonel has served 20 years as a corporate manager within the telecommunications industry. He is also a member of the Texas Bar Association's Dispute Resolution section, the Global Mediation Association and the Lewisville Noon Chapter of Rotary International. Lawrence and his wife, Grace have been Highland Village residents for over 26 years. They moved here from Stamford, Connecticut. They have three adult children and four grandchildren.