Gerald L. Hartley has announced his candidacy for district attorney for the 271st District in the upcoming Democratic primary.
"The Democratic party was a natural choice for me," Hartley said. "Being raised in a rural blue collar Democratic household, I was taught the working man is the backbone of this country. I still hold that belief today."
Hartley served as assistant Wise County attorney from 1998 to 2000 for Todd Durden.
"I learned the operation of the prosecutor's office from on-the-job training. A prosecutor must be fair and tough on defendants. The best deterrent to future crime is effective and efficient prosecution.
"I intend to evaluate the practices and procedures of the district attorney's offfice and to take all steps necessary to make it more efficient. Every aspect, and I mean every aspect, will be scrutinized. I will use my management skills to benefit the taxpayers of Wise and Jack counties."
Hartley is a 1979 graduate of the University of Arkansas at Monticello and attended graduate school at East Texas State University in Commerce where he taught American Goverment as a graduate assistant.
As an undergraduate, he interned with the Drew County judge's office and started his interest in local government. He also interned with the city of Terrell as its Section 8 Housing Program coordinator during the spring of 1980.
Hartley served as the city manager's assistant in DeSoto from 1980 to 1984 and as acting city manager twice, as city manager of Brinkley, Ark., from 1984 to 1987, and as city manager of Bowie from 1987 to 1992.
Hartley resigned from Bowie to attend law school at Texas Wesleyan University School of Law.
He practiced law in Boyd from March 1998 to July 2005, when he left to assist family. He returned to Wise County in March of 2007.
"It's great to be back," he said. "Wise County is my home and there is no place I'd rather be."
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