Published: July 03, 2008 12:07 am         

Rockwall Republicans select Culpepper as candidate for district attorney

ROCKWALL — ROCKWALL—Kenda Culpepper, Rockwall attorney, was selected by the Rockwall County Republican Party executive committee to be its district attorney candidate in the November election.

The selection was made by 11 p.m. Wednesday, July 2, after each of the four applicants for the candidacy had a 45 minute interview that evening, and the committee began its deliberations at 9 p.m.

“It was a sound majority,” which selected her, noted Rockwall Republican county chairman, Bill Broderick.

Thursday morning he began “pressing” the governor to appoint Culpepper to serve as the county’s interim district attorney up through Dec. 31, 2008.

“The governor agreed not to appoint anyone as temporary in that position; he would wait for the identification of the candidate for the November ballot,” Broderick said. The office will actually be “open” for six months, Broderick noted, since the winner of the November district attorney election, whether Republican or Democrat, won’t start until Jan. 1, 2009.

Four had applied to be the Republican candidate: Brian Williams, Rockwall County assistant district attorney; Culpepper, partner in Culpepper and Pruitt in Rockwall; Cameron Cowan, assistant district attorney in Kaufman County; and Keith Wheeler, of Wheeler and Wheeler, PC, in Rockwall.

The governor’s office has provided background checks through the State Bar of Texas, and provided criminal background checks on the applicants, Broderick said.

The entire meeting was limited to only the Republican county executive committee, which consists of the county chair, and the 16 precinct chairs (one of which is not filled) and the five non-voting members.

The meeting does not fall under the open records act, and Broderick wanted the members to feel as comfortable as possible to discuss the decision.

“This is a huge, huge, decision,” said Broderick. “This could be the cornerstone of the legal system in this county for another generation,” he said.

“It is so unusual for this body. We just went through this with Sheree Jones,” he noted, referring to the resignation of the county treasurer after her pleading guilty to use of county money.

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and boom, here we are again.”