HOUSTON – July 31, 2008 -

Texas Senate Challenger Called Law Enforcement's Choice For Public Safety and Public Integrity

( GALVESTON ) — The Galveston Municipal Police Association today endorsed Joe Jaworski in the race for Texas Senate District 11, saying that the former Galveston Mayor Pro-Tem has a proven record on public safety issues and a clear vision for guaranteeing that state government will do its part to provide local law enforcement agencies with the tools they need to protect our communities.
 
"Joe knows how to hold government accountable for doing the right thing," said GMPA president Jimmy de los Santos , a Galveston police officer. "He is law enforcement's clear choice to fight for public safety and public integrity at the State Capitol."
 
A former three-term member of the Galveston City Council, Jaworski earned a reputation for working closely with local police and public safety officials, and helped lead the region's efforts to prepare for Hurricane Rita in 2005.  Elected in 2000, Jaworski won re-election in 2002 and then again in 2004 as Mayor Pro-Tem, before stepping down at the end of his third term to launch his current race for the Texas Senate.
 
Jaworski welcomed GMPA's backing and accepted it in honor of the more than one dozen Galveston police officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
 
"We have always been able to count on Galveston 's police officers to do what it takes to keep us safe in our homes, businesses, schools, and neighborhood streets," Jaworski said.  "They have a right to know their state senator will do what it takes to make sure they have the resources to do the job we ask of them."
 
Jaworski has called for a wide range of public safety reforms, including:
 

• increased resources for local community policing programs
• more use of proven drug and alcohol training programs in prison to reduce recidivism
• jail diversion initiatives to keep non-violent mentally ill inmates out of overcrowded prisons
• ethics reforms to hold elected officials accountable for public integrity

Jaworski's public service continues a family tradition that includes his grandfather, respected Watergate prosecutor Leon Jaworski, and his father, Joe, a former partner in the prestigious Houston law firm of Bracewell & Patterson, and founder of the American Leadership Forum and co-founder of the Global Leadership Initiative.
 
Jaworski serves on the board of directors of the Children's Center in Galveston and is a member of the University of Texas Medical Branch 's Community Service Excellence Committee. He was appointed to UTMB's BSL-4 Community Liaison Committee, a group of local leaders charged with strengthening communication between the institution and the community about the university's infectious disease research program and high-containment laboratories.
 
Jaworski practices mediation and maritime law and lives in Galveston with his wife, Rebecca, and their two children