Matt Hand needs to answer the concerns regarding experience in his race for Potter County Court at Law #2.
Hand, an Amarillo attorney who is currently locked in a runoff battle with Wade Overstreet, has been challenged on his experience in the past. The issue is not that Hand is inexperienced, the issue is that Hand has been accused of being inexperienced with criminal law. This is a major issue as, according to some estimates, the court Hand is running for handles over 70 percent criminal cases.
While Hand has run a spirited campaign with Overstreet, this has emerged as a real weak spot in his campaign's platform. Hand's opponents exploited his alleged lack of criminal experience by releasing a joint statement prior to the primary and Hand did not seem to have a strong answer for their charges. Hand also has not addressed the issue in a satisfying manner at forums, in the eyes of this editor.
Make no mistake, I am not saying that Matt Hand is inexperienced or that he lacks experience in the criminal law field. However, since Hand is running against a person as clearly qualified in the criminal law field as Wade Overstreet, he needs to address the issues over his possible lack of experience in the criminal law field. If Matt Hand cannot do so, this needs to be considered by voters on May 22nd.
Let's hope that Matt Hand will respond to these allegations sooner rather than later.
-Thomas Warren III, Editor-in-Chief
Photo by Hand Campaign