With the primary election less than one week from today, I asked both Democratic challengers in HD146 to send me a statement about why you should vote for them. The following is Al Bennett's statement.

Residents of District 146 should vote for me because I am uniquely qualified to effectively fight on behalf of our community's interests in the committee rooms and on the floor of the Texas House of Representatives. I have the professional experience, and the community service and educational background to be effective immediately.

Professionally, I have been practicing law in Houston for the past fourteen years, the first three with Fulbright & Jaworski, L.L.P. I later practiced with Solar & Fernandes, L.L.P., a wholly owned minority firm, for four years. And since 1998, I have owned and operated my own law firm, the Law Offices of Alfred H. Bennett. I am also an Adjunct Professor of Law at the Thurgood Marshall of Law at Texas Southern University. And previously, I served as an intern to the Hon. Gary Ackerman (D-NY) as part of the Mickey Leland Congressional Internship Program.

My community involvement has also been and remains quite extensive. I am the current Vice-President of the Parkwood Drive Civic Club, and member of the Board of Directors of the East Downtown Management District and the University of Texas School of Law Alumni Association. In addition, I am the current Chair of the Lawyer Referral & Information Services Committee for the State Bar of Texas, former committee member of the State Bar of Texas Grievance Committee 4A, and past president of the Houston Lawyers Association, the local affiliate of the National Bar Association.

And finally, my educational background has prepared me to serve the district well. I received my B.S. in Political Science from the University of Houston in 1988 and a J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law in 1991.

A vote for Al Bennett is a Vote for Effective Change.