I appreciate Treasurer Lisa Hembry’s gracious offer to assist in the transition. I look forward to working in a cooperative bipartisan manner with other Dallas County elected officials and departments to continue to implement improvements in the efficiency of the Treasurer’s office.

Following my swearing in on January 1, 2007 as Dallas County Treasurer I will work hard and honestly to manage the Treasurer’s office efficiently with integrity in a manner taxpayers can trust.

Joe Wells
Dallas County Treasurer Elect

Wells currently manages a local nonprofit administered court-ordered community service program, which refers 12,000 mandated volunteers to 600 nonprofit agencies. The program, which Wells has managed for the past 11 years, documents, verifies and reports over 600,000 hours of community service annually to referring county criminal courts, district courts, municipal courts, and school districts in Dallas and Tarrant counties.

“For over 20 years I have worked successfully with public officials of both political parties, judges, county department directors, and non partisan municipal and school officials and community organizations,” Wells said. “My experience in working in a cooperative and positive manner with these officials and organizations, along with my extensive administrative experience, has prepared me to manage the Dallas County treasurer’s office effectively.”

Wells promises to wage a spirited campaign against the one-term Republican incumbent treasurer. “Although the administrative and financial management functions of the treasurer office are nonpartisan, the treasurer is elected in a partisan election,” Wells noted.

Dallas County has become a very competitive two- party county. Democrats are challenging the past Republican monopoly on county offices. By giving voters a choice, candidates and office holders will be more accountable to tax payers and county government will be strengthened.

Wells, a veteran, served from 1968 - 1972 in the US Air Force Security Police. He was discharged as a staff sergeant after four years of military service in the Strategic Air Command. Following his military service, Wells attended the University of Texas at Arlington on the GI Bill, earning bachelors and masters degrees in political science. He was recognized for academic achievement by political science honor societies.

Wells has been an active leader in local, state, and national conservation and environmental organizations and has chaired the board of the Dallas Nature Center, and has served as vice chair of the Dallas Sierra Club. He received volunteer recognition awards by the Dallas American Lung Association and Lone Star Chapter Sierra Club for his environmental advocacy. He served on numerous local and regional boards and committees including NCTCOG Air Quality Committee, Dallas Environmental Health Commission and Dallas County Local Emergency Planning Committee. Wells also served for eight years as a parent on the Woodrow Wilson High School Centered Education Committee.

Wells is an east Dallas native and graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School, class of 1966. He and his wife of 30 years, Beth, lived in north Oak Cliff for 22 years before moving to Grand Prairie. He has two children: Daniel, Woodrow Wilson Class of 1997 and a graduate of Texas Christian University, who lives in Dallas; and Emily, Woodrow Wilson Class 2002 and a University of Texas at Austin graduate, who lives in Austin.

The treasurer is the chief liason between the county and all depository banks, and serves as the chief investment officer for Dallas County funds.

Joe Wells, the Democratic candidate for Dallas County Treasurer, has a proven record of success in working with local, state and federal officials in a bipartisan manner that gets results. Learn more about Joe’s experience and find out how you can help the campaign.