WIMBERLEY — On Wednesday, May 22, local political candidates and the community were invited to a Hays County Public Safety Candidate Forum hosted jointly by Kyle Law Enforcement Association, the Hays County Law Enforcement Association and the Buda and San Marcos officers’ associations at the Wimberley Community Center.
WIMBERLEY -— On Wednesday, May 22, local political candidates and the community were invited to a Hays County Public Safety Candidate Forum hosted jointly by Kyle Law Enforcement Association, the Hays County Law Enforcement Association and the Buda and San Marcos officers’ associations at the Wimberley Community Center.
In attendance were candidates for Hays County tax assessor collector, District 45 state representative, justice of the peace precinct 2 place 2, constable precinct 2, county court at law no. 3, 483rd district judge, commissioner precinct 3 and sheriff.
Candidates spoke about their experience, strengths and weaknesses and a variety of issues related to public safety and law enforcement.
State Representative District 45
Republican candidate Tennyson Moreno explained that he grew up in a lower-to-middle-class family with a single mother.
“I grew up in that environment and it gave me the capabilities and the atmosphere of knowing what it takes when times get tough, of knowing how to pull myself up from the bootstraps,” the candidate said.
According to Moreno, he has worked in various campaigns in and around Austin, as well as in aviation.
If elected, his goal is to be a listener.
“So, when it does come time to ask about bills and ask about what will affect law enforcement and what will affect our communities, I will come to you and I will ask and I will take your advice and bring it to the table and have you be a representative, as well,” said Moreno.
When it comes to offenders with mental health issues in the Hays County Jail, Moreno hopes to spearhead an initiative for a cross-training program for officers, so that some officers have a multi-tool available to them in mental health situations.
“As you heard, I’m not a polished politician … What I am is an average citizen. One of the things I am here for is because I lost my cousin to fentanyl. I’ve lost my friends to drug overdoses and DUIs, and it hurts everyone, regardless of if you’re Republican or Democrat,” Moreno concluded, “The roads do not care if you are Republican or Democrat. Our law enforcement doesn’t look at how you voted or when you voted. What they care about is that you are a person. And I am the person for the job … I stutter, I say the wrong things and I have a bad haircut, that’s me … I’m running because we need a representative who will represent us all.”
Democratic candidate and incumbent Erin Zwiener was not in attendance.
Constable Pct. 2
Republican candidate David Saenz served in the U.S. Marine Corp from 2000-2004 and has lived in Hays County since 2007. He spent seven years as an officer at Kyle Police Department. He currently works at the Caldwell County Constable’s Precinct 3 office and is married with three children.
In order to maximize efficiency in the constable’s office, Saenz plans to talk to the current deputies and the community about areas of improvement that they would like to see and implement programs to encourage community engagement. He believes the most pressing issue in Precinct 2 is the gap between law enforcement and the community.
In terms of traffic control and enforcement, Saenz recognizes the traffic strain that the increased population has put on the infrastructure in Kyle and expressed the desire to send out deputies to study and help control problem areas.
“[I had] a single mom; my dad was in jail. There was always that disconnect with law enforcement growing up. Had I not gone into the Marine Corps, I would have been down a different path [that] I don’t want to think about,” Saenz concluded. “So, I want to reach out to the teens, mainly, and even as early elementary, reach them and talk to them, tell them, ‘This is what we do. Don’t be afraid of us’… It’s near and dear to my heart because, had I had [it], again, my whole life would have been different prior to the Marine Corps.”
Democratic candidate and incumbent Michael Torres was not in attendance.
County Court at Law No. 3
Democratic candidate and incumbent Elaine S. Brown was born in Houston and attended Texas Tech University for her undergraduate and law degrees before obtaining a master’s degree in psychology from University of Houston’s Victoria campus. She has served as an attorney for more than 32 years. In addition to her main court, Brown presides over the Hays County Mental Health specialty court.
According to Brown, one of the biggest problems facing the courts is docket control and management. The incumbent explained that she and the other two judges have worked to divide up duties to get people into court faster, as well as easing the burden on law enforcement in the jails with the Mental Health Court docket.
“Currently, the Veterans Court judge and I work together to make sure that individuals who need help get the help that they need, whether it’s through the Veterans Court or through the Mental Health Court, and I foresee us continuing to do that,” Brown said.
In order to help restore faith in the courts and the legal system, Brown’s objective is to listen.
“One of the most important things, I think, about being a judge is being able to listen. A lot of times, people think we just talk and I think it’s important for us to listen to the concerns of the community, the concerns of everyone that we serve. Our job is a service job and therefore, if law enforcement has concerns, I’m here to listen; if private citizens have concerns, I’m also here to listen and try to address those concerns in whatever capacity I am able to do so,” the judge said. “Judges only have so much power. And we do what we can with the power and the responsibility that we have to make this a better place.”
Republican candidate Robert E. Updegrove was not in attendance.
District Judge 483rd Judicial District
Democratic candidate Alicia Key served as an assistant district attorney, an adjunct professor, general counsel and director at the Office of the Attorney General and director at the State Office of Court Administration before opening her private law practice in Buda six years ago.
Republican candidate and incumbent Tanner Niedhardt began by explaining that, when he was appointed to the position, there were, on average, 9.6 trials per district court per year and in his first year, he tried 22 cases. He urged the audience to not think of him only as a Republican, but to think of his record, which, according to the judge, will show a “fair and efficient court.”
According to Key, the biggest problem facing the court system in Hays County is the backlog of not only criminal cases, but also civil cases and, in order to improve efficiency, she sees a need to standardize processes among the district court judges and continue to develop the specialty courts.
“We have a whole lot of civil cases, more civil cases are filed with this court than criminal cases,” Key explained. “And I would love to work with the county law enforcement for the criminal stuff and my other county personnel to help reduce the backlogs in the civil cases and give those people their day in court, also. They need justice, also.”
Neidhardt agreed with Key about the backlog, but argued that the court he is currently running is the number one court for reducing it.
“This is the court that is getting the job done for the people,” he said. “See, it’s very easy to give continuances; it’s very hard to look at someone and say the continuance is denied, we’re going to trial. And you should expect that from your judges, right? You’re not here to ask for judges to do what is easy. You’re here to have them act on your behalf. And that’s what we’re doing.”
In order to help restore faith in the courts and the legal system, Key agreed with the earlier sentiments of Judge Brown.
“I would want to talk to them and see what their concerns are,” she said. “But beyond that, my goal as a judge would be to apply the law in a fair, impartial and competent way every day. I would want to run my courts and let people come in and know that low income individuals have access to appropriate legal systems. They also know that a court is fair and efficient and it treats people — everybody — I would treat every person with courtesy, dignity and respect, make them feel listened to, make them feel like they’ve gotten a fair shake.”
Neidhardt explained the importance of law enforcement having faith in the courts. He used the example of San Marcos Police Officer Kenneth Copeland, who was killed in the line of duty in 2017 and how the case took seven years go to trial.
“That is not happening under us. We are getting cases handled. And that’s why we’ve already done a fentanyl murder. We’re not going to wait for seven years when it’s not an issue anymore. We’re doing those fentanyl cases right now,” he said.
In closing, Key emphasized her diverse legal background practicing as a judge and an administrator.
“In my experience in front of many judges, I’ve seen judges who have positive and powerful impact on the people’s lives in front of them. I’ve seen judges that because of their wisdom, and their fairness and their temperament and their legal expertise, they’ve made a dramatic difference in people’s lives,” she said. “I’ve also seen the opposite. I have seen judges who don’t treat people fairly. I am determined to run my court the way I run my life, treating everyone with respect and dignity and making them feel like they’ve been listened to and had a fair shake.”
Neidhardt closed by saying, “If you measure results based on performance, not based on age. If you measure the judges that you want by the record, not based on promises and possibilities, then I’ve proven that I’m that judge for you. The numbers play that out. And I want to continue to do that for you … I ask you to consider that record and see what we’re doing for the good of Hays County.”
Commissioner Pct. 3
Republican candidate Morgan Hammer is a financial advisor with Edward Jones. In addition to being a mother of one, she serves as a board member of Mission Able and chair of San Marcos Young Professionals.
Democratic candidate Rebecca Minnick has served on Wimberley City Council since 2019. She currently works as a real estate agent, but has experience in communications and public relations, with both public and private sector companies.
When asked about her vision for the future of Hays County, Hammer spoke of the overcrowding of the Hays County Jail and the issue of outsourcing inmates to other jails.
“We have 531 currently in the custody of Hays County and only 254 are within our jail,” Hammer explained. “So, where’s the rest? The rest is out in different counties. So, we’re paying other counties to not only hold our inmates, but to hold our cheapest or lowest cost inmates … The future of Hays County is to look and to address with the courts, to address with the Hays County Sheriff’s Office on how to fix this problem because it is a comprehensive issue.”
Minnick agreed that the jail is a problem, but had a different perception of the biggest issues affecting the county.
“In my view, I think we need to be focusing on those things that all of us have in common, that have to do with law enforcement, that have to do with quality of life and that have to do with our natural resources,” the candidate concluded.
According to Minnick, her life experiences, professional experiences and level-headedness are her biggest strengths in running for this position.
Hammer said her biggest strength is taking a “comprehensive approach” to everything. She explained that she has the time to sit down and view all of the facts of a situation and see the things that she puts in place through.
In closing, Hammer took the opportunity to thank law enforcement for their work.
“I mean, it’s what you guys do every day, put your life on the line. It’s something [that] deserves respect. And we put you in charge to uphold the law and that deserves to be respected. So, thank you for what you do,” she said.
Minnick also expressed her appreciation for law enforcement and emphasized her experience and the importance of the responsible allocation of county funds and working together.
“I do believe that my experience has prepared me well to serve as Hays County commissioner. With every project, every campaign that I’ve done, including and especially as mayor pro tem and city council member in Wimberley, I’ve continued to learn, I’ve developed important relationships and I’ve also added to my skill set as time has gone by,” she said. “What I also understand is that we all need to work together; that we can’t be siloed by law enforcement and mental health and the courts and the cities. We all have to work together. We all have to have constructive and positive relationships, so that we can meet the massive challenges in this county.”
Sheriff
Democratic candidate Alex Villalobos is married with two children and is the current chief of staff for Hays County. He has a Texas Peace Officer license as a master peace officer and has master’s degrees in criminal justice and public administration.
“Some of the things I’d like to say to what I’m bringing to this organization is my executive level law enforcement management experience, my practical experience, my academic knowledge and working in academia and my community-focused values,” Villalobos said. “I have been nothing but a builder of community engagement in many aspects, whether in law enforcement, whether in an elected official or whether just a staff member or government worker, that is what I’m known to do — known to get things done.”
Republican candidate Anthony Hipolito grew up in Hays County and has been in law enforcement for 26 years, most of which was spent at the Austin Police Department. He is married with two daughters.
In order to manage the jail population and outsourcing of inmates, Hipolito emphasized staff retention and speedy trials.
“We need to ensure that we continue to work with our commissioners and our judges to ensure that we can get a speedy trial. That way, people have their day in court and people can get out,” the candidate said.
Villalobos also spoke about a recruitment and retention plan to fill vacant jail positions.
“We have to change how we are doing business in the front lines because we have a finite amount of space,” he said. “And we’re going to fill it up every single time if we don’t change the business model by which we are currently ascribing to and that business model will use alternative ways for diversion, alternative programs and a strong retention and recruiting program.”
Both candidates highlighted the importance of school resource officers (SRO).
“School Resource Officers are invaluable in our schools,” Hipolito said. “I’m so proud of the school resource officers that we have at the sheriff’s office, they are dedicated. They work very hard to ensure that not only the staff is safe, but our kids are safe. And they’re there for much more than just an act of attack. They’re there for a mentor, they’re there for a friend, they’re there for someone to talk to you. And they’re there to just be that positive role model for these young kids. And the impact that our SROs have on our kids on a daily basis — it’s amazing.”
“The SRO program is protecting our future resources, the most important and prized resources that you all say that we have,” Villalobos said. “And currently, the response has been less than we would all be proud of at this point. We need more. A robust program to address the gaps that we have with our SRO program, with a core mission statement of protecting our future. We will work with the districts to ensure that we have what we need to provide the best SRO team that will enhance the learning experience, as well as public safety for our children. Working together with the administrators to understand their core needs [and] their core values within the organizations, identifying those goals [and] addressing those pragmatically with data is the way to address this issue.”
In closing, Hipolito stressed his law enforcement experience.
“I’ve shown that I will get my hands dirty when necessary, I have shown that I can go out with patrol and make an arrest. I have shown I can go make a traffic stop. I have shown my ability to be a great cop and a great leader. And I look forward to being your Hays County Sheriff,” the candidate said. “Now more than ever, we have to collaborate, we have to work with every law enforcement agency in this county to ensure that our kids are safe, to ensure you’re safe and make sure that fentanyl stays off our streets and out of our schools …”
Villalobos pointed to his previous work in the county as a precursor to success as sheriff.
“What this position requires is someone that can think beyond what the policies are in front of us and make decisions that are in front of us years to come,” Villalobos concluded. “I have done many things as an elected official, as your current chief of staff that have put the infrastructure in place for success as your sheriff. I appreciate your support.”
Responses from tax assessor collector and justice of the peace candidates were not included, due to the fact that their runoff election date was prior to publication.