Lance Winter
WIMBERLEY — For more than four hours, candidates seeking elected office across Hays County made their cases to voters Tuesday, Sept. 15, with public safety, police staffing, growth, technology and trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve taking center stage during the Hays County Public Safety Candidate Forum.
The event was organized with participation from the Hays County, San Marcos, Kyle and Buda law enforcement associations and drew a packed crowd in the Wimberley Community Center at the start of the evening, with candidates representing races in Buda, San Marcos, Kyle, Hays County and the State of Texas, among those in attendance. However, not every individual on the ballot was present.
The format gave candidates a limited amount of time to introduce themselves and answer questions, many of them focused specifically on law enforcement and public safety.
Across the different races, several themes repeatedly surfaced: how rapidly growing communities should pay for additional police officers and equipment, how cities can recruit and retain officers, the role of police associations and meet-and-confer agreements, how elected officials should react to controversial police incidents before investigations are complete and the increasingly contentious debate over automated license plate reader (ALPR) technology.
Buda City Council
George Torres, a Buda business owner seeking the At-Large Position 1 seat on Buda City Council, pointed repeatedly to the city's growth and the need to make public safety part of planning for that growth.
Torres said large housing and commercial projects should be evaluated for the demands they will place on city services, including police. He described law enforcement as a top budget priority, while arguing that those needs must be balanced with what he called "smart growth."
On ALPRs, Torres supported law enforcement having access to investigative technology, but expressed concern about private companies controlling or having access to surveillance data. His preference, he said, would be for law enforcement agencies themselves to maintain greater control over technology and information.
Torres also emphasized the importance of communication between elected officials, officers and the broader business community, stating that council members need to understand what officers are experiencing before making decisions about resources and working conditions.
San Marcos City Council Place 3
Current San Marcos Mayor Jane Hughson told the audience that she is ending her tenure as mayor, but wants to continue in city government by seeking the Place 3 council seat.
Hughson leaned heavily on her years of experience in San Marcos government and argued that institutional knowledge can help the council understand how previous decisions shaped current conditions.
Public-safety staffing, she said, has already been the subject of a comprehensive review.
Hughson pointed to a 2022 police staffing analysis and said the council subsequently directed staff to develop a plan to increase staffing. Even after positions were added, she said, San Marcos' continued growth has kept pressure on the department.
She also highlighted the city's use of public safety liaisons to handle certain calls that do not require sworn officers, freeing police personnel for other duties.
When asked how city leaders should respond to a controversial police incident before all the facts are available, Hughson described the situation as a difficult balance between the public's demand for information and the need to avoid reaching conclusions before an investigation is complete. Her approach, she said, would be to complete the investigation as quickly as possible and make the facts available when they are established.
San Marcos City Council Place 4
Heather Hunter and Shane Scott presented voters with different backgrounds in the race for San Marcos City Council Place 4.
Hunter said she has worked in politics and campaigns and currently works in grants management, experience she said could be applied to budgeting, compliance and assessing city needs.
On police staffing, Hunter advocated using data and needs assessments, including response times, to determine whether more officers or resources are necessary.
She also emphasized performance standards, communication between the city and police officers and transparency when controversial incidents occur. Hunter said city officials should acknowledge publicly that an incident is under review, without getting ahead of an investigation before the facts are known.
Hunter also spoke about alternatives for calls involving mental health and homelessness, arguing that partnerships with mental health professionals and nonprofit organizations could allow police officers to focus on calls requiring law enforcement.
Scott emphasized his longtime ties to San Marcos, his small-business background and his criminal justice education.
He described himself as a strong supporter of police and said he supports continued growth in San Marcos accompanied by the public-safety resources necessary to serve that growth.
Scott also pointed to the city's meet-and-confer process as an important mechanism for addressing police compensation and employment issues and said he has supported the Police Officers Association during his time in city government.
San Marcos City Council Place 6
Bill Miller and Miguel Arredondo used the Place 6 discussion to offer two approaches to the pressures facing a growing San Marcos.
Miller, a Coast Guard veteran who said he performed law enforcement duties while serving, focused heavily on what he described as a shortage of officers.
He said public safety should be a funding priority and suggested that San Marcos explore whether Texas State University could contribute financially toward emergency services because of the demands the university population places on the city.
Miller also advocated an open-door relationship with police officers, saying officers at any level should be able to approach a council member with concerns.
Arredondo, a longtime San Marcos CISD trustee, framed public safety more broadly.
He argued that cities can support police not only by providing officers with staffing and equipment, but by addressing conditions that frequently result in police calls, including homelessness, housing insecurity and mental-health crises.
On recruitment and retention, Arredondo said San Marcos will have to look beyond salary alone. He pointed to ideas, such as workforce housing and public-private partnerships, as possible ways to make public employment more attractive in a city with limited financial resources.
Both candidates urged caution before elected officials made public judgments about controversial police encounters.
San Marcos Mayor
Ryan Thomason appeared without his opponent during the mayoral portion of the forum and used his extended opening to make public safety a central part of his campaign pitch.
Thomason argued that the protection of residents — particularly children and future generations — is one of the government's fundamental responsibilities.
He said San Marcos must prioritize police resources within its overall budget and argued that economic development can help generate revenue needed to support those services.
Thomason also identified officer recruitment, retention and morale as concerns, stating that compensation and workplace morale both influence whether officers remain with a department.
When addressing controversial police incidents, he said city officials should trust established investigative processes, while recognizing that those processes can be changed when the community and policymakers determine they are no longer adequate.
Kyle City Council District 2
Miguel Zuniga, seeking the District 2 seat on the Kyle City Council, focused much of his campaign pitch on growth, infrastructure and ensuring his district receives its share of city investment.
On ALPRs, Zuniga said his position has evolved.
While he previously supported technologies that could help police work more efficiently, he said concerns raised by residents about surveillance, data use and private companies have persuaded him that the issue deserves another look.
Rather than dismissing the technology entirely, Zuniga called for examining databases, contracts, privacy safeguards and the companies operating the systems.
He also supported meet-and-confer rights for police officers and said public safety depends heavily on trust between residents and law enforcement.
Beyond policing, Zuniga identified completing voter-approved road projects, improving infrastructure, conserving water and strengthening Kyle's commercial base as priorities for District 2.
Kyle City Council District 4
Leah Kaufman and Kenneth Rocha both brought public-safety experience into their discussion of the District 4 race.
Kaufman described herself as a former emergency medical technician who now works in the nonprofit sector on policy involving addiction and emerging drugs.
Rocha pointed to experience as a fire investigator and park ranger and said he has worked alongside law enforcement agencies in Hays County.
Rocha argued that ALPR technology itself should not automatically be characterized as harmful and said its value depends in large part on how trained professionals use it. At the same time, he said contracts, costs and policies governing technology deserve scrutiny.
Kaufman expressed reservations about private companies involved in ALPR technology, but stopped short of rejecting the systems outright. Instead, she called for guardrails, including restrictions on who can access data, auditing of searches, limits on data retention, requirements to destroy information after a certain period, restrictions on selling or sharing information and stronger data-security provisions.
The two also agreed on the importance of meet-and-confer agreements for officers.
Their approaches to public safety extended beyond enforcement. Kaufman discussed prevention, mental-health and substance-use responses and community policing. Rocha emphasized relationships between officers and residents, training, dispatch operations and ensuring first responders have both the equipment and support they need.
Kyle Mayor
Robert Rizo and Donnie Wills continued many of the themes heard throughout the municipal races as they made their cases for mayor of Kyle.
Rizo, a former three-term council member and mayor pro tem, pointed to his record in city government and community organizations. Wills, a retired military combat veteran said he has lived in Kyle for about 13 years and described watching the Buda-Kyle-San Marcos corridor transform as its population surged.
Wills supported using ALPR systems as crime-fighting tools, but said safeguards are necessary to prevent misuse of information and protect constitutional rights. He said people or organizations that improperly access or use the information should be held accountable.
Rizo said his position on technology has become more cautious. While he had previously supported license plate readers, he said reports of misuse elsewhere raised concerns about privacy and outside access to information.
Rizo suggested Kyle explore operating its own camera system, rather than depending entirely on a private vendor, arguing that local control could allow the city to establish its own safeguards while retaining the investigative benefits of the technology.
Both candidates also supported meet-and-confer rights for police officers.
Rizo tied public safety closely to Kyle's infrastructure needs, saying road construction has failed to keep pace with population growth. He argued that economic development and additional sales-tax revenue can help the city pay for roads and public-safety services without depending heavily on property taxes.
Wills similarly connected traffic congestion to emergency response times. He also emphasized programs for young people, arguing that sports and other activities can play a role in keeping youth out of trouble.
Hays County Justice of the Peace, Precinct 2, Place 1
The forum shifted from municipal government to county offices with the race for Hays County Justice of the Peace, Precinct 2, Place 1, featuring Beth Smith and Janie Flores.
Smith pointed to 28 years of experience as a justice of the peace and emphasized around-the-clock availability for law enforcement, death investigations and warrants.
Flores highlighted nearly two decades of experience working in the court system and said her focus would be on courtroom professionalism, efficient case management and treating those who come before the court with dignity and respect.
Youth vaping, including nicotine and THC products, became a major topic in the race.
Smith discussed the diversion process used for certain Class C citations involving students and said the goal should be to connect young people with resources and address the underlying cause of repeated behavior when cases ultimately reach the court.
Flores also emphasized connecting children and parents with community resources when those cases come before the justice court.
Both candidates said availability outside normal business hours is part of the responsibility of serving as a justice of the peace.
Smith pointed to her existing record of answering warrant requests and attending death inquests, while Flores said law enforcement would have direct contact information and could reach her at any hour when judicial action is required.
Hays County Court at Law No. 2
Incumbent judge Chris Johnson and challenger Charmaine Wilde focused heavily on the day-to-day responsibilities of a criminal court, including victims' rights, bond decisions, jail dockets and the availability of judges when officers need search warrants outside normal business hours.
Wilde, a former prosecutor now in private practice, said she has practiced criminal law in numerous Texas counties and argued that those experiences have exposed her to different approaches that could potentially be applied in Hays County.
Johnson emphasized his eight years serving in the position and his existing relationships within the county's criminal justice system.
Asked about victims of crime, both candidates said prosecutors and victim-services personnel have primary responsibility for keeping victims informed, while judges have an obligation to ensure victims' legal rights are respected during court proceedings.
Their answers on bond decisions also shared common ground: individual cases should be evaluated on their own facts, rather than through predetermined assumptions.
On the county's jail docket, Wilde advocated closely tracking caseloads and trends to identify delays and adjust court availability when necessary.
Johnson said regular jail dockets have already helped address much of the backlog and argued that in-person proceedings generally work better than remote proceedings, while adding that judges should remain open to changing procedures if evidence shows another approach would be more effective.
Both also stressed availability to law enforcement after hours.
Johnson cited his record of taking warrant calls at night, on weekends and even while traveling. Wilde said her work as an attorney and professional guardian has similarly accustomed her to receiving urgent calls outside traditional working hours.
Hays County Commissioner Precinct 2
Abby Gibson and Johnny Flores offered different approaches to the Precinct 2 seat on the Hays County Commissioners Court, but both identified public safety and infrastructure as central responsibilities of county government.
Gibson said commissioners should ensure the sheriff, constables and other public-safety departments receive the resources they need, while allowing those elected officials to manage their own operations.
She advocated regular meetings with department heads, rather than waiting until the annual budget process to identify staffing, equipment and funding problems.
Gibson also said Hays County needs to remain competitive on salaries and benefits, describing retention and compensation as significant challenges for local law enforcement.
Flores, who currently sits on the Hays CISD Board of Trustees, pointed to his experience dealing with campus security and school-safety spending. He said recruiting and retaining officers will become increasingly important as Hays County continues to grow.
Flores also argued for addressing factors that contribute to repeated contact with the criminal justice system, including mental health, housing and poverty, as another way to reduce pressure on law enforcement.
Technology produced a clearer distinction between their approaches.
Flores proposed creating a citizens committee that could include residents and retired law enforcement officers to examine emerging technologies and recommend safeguards for privacy and appropriate use.
Gibson cautioned against rejecting technology that could assist officers, while arguing that users should be properly vetted, policies enforced and outside audits used to make sure systems are operating as intended.
When asked to identify their top funding priorities, Gibson named roads and infrastructure, public safety and water.
Flores identified emergency response, mental-health services and roads and infrastructure.
Hays County Commissioner Precinct 4
By the time the Precinct 4 race was called, the length of the evening itself had become part of the discussion.
Rob McClelland joked that the gathering might be approaching a record for the longest forum, noting that candidates and attendees had already been there for roughly two hours and 45 minutes.
McClelland appeared without his opponent during his portion of the forum.
An Army veteran and Dripping Springs ISD Board of Trustee, McClelland emphasized his military experience, work with federal law enforcement during an assignment connected to the White House and his involvement with school safety.
He pointed to the Dripping Springs school marshal program as an example of prioritizing public-safety spending when resources are limited.
McClelland said commissioners should work directly with the sheriff and constables to determine what technology their departments need, rather than having commissioners dictate operational decisions.
He identified public safety, transportation and critical infrastructure — including water — as his top three funding priorities.
McClelland also placed significant emphasis on officer recruitment and retention, arguing that compensation matters, but that department policies and the relationship between elected officials and law enforcement also affect whether officers want to work and remain in a community.
428th Judicial District Court
Paul Still and Cassie Benoist-Templeton presented themselves as two candidates whose legal careers have been closely connected to criminal law.
Still described himself as a board-certified criminal appellate attorney working for the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals and a former Harris County prosecutor.
Benoist-Templeton described herself as a career prosecutor with roughly 15 years of courtroom experience, including years handling felony cases and crimes involving women and children.
Both said victims' rights must be respected, while judges maintain their distinct role as neutral arbiters of the law.
Still emphasized deciding cases based on evidence and law, rather than political considerations.
Benoist-Templeton stressed that criminal cases cannot be handled through a one-size-fits-all approach. She said rehabilitation can work for appropriate defendants, while other cases require different consequences based on their individual facts.
Both candidates also promised to be accessible to law enforcement when time-sensitive search warrants arise at night, on weekends or during holidays.
Benoist-Templeton pointed to her experience as an on-call felony prosecutor, saying she is already accustomed to receiving calls from officers at all hours.
Still described similar experiences from his time as a Harris County prosecutor handling vehicle-related felony cases and said officers would have a direct way to reach him.
The candidates also addressed jail cases.
Still said defendants being held in jail should receive priority on court calendars and argued that judges need to monitor cases closely and set them for trial when necessary to prevent unnecessary delays.
Benoist-Templeton, likewise, said judges are responsible for keeping their dockets moving, while recognizing that complicated cases, such as capital murder or child sexual abuse cases, naturally require more time than less complex criminal matters. She suggested additional jail-only dockets could be used when necessary to clear lingering cases.
Texas House District 45
The House District 45 contest brought some of the evening’s clearest policy differences into view, particularly on the role of state government in local law enforcement, prosecutorial discretion, firearms policy and immigration enforcement.
State Rep. Erin Zwiener, who has represented the district since 2019, emphasized local control and state financial support for local agencies. She pointed to state grant funding for rural law enforcement and said she worked to ensure Hays County remained eligible for funding based on census population figures.
On prosecutorial discretion, Zwiener argued that locally elected prosecutors should retain authority to determine how their offices prioritize cases and resources. Her opponent, Tennyson Moreno, took a different position, arguing that criminal laws should be enforced consistently across jurisdictions and expressing support for greater accountability when local officials decline to enforce state law.
The candidates also differed sharply on firearms policy.
Zwiener said she would prioritize gun-safety legislation, including permitting requirements for certain semiautomatic rifles, expanded background checks and red-flag laws. She framed those proposals in part around reducing risks faced by law enforcement officers responding to potentially armed individuals.
Moreno, instead emphasized infrastructure and support for law enforcement agencies, arguing that safer roads, bridges and intersections could reduce demands on first responders. He also said public rhetoric toward police affects both officer morale and community attitudes toward law enforcement.
Both candidates repeatedly returned to the rapid growth of Hays County and the strain it places on public-safety resources.
Texas House District 73
State Rep. Carrie Isaac and challenger Mary Fox followed in the House District 73 race, which includes western Hays County and Comal County.
Isaac highlighted her legislative record, including support for state funding for law-enforcement equipment and rural law-enforcement grants. She said she would continue pursuing policies aimed at retaining officers and strengthening public safety.
Fox, a retired school principal, drew on her experience working with school resource officers and law enforcement on campus emergency plans and safety procedures. She said the state should provide additional funding to help local agencies compete for officers, dispatchers and other personnel.
The candidates differed on prosecutorial oversight. Isaac discussed state efforts to impose additional requirements on prosecutors and courts, while Fox emphasized local control and said voters should generally be trusted to hold locally elected officials accountable.
Workers’ compensation for injured first responders also drew attention. Isaac suggested deadlines for insurance carriers to approve or deny claims and clearer explanations when claims are rejected. Fox said reforms should be developed in consultation with officers and agencies experiencing problems with the system.
Another difference emerged over red-flag laws, which can temporarily take guns away from individuals who may pose a threat. Fox said she would support such legislation, drawing partly on her experience as an emergency medical services (EMS) volunteer responding to domestic violence and mental-health calls. Isaac said she opposed red-flag laws and emphasized due-process concerns.
Hays County Judge
The race for Hays County judge brought Michelle Gutierrez Cohen, Geoffrey Tahuahua and former county judge Liz Sumter Gajdos to the stage.
Gutierrez Cohen, who presently serves in the Hays County Precinct 2 commissioner seat, emphasized collaboration, road infrastructure and emergency management. She described public safety as closely connected to transportation, noting that deputies, firefighters and EMS crews must be able to move through a rapidly growing county.
She also discussed development of a county strategic plan and called for stronger partnerships among Hays County, neighboring counties, cities, school districts and state agencies as the Austin-San Antonio corridor continues to grow.
Tahuahua, a Dripping Springs City Council member who previously led North Hays County EMS, focused on what he described as a need to return county government to core responsibilities, with public safety near the top.
He said the county judge should regularly communicate with the sheriff and constables about resources, continually review policies and technology and improve regional cooperation among county agencies and municipal police departments.
Sumter Gajdos drew on her previous tenure as county judge, including work involving law-enforcement compensation and collective bargaining. She emphasized competitive salaries, regular market studies, community policing and rebuilding trust between residents, elected officials and law enforcement.
The candidates were asked how Hays County should compete with surrounding jurisdictions for experienced peace officers, jailers, dispatchers and other employees. All three supported using compensation data and market comparisons, though each placed different emphasis on pay, workplace conditions, leadership and employee support.
With Hays County positioned between Austin and San Antonio, candidates were asked about drug trafficking, human trafficking, organized crime and other offenses that cross jurisdictional lines.
Gutierrez Cohen stressed regional planning and shared initiatives. Tahuahua emphasized relationships among agencies and his experience coordinating with neighboring jurisdictions during emergencies. Sumter Gajdos pointed to regional alliances and interoperable communications, so agencies can communicate during disasters and other major incidents.
Their answers reflected one of the recurring themes of the night: Hays County’s growth is increasingly making public safety a regional issue rather than one that stops at city or county lines.
Hays County Criminal District Attorney
The final race of the evening featured Alfonso Salazar and Kirsta Melton for Hays County criminal district attorney.
Salazar described a career that has included military law enforcement, prosecution and criminal defense. He argued that those different perspectives would help him improve communication between prosecutors and law-enforcement agencies.
His priorities included mental-health intervention, juvenile justice and creating what he described as a civil-rights division within the district attorney’s office to improve transparency and public trust.
Melton emphasized her 26 years as a prosecutor, including work involving child abuse, family violence, sexual offenses, human trafficking and transnational organized crime. She also cited experience training prosecutors and law-enforcement officers and working on human-trafficking legislation.
She said one of her primary goals would be making the district attorney’s office more transparent, including providing the public with information about cases received, rejected and taken to trial. She also called for regular communication with law enforcement and a stronger “state’s ready” approach when courts call cases for trial.
The candidates were asked how they would balance punishment, rehabilitation and public safety.
Melton said specialty and diversion courts can play important roles, but drew a firm distinction for serious violent offenses, arguing that public safety must take priority in cases involving crimes such as murder, sexual abuse and serious family violence.
Salazar emphasized evaluating cases individually, rather than relying on broad categories. He said circumstances and severity matter, while also making clear that serious offenses, such as murder, sexual assault and major gun violence, require incarceration and accountability.
Juvenile justice produced more common ground.
Both candidates said the system should distinguish between relatively minor juvenile behavior and serious or repeated offenses. Salazar stressed addressing barriers, such as unstable homes, lack of transportation and food insecurity, that can prevent juveniles from completing diversion programs. Melton similarly argued that technical violations should not automatically result in detention, while maintaining that accountability remains important when conduct becomes serious, violent or repeatedly harmful.
After the last district attorney candidates finished, organizers thanked the candidates, timekeepers, event sponsors and the law-enforcement officers and families who remained through the long evening.
Then, came one final request from the moderator to those still in the room: Go vote — and take three people with you.
The general election will take place Tuesday, Nov. 3, with early voting beginning Oct. 19. For more information on the Hays County elections, visit www.hayscountytx.gov/172/Elections.
