More than 200 turn out for unwieldy marathon Kerr County GOP forum

Approximately 300 people packed Calvary Temple Church gymnasium Tuesday night for a Republican candidate forum that stretched past three hours as the Kerr County GOP worked through judicial and county office races ahead of the March 3 primary.

The forum drew a large crowd for typically low-turnout down-ballot races, but highlighted organizational challenges as moderator Matt Long, a right-wing radio host, and party officials navigated questions that often focused on state party platform planks rather than county-specific issues. When they did address county issues, many weren’t necessarily relevant to the races’ outcomes.

During the commissioner forum, organizers appeared unprepared for how many candidates would participate, leaving all of them standing throughout the discussion.

Several candidates who received unfavorable ratings in the party’s controversial voter guide did not participate. City Councilwoman Brenda Hughes, who received “Reservations” in the party’s evaluation for County Commissioner Precinct 1, did not attend. County Clerk candidate Denise Vela, who also received “Reservations,” was also absent.

However, three candidates who were excluded from the voter guide after declining to interview with the party’s evaluation committee did participate: Mike Allen (County Commissioner, Precinct 2), William Tatsch (County Court at Law Judge), and Tom Jones (County Judge).

Long acknowledged his limited familiarity with some offices, telling the audience he “had no idea what these people did until three weeks ago” when introducing the county and district clerk candidates.

County Judge: Stewart vs. Jones
The County Judge race – the ballot’s top county office – featured the only head-to-head matchup of the evening between Jack Stewart and Tom Jones.

Stewart is married to Sarah Stewart, who served on the seven-member committee that evaluated candidates for the party’s voter guide. Jones declined to interview with that committee and does not appear on the guide.

On zero-based budgeting, Jones emphasized the challenges posed by unfunded mandates and departmental needs, while Stewart advocated for “target-based budgeting” and criticized the county for collecting money it doesn’t spend.

Both candidates opposed battery energy storage systems. Stewart said “We need to stop the BESS. The No. 1 you stop BESS is you grow it. They aren’t going to have any BESS because it’s not welcome.” Jones said the county would “stop BESS from coming here” but emphasized the need to define scope of work in contracts.

On public facility corporations and affordable housing, Jones said the county lacks zoning authority and shouldn’t be involved. Stewart corrected him on the mechanics of PFCs but largely agreed with the conclusion, saying he doesn’t think the county needs them for affordable housing.

Flood warning dominates commissioner discussion
Candidates spent significant time discussing flood warning systems following the July 4, 2025, Guadalupe River disaster that killed 119 people – though any system is expected to be operational well before the November general election, regardless of who wins these races.

Mike Allen, who has raised $20,450 compared to incumbent Rich Paces’s $450 in the Precinct 2 race, said a warning system’s goal should be “no one loses a life. Those gauges need to be on the upper reaches of the [river]… this is serious business.”

Paces, who received “Certified” status in the party guide, said he “was part of the team that the county put together” on flood warning and discussed “hydrological models” and artificial intelligence integration.

Clay Lambert, who identified 40 years in oil and gas experience, discussed field instrumentation systems. Randy Murphy emphasized “satellite feeds and alert sensors.” Guy “Bubba” Walters noted the need for “real-time rain gauges.”

George Baroody focused on coordination: “My biggest focus is getting it under what roof… Right after an event like this we don’t break it down to a turf war.”

Wayne Uecker said “For a flood warning system, we do need something that will warn people.”

Fire marshal debate centers on BESS
Discussion of whether the county needs a fire marshal repeatedly returned to battery energy storage systems.

Lambert said “The county needs a means to push back on battery systems. A fire marshal will be a double edge sword.”

Uecker described a fire marshal as “a fence that BESS would have to jump” and questioned hiring one “just for BESS.”

Allen stated he’s “against them [BESS]. We should keep them out of the county.”

Paces said “We do need a fire marshal in county. Yes we need one. We will limit their scope of work. They should comply with the fire codes.”

Walters – who received “Certified” status but has publicly criticized the party’s endorsement process – said he’s “not for a full-time fire marshal. We cannot add to this budget.” He acknowledged Paces’s work on the fire prevention committee while maintaining budget concerns.

Baroody suggested contracting fire marshal services rather than hiring full-time staff.

Murphy said fire marshals “can be managed.”

All commissioner candidates opposed using Certificates of Obligation or Public Facility Corporations to incur debt without voter approval, though several acknowledged that emergency situations might warrant their use.

Election administration questions
County Clerk candidate Carl Berthold, who received “Certified” status, addressed hand-counting ballots: “The people of Kerr County need to decide if they want machines or hand counting. If they want hand counting they need to assist the people who are doing the hand counting. I fully support it if that’s what the people want.”

Berthold opposed creating an election administrator position: “Absolutely not. We need a competent and capable clerk.”

District Clerk candidate Amber Longenbaugh, who received “Reservations,” discussed transitioning to electronic filing systems and cross-training staff. Her opponent Eunavae Tonroy, who received “Certified,” emphasized her management experience.

Vela, the County Clerk candidate who received “Reservations,” did not attend. She has been criticized by far-right elements of the party for maintaining election integrity protocols.

Justice of the Peace candidates address varied questions
Justice of the Peace candidates fielded questions mixing county duties with state Republican Party platform positions.

Most candidates said Kerr County does not need a full-time coroner, citing costs that could reach $395,000 annually. The lone exception was Christine Martinez for Precinct 4 JP, who said “I do believe they need a full-time coroner” given workload fluctuation.

When asked about performing same-sex marriages, Martinez – who received “Certified” status and was ranked first among Precinct 4 JP candidates – said “If I’m going to follow the law, I’m going to do it. I’ve got a sister that is in a same-sex marriage.” The comment drew murmurs from the crowd.

Other candidates said they would not perform same-sex marriages or would decline to perform any marriages.

Frank Bigler noted “A coroner is a doctor. We’re talking a pretty astronomical salary” and said the county contracts with Travis County for those services “and they do a bang up job.”

Taylor Robertson said “We don’t need a coroner. The way the CCP says if you’re a small county you don’t need one.”

Don Harris said regarding the July 4 flood: “The current JPs got the worst hand. They had it rough. Over 100 bodies in a week’s time. I hope we never see that again. I do not think we need a full-time coroner.”

County Court at Law judge candidates focus on scheduling
Five candidates are vying for County Court at Law Judge, with four receiving “Certified” status in the party guide and William Tatsch listed as not interviewing with the party.

Robert Hunter Moose said “I’ve already made the changes as the prosecutor” and emphasized improvements already underway.

Thomas Hurt, who identified himself as a private practice attorney, said he “wants to use a similar scheduling tool that is used in the district court.”

Deborah Suzanne Perry said “Everyone has an appreciation of Judge Harris. We have a lot of mental health issues. We need a docket order, where you have a set arraignment.”

Tatsch said he “wants to see more modernization and better scheduling tools.”

Brett Ferguson said “We need to institute some good scheduling orders.”

When asked about jury nullification – a state Republican Party platform plank – all candidates agreed they cannot legally instruct juries about that concept. Ferguson said, “We’re not allowed to argue jury nullification. The judge will be telling them the law is. If the legislature ever changes the law. As of right now, we’re not allowed to do that.”

On citizenship verification, candidates said that information is obtained at different stages of the criminal process. Moose said, “We get that information on the front end. We deal with it in the entirety of the criminal proceedings.”

Another forum scheduled
The Republican Women of Kerr County will host a County Judge and Commissioner Forum on Monday, February 10, at Tucker Hall, 320 St. Peter Street in Kerrville.

The forum will feature all Republican candidates for County Judge and Commissioners Precincts 1, 2, and 4. Moderated by Kari Potter, candidates will answer “fair, position-issued questions, as well as issues impacting our county deemed important by local voters,” according to the announcement.

The event begins at 5:30 p.m. with an opportunity to visit with candidates, with the forum starting promptly at 6 p.m. Republican candidates for other county offices will also be available.

Walters noted in his January 27 Lead Live interview that the Republican Women “are very upfront about not endorsing a candidate until after primary.”

Early voting begins February 17. The primary is March 3.