(Seguin) — The candidates appearing on the ballot for a pair of countywide races are soliciating those last minute votes for today’s Republican and Democractic primary elections.
Appearing on the Republican ballot are the races for Guadalupe County Sheriff and 25th Judicial District Judge. In the race for Guadalupe County Sheriff, incumbent Arnold Zwicke says he looks forward to maintaining his duties and asks that voters consider the positive growth amd direction of the sheriff’s office when making their decision.
“I would ask the voters to look at the Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office’s track record. Over the last 19 years, (we’ve been) reducing crime while the population dramatically increases. A lot of that is do to the success of partnering with neighboring agencies (and) state and federal (agencies) — sharing resources, technology and what have you to get the job done. Mainly, I want to give a big shoutout to my employees, who have done a tremendous job of doing exactly that — crushing crime. Not only that, their commitment to the community (is impressive). You know getting involved in the different programs, like the RAD Kids and the (Guadalupe County) Children’s Advocacy Center. Our next adventure will be to help the Guadalupe County Family Violence Shelter build their new buildings. So I ask for their vote and their continued support to allow us to do the job that we are doing,” said Zwicke.
Challenging Zwicke for the top law office in the county is Jimmy Harless, Guadalupe County Constable Pct. 2 Jimmy Harless. Harless says he appreciates those that he has met along the way and looks forward to offering the citizens the change that they deserve.
“This past two months, since I announced has been an eye-opener. It’s something that I appreciate immensely. I’ve met a lot of wonderful people. I just want people to realize that their right to vote is very important. Veterans, past and present, have given their lives for this right, and I highly encourage everybody to go out and exercise that right. And I’d like for them to consider voting for me in the Republican primary for sheriff. I think that it may be time for a change, and I will respect the decision of the voters, and we’ll leave it in the hands of God and just see what happens. I just want to tell everybody again, thank you, thank you, thank you. There’s some wonderful people in Guadalupe County,” said Harless.
Candidates seeking the bench in the 25th Judicial District are also wrapping up their campaign with a few words for those who will be casting ballots on election day. The position not only serve Guadalupe County but also the counties of Gonzales, Lavaca and Colorado. Incumbent William “Bill” Old says voters should rely on his experience and ability to support the courts in each of these counties.
“(First), I’m the candidate with the most experience. I have 32 years as an attorney and seven years as a judge. During that seven years, I resolved over 10,000 cases, impaneled almost 100 juries and held thousands of hearings. Second, is integrity: I don’t accept money from attorneys for my campaign. I believe that accepting money from attorneys is a threat a fair and impartial judiciary. Finally, leadership: I led the effort for a new district court for Guadalupe County, to handle the growing population and the growing civil case loads. In addition, I have been endorsed by the Schertz Police Association, Sheriff Micah Harmon of Lavaca County, Sheriff Curly Weid of Colorado County, and constables in precincts one and two of Colorado County. They are doing this because they know me. They’ve seen me in court. They know how I act in court. As well as, the police officers and sheriffs know that I’m available 24/7 for their officers. We’ve streamlined the process for them obtaining search warrants, saving them countless hours and money in order to get the search warrants when they need them, as quickly as possible,” said Old.
Challenging Judge Old is Jacqueline Phillips Ott. Ott currently serves as a prosecutor in the Guadalupe County Attorney’s Office. Ott says the last few months of the campaign have not only been amazing but important in understanding what people want out of their court system for the future.
“It has been an incredible journey to go out and meet so many members of the community that I didn’t know before, and reconnect with those that I already knew. I am really, really excited about the opportunity to serve this community, to help continue to make this a very safe place to live, to make the counties in the 25th District the safest and most beneficial place for people to raise their families, (and to) make sure that people’s tax dollars are well spent. It is an honor to be able to even run. It would be such an honor to be able to serve as judge. I humbly ask for everyone’s vote on March 3 to be your judge and to be able to serve you. I will always be available and I will always be grateful for the opportunity,” said Ott.
Other races appearing on the Republican ballot include Precinct 1 County Commissioner. Incumbent Greg Seidenberger is looking to hold onto his seat as he faces newcomer Grumpy Azzoz.
The Precinct 3 seat on the Guadalupe County Commissioners Court is also up for grabs. Candidates seeking the position include former Schertz Mayor Michael Carpenter and former Schertz City Councilman Cedric Edwards. Longtime Commissioner Jim Wolverton has chosen not to seek re-election.
Two candidates will also face off for the position of Guadalupe County Constable Pct. 2. They include candidates Trey Kelly and Mark Reyes. Kelly is retired from the Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office, while Reyes currently serves the Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office as a patrol sergeant.
Locally contested races for Seguin and Guadalupe County appear on the Republican ballot. There are no locally contested Democratic races although both ballots have nomination races for state positions as well as for the nomination for the President of the United States. Polls today will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. You can find a link to all of the polling sites by going here.
KWED will have live election coverage shortly after the polls close, brought to you exclusively by Gift and Gourmet.