Llano County candidates have one more say before election day

Several Republicans seeking nominations in the March 5 primary participated in a Llano County candidates forum hosted by the Star Republican Women of Horseshoe Bay on Feb. 20. Many of the hopefuls have been making the rounds throughout primary season, but the Tuesday event had one of the first tandem appearances of both Precinct 1 justice of the peace candidates, Sam Silver and Allen Fletcher.

Early voting continues through March 1 before election day on March 5. Learn more about early voting times and locations in a Feb. 15 DailyTrib.com story.

The Star Republican Women forum was moderated by club President Sarah Boyd and Vice President Kathy Hussey.

Each candidate was allowed a brief introduction and conclusion. They were each asked two questions specifically geared toward them that were generated by Boyd and Hussey.

Precinct 1 justice of the peace

Sam Silver and Allen Fletcher are running to fill the JP Precinct 1 position that will be left vacant by Marquis Cantu, who gave up his seat in October 2023 to run for Llano County sheriff. 

Precinct 1 encompasses the lower-right quadrant of Llano County and stretches from the outskirts of the city of Llano to Horseshoe Bay on the Llano-Burnet county line. Justices of the peace preside over small civil cases and misdemeanors, pronounce deaths, and handle legal matters such as marriages and landlord-tenant disputes in their respective precincts. 

Fletcher introduced himself and laid out a career in law enforcement, his success in business, and multiple stints as the state representative for District 130.

“Sitting on the dais as a chairman of the Texas Legislature, I worked for many, many thousands of hours on many, many cases and laws that we passed, and I think that is very similar to what the JP does,” he said.

Silver offered up her 36 years as a first responder and noted her experience in creating firefighting and EMS career programs for Texas high schools.

She joked that her greatest challenge would be “filling the shoes” of Cantu but then brought it back to a more serious note.

“I have seen death many times, and I have worked with prisoners in their cells,” she said. “I have researched many, many, many areas of justice of the peace. I think it would be a phenomenal opportunity. I believe I am very qualified.”

Some friction between the candidates became evident during their conclusions.

Silver was asked by Boyd if her relationship with her husband, Llano County Precinct 1 Constable Gary Silver, would influence how she did her job. 

“That is not only an insult to me, but it is an insult to every woman in this room,” she said. “We think for ourselves. We do not have to be influenced by anybody. I love my husband dearly, but I think for myself and I speak for myself.”

There is no law against a husband and wife serving as justice of the peace and constable in the same precinct, Silver said. Llano County has a husband-and-wife constable-JP duo in Precinct 3, Bill and Deb Edwards.

Fletcher used the vast majority of his final statement to express his concern for a potential conflict of interest between the Silvers if his opponent were elected.

“I want to address this thing about the husband-and-wife issue,” he said. “I really feel like it is a conflict of interest. I do not believe that is something that should be happening in our court.”

He alluded to his former colleagues in the legislature agreeing with him on the matter and said that the law surrounding the issue could be changing soon.

Silver used her final statement to compare her qualities to Fletcher’s. She noted that she only lives two minutes from the JP Precinct 1 office, while Fletcher resides about 30 miles away on Texas 16 outside of Llano. She claimed that Fletcher did not work full time while he was in the Texas Legislature and that she did as a firefighter and while with the EMS. 

Llano County sheriff

Marquis Cantu and Les Hartman are hoping to replace retiring Llano County Sheriff Bill Blackburn. 

Both candidates have met at forums on several occasions covered by DailyTrib.com.

Cantu highlighted his 25 years in law enforcement, including as a Texas Ranger attached to Llano County, and his service in the U.S. Marine Corps.

“What I bring to the table is my experience,” he said. “I haven’t done everything, but I do have the experience in traffic enforcement, I do have the experience in narcotics enforcement, and I do have experience as your Texas Ranger.”

Hartman focused on his deep roots in the community. He was born and raised in Llano County and comes from a family that settled in the region in the 19th century. He is a sergeant with the Llano Police Department and once served as a deputy with the Llano County Sheriff’s Office.

“This is my home, these people are a part of me, and I want to make sure they’re given every opportunity,” he said. “I grew up here, I understand the way, the people, the culture. Those are the things that I think are important to me, and I don’t want to see that get taken over by anything political.”

Hartman was asked about his “moral values” by Boyd, who brought up a 24-hour suspension he received from the Llano Police Department in December 2023 for not properly filing a report.

He said he could not reveal details as the investigation is ongoing, but he added that the cause of the suspension was for not filing a report after he conducted an investigation and found no evidence to support a crime.

33rd/424th district attorney

Marie Primm and Perry Thomas are running to take the place of outgoing DA Wiley “Sonny” McAfee. 

Both candidates began campaigning early, having announced their runs in October 2023. They both thoroughly established their platforms and positions on key issues at the Burnet County Republican Party candidates forum on Feb. 8. 

Primm introduced herself as a passionate prosecutor with decades of experience in the Harris County District Attorney’s Office and over 100 jury trials under her belt. She currently lives in Sunrise Beach Village and works on the Capital Murder Team of the Texas Attorney General’s Office.

“Y’all deserve a district attorney who has the experience and leadership skills to lead this community and keep it safe,” she said. “I was under a pressure cooker every day (in Harris County) and I excelled. I will bring that experience and that knowledge with me here.”

Thomas laid out his 32 years as an attorney. He served in the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office for over 20 years, then under McAfee as first assistant district attorney for 4½ years. He currently runs his own law practice in Burnet and touted his 10 years in the community as one of his strengths as a candidate.

“I come to you with experience on both sides of a criminal docket, having tried hundreds of criminal cases of all sorts,” he said. “I come to you with a relationship already developed with the judges, court staff, clerks, law enforcement agencies, and the other departments that are involved in the criminal justice system.”

Texas House District 53 representative

Hatch Smith and Wes Virdell are seeking the Republican nomination in the House District 53 race. Incumbent Andrew Murr chose not to run for re-election. The winner of the March 5 primary will face off against unopposed Democratic candidate Joe P. Herrera in the November general election. 

The candidates gave extensive personal introductions and visited with Llano County residents at a Kingsland Chamber of Commerce meeting on Feb. 8.

Smith talked about his Llano County roots, having grown up on a multi-generational family ranch outside of Llano. He attended Cornell University and worked in finance in New York and Dallas before returning to Llano to operate the ranch. He is currently the chief administrator of Midcoast Health Systems, which has a hospital in the city of Llano and clinics across Llano County.

He listed water, health care, and rural infrastructure improvements as prime concerns for the district and Llano County.

“If we’re going to be the state that says, ‘Come to Texas, live here, move here, bring your businesses here,’ we better get all of those things right before we ask everybody to move here,” he said.

Virdell touted his experience working at the Texas Capitol to combat anti-gun legislation and getting pro-gun laws passed. He is a lifelong resident of Brady, a U.S. Air Force veteran, and currently serves as the Texas state director of Gun Owners of America. 

He said his main concerns are Second Amendment rights and effective representation by Republican leaders in the Texas Legislature. He pointed to the practice of GOP leaders appointing Democratic chairs to committees in the legislature as a major problem.

“Our biggest issue is we have to fix how our state house operates,” he said. “If we don’t change how our state house operates, we will not change anything.”

dakota@thepicayune.com