By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
First of two parts
Five candidates for county judge and two county commissioner seats stated their positions on issues ranging from expanding county zoning authority to creating a groundwater district during a roundtable session hosted by The Border Organization on Saturday, Oct. 17.
About 45 persons attended the event, held in the Casa De La Cultura meeting room, 302 Cantu St.
Mario Arreola, a TBO leader in Del Rio, served as moderator and welcomed the candidates and audience.
Attending were both candidates for the office of Val Verde County judge: County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr., Democrat, and Robert “Beau” Nettleton, Republican; both candidates for Val Verde County commissioner Precinct 2: Commissioner Juan Carlos Vazquez, Democrat, and Rey Robles, Republican; and John I. Wardlaw, Republican, who is seeking the Val Verde County commissioner Precinct 4 seat.
County Commissioner Precinct 4 Gustavo “Gus” Flores, Democrat, was invited but did not attend, according to TBO community organizer Gage Brown.
Arreola laid out the format for the roundtable, saying TBO leaders would read a series of questions on various issues of concern to TBO, and the candidates would get a minute to answer each question. Candidates would be given a “score” of “yes,” “no” or “wishy-washy.”
Arreola said, “We have phrased the questions tonight to warrant a clear yes or no answer. We do this because our work isn’t just about sharing opinions, it is about getting things done, and we are seeking your commitment as future representatives to work with us on resolving the issues we face.”
Following the explanation of the roundtable’s rules of engagement, the candidates introduced themselves.
County zoning question
Myles Jakubowski, TBO leader, asked the first question, which dealt with county zoning.
Jakubowski said, “To all candidates, if elected, will you support (state) legislation that expands county zoning authority beyond the Laughlin and Amistad areas and support zoning policies that keep unwanted development out of Val Verde County?”
Nettleton said yes, adding he would propose expanding the Amistad Land Use and Zoned Area around the Amistad National Recreation Area and the Joint Land Use Study Area around Laughlin Air Force Base “so we would have the authority to decide (the) types of developments.”
Nettleton said he would also like to see state legislation to protect the San Felipe Springs.
He did say, however, “You can’t stop all development, because that is completely anti-economic development. We have to make sure we put the right things in the right places.”
Owens answered yes, adding he would favor expanding the Amistad Land Use and Zoned Area to include the Devils River.
Owens said, “I think we need to be careful that we don’t encompass too much with zoning, that we take people’s rights away.”
He said he and other county officials are already in discussions with the city to expand the JLUS by at least a half-mile, including the San Felipe Springs and Escondido Estates.
Vazquez said yes, saying he sits on the Amistad Land Use and Zoned Area, but adding he has heard concerns about individual landowners’ rights being taken away if it is expanded. Despite those concerns, Vazquez said he would favor expanding the area.
Robles also said yes, adding he would like to meet with companies planning large developments to determine their impacts on Precinct 2 and the county. He said it is vital for the court to work to protect Laughlin AFB.
Wardlaw said yes as well, noting he believes in economic progress, but adding, “I don’t believe that we can allow any kind of economic progress to threaten our natural resources in any way, shape or form.”
County groundwater conservation district
Rene Rios, a member of the San Felipe Creek Coalition, asked each candidate if he would support legislation to create a county groundwater conservation district and allow county residents to vote on whether they wanted such a district.
Wardlaw said he is “scared” of establishing a new taxing entity like a groundwater district, adding he would have to look at it and “have some control” over the board’s powers.
“I’m not going to give you a definite yes on that one,” Wardlaw said.
Robles said he supports the creation of a groundwater district, adding, “The most important thing we have is our water.”
Vazquez said he is “totally in support of” creating a groundwater conservation district, adding he has already spoken to state legislators about the issue.
Owens said he is in favor of creating a groundwater district, noting he was on the court as a commissioner more than a decade ago to draft legislation for such a district.
He said he now believes there is a level of trust between the city and the county that did not exist a decade ago, emphasizing such trust is key in creating a district. He said he did not favor restricting private landowners’ wells for domestic, in-county use.
Nettleton said he could be written down as a no or wishy-washy for the creation of a groundwater district.
He said there are “a lot of problems” with the state’s water code, including issues relating to groundwater versus surface-water allocation. He said those issues and others must be “cleaned up first.”
He added a groundwater district would have the power of eminent domain and said the neighboring Kinney County Groundwater Conservation District is an example of such entities “not functioning.”
Move commissioners court meetings to the evenings
The third question, presented by TBO leader Anyssa Adams, dealt with whether each candidate would, if elected, move commissioners court meetings to the evenings.
Vazquez said no, he would not vote to move meetings to the evening, saying he had made the motion to move one of the meetings to the evening several years ago, but added, “People didn’t show up.”
Vazquez said he would be willing to try a format of one evening meeting and one morning meeting.
Owens said he would “absolutely not” favor having all of the court’s meetings in the evening. He added he would be willing to try alternating day and evening meetings and keeping better track of the number of persons who attend.
Nettleton said he was “wishy-washy” on the topic, adding when he was on the court as a commissioner, he voted in favor of alternating day and evening meetings.
He added that, by state statute, the court can vote on a change in meeting times only during its last meeting of the fiscal year at the end of September.
Robles said “absolutely yes” on moving the meetings to the evening. He said the commissioners work for the people, and if that is what people want, he will vote in favor of changing the meeting times. He reminded everyone he would have only one vote on the court.
Wardlaw, too, said he favored moving the court’s meetings to the evening. He said he believed more persons would attend evening meetings.
Status of Flock cameras
TBO leader Griffin Hornbostel asked the candidates if they would be willing to author or sign a letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security demanding the removal of AI surveillance technology, such as Flock cameras, from Val Verde County.
Nettleton said if elected, he would author or sign such a letter. He said he understands the reason law enforcement uses the cameras, “but it can be used in a manner that I don’t think is in everybody’s best interest.”
Owens said he will rely on the sheriff to advise the court whether the cameras are needed.
He said the cameras motorists see on the state highways belong to the Texas Department of Public Safety, adding even the sheriff cannot access them.
He added the county is working on a written policy to regulate how cameras on county roads can be used and who can access the data collected by them.
Vazquez said he has done research on Flock cameras, adding he “is in support of them to a certain point.”
He said he does not want companies invading county residents’ privacy or selling the information to other countries.
Vazquez said several months ago, data from a Flock camera helped local law enforcement interdict a human-smuggling operation in which a 9-year-old child was placed in the trunk of a car.
Robles said he would support “anything that we have the legal right to do.”
He added there are some cameras outside local government or law enforcement control and pointed out many private businesses utilize cameras on their properties.
Robles added he would like to find out which agencies have access to cameras on public roads and who can access their data.
Wardlaw said he “supports law enforcement fully,” adding he finds it interesting that everyone is suddenly concerned about maintaining their privacy when citizens routinely buy phones and visit websites that capture their data.
“We take that in stride, but as soon as law enforcement gets involved, we want out,” he said.
Wardlaw said, however, he believes anyone in law enforcement misusing data from the cameras “should have the book thrown at them.”
Public defender office funding
TBO leader Linda Montejano asked each candidate if he “will ensure the public defender office continues to be adequately funded such that counsel is assigned to all indigent individuals.”
Montejano also asked if each candidate “will ensure that magistrate judges appoint attorneys to individuals so they can consult with a lawyer before making a decision to self-deport to Mexico.”
Nettleton said he will support the public defender office “as long as they are operating the way they are supposed to and the funds are available.”
He said he believed Montejano’s second question dealt with federal magistrates and illegal-entry issues, which the county has no control over.
He added the commissioners court has no authority to tell a magistrate judge what to do.
“I will always enforce the letter of the law,” Nettleton said.
TBO organizer Gage Brown explained the background behind the questions, and Nettleton again said the court could not tell any judge what to do.
Owens said the court hired the public defender office and pointed out that, in the office’s contract with the county, the public defender office does not take Operation Lone Star smuggling or juvenile cases.
He said an additional $300,000 was placed in the office’s budget, adding if an attorney is appointed in an OLS case, the county pays for that attorney as well.
Vazquez said he visited with state elected representatives when the county was seeking state funding to help pay for the public defender office. He said he would refer issues about magistrate judges to the county attorney.
Robles said he worked with the U.S. Attorney’s Office during his career with the Border Patrol, adding anyone who is charged with a criminal offense is legally entitled to an attorney.
He echoed earlier statements that the court cannot involve itself in dictating what a judge can or cannot do.
Brown again clarified, saying TBO wanted commissioners court to make sure attorneys are assigned at magistration.
Wardlaw said he was in favor of funding the public defender office “as long as I can have in my budget as the Precinct 4 commissioner the money left over to pave Meza Road and put in lights in Cienegas.”
Wardlaw said he believed the second question dealt with giving the commissioners court more authority than it has.
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com.
