CANDIDATES FOR WASHINGTON CO. SHERIFF, COMMISSIONER, CONSTABLE TAKE STAGE AT FORUM

Public safety, roadways and transparency were some of the topics covered Monday night during KWHI’s first of two Candidates Forums for the contested races in the March 5^th primary election.

Candidates for Washington County Sheriff, Precinct 1 and 3 Commissioner, and Precinct 3 Constable met at Brenham National Bank to answer questions from a big crowd in attendance, as well as KWHI listeners and the news media.

Many questions were directed at the two sheriff’s candidates, Trey Holleway and David Blakey, who were asked about issues like what they believe are the biggest safety concerns to address and how they plan to work with other local law enforcement agencies.

Both candidates said they would strive to improve the interconnectivity between the area’s enforcement entities.  Holleway referenced his DPS work in Houston bringing agencies together there, and said he would work collaboratively to accomplish the shared goal of serving and protecting the public. 

The two acknowledged problems at the southern border and how they impact Washington County.  Blakey said the situation puts a strain on the sheriff’s office’s resources, and that he would work to bring in more deputies to pick up the slack. 

Moving into the commissioners races, one question involved the county’s volunteer fire departments, the current funding agreement between the departments and the county, and the proposed emergency services district for the Chappell Hill and Meyersville departments.  Precinct 3 incumbent Kirk Hanath believes the county’s existing arrangement works well and said it is important to consider all of the information before making a decision involving tax dollars.

Another question was about the accessibility of county commissioners meetings held in the mornings and whether it would be better to hold them at night where more people could attend.  While both Hanath and Precinct 1 incumbent Don Koester noted that the county now has a YouTube channel where citizens can watch recorded meetings, Misti Hartstack Corn, who is challenging Koester, expressed openness to having some meetings held in the evening.

All candidates were asked their thoughts about TxDOT’s short-term plans for the intersection of Highway 290 and FM 1155 in Chappell Hill, which involve redirecting traffic to take right turns or U-turns at offset locations from the intersection.  None of the candidates appeared to support the current TxDOT proposal, with Koester saying it could lead to more problems than there are now.

The general state of county roads was also a point of discussion.  Precinct 3 challenger Billy Ruemke said he intends to make sure the Engineering and Development Services Department (EDS) has all of the resources it needs to keep roads in good condition. 

Continuing on roads, one question was brought up that asked how commissioners would work with EDS to hold companies that tear up county roads accountable.  The question specifically mentioned a company operating a gravel pit in Precinct 1 that, according to Koester and Corn, has over 200 trucks traveling to and from it daily.  Corn identified the area as Pickens Road at Mt. Falls School Road, leading into Hidalgo Falls Road. 

Koester said the county previously tried to get bonds on the trucks traveling to the gravel pit to where the county would receive reimbursement to repair the roads, similar to its agreements with oil and gas companies, but was told that could not be done.  Koester said all the county can do is maintain the road, which is no longer paved and is gravel.

Corn contested Koester’s statement, saying while the gravel pit is located in Washington County, the business profiting off of it is not local.  She asserted that just as the county can make oil and gas companies pay toward bringing the roads they use back up to good condition, it can do the same for private entities that destroy county property but are not a part of the local tax base.

Switching to the constable candidates, Brad Kuecker said the community’s growth makes it paramount that the constable’s office be able to adapt and take on new challenges.

Kuecker’s opponent, Damon Wegner, was not present at the forum to answer questions. 

Monday’s forum can be viewed on the KWHI Facebook page.

The next forum will be tomorrow (Wednesday) at 5:30 p.m., also at Brenham National Bank.  It will host the candidates for State House District 12 and Washington County District Attorney.

Opening Statements