Round 2: Judge Hopefuls Debate in Far East Fayette

Following their forum in Schulenburg Jan. 22, the four Republican County Judge candidates followed the JP candidates at Saturday’s forum in Ellinger.

The first question asked the candidates how familiar they are with the office of County Judge and to name their qualifications.

“I’ve been studying the laws and reading statutes and I can tell you the only constitutional requirement for the position is that they be well informed with the law,” William Bernsen said. “I’ve been a student of the law for many years. The Judge presides over the various county courts and one of the responsibilities is to make sure everything the government does is lawful. County Judge presides over Commissioners Court and executes the will, serving as chief executive of the County. It’s actually the Commissioners that runs County and the Judge executes the will of the Commissioners Court. The County Judge serves as an advocate and represents the citizens around the State, dealing with the Legislature and representatives of the Governor’s Office.”

Bernsen said he has served as a Republican Party precinct chair for about 10 years, organized a convention one year and served as election judge for the Plum and West Point election precinct for eight years.

“Since beginning my campaign five months ago, I have been attending Commissioners Court meetings, meeting with elected officials and employees to learn all I can about the County government,” Bernsen said.

Dan Mueller responded: “The County Judge’s office is not an eight-to-five office. It’s similar to the office I have now. As Justice of the Peace, I’m on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The County Judge serves as the administrator, sort of like the mayor of a town, but the County as a whole. I believe the position of County Judge should be a reflection of the people. I believe I reflect the people of this County, I believe reflect the values of the County. I’m familiar with the County, I’m familiar with the people of the County, I’m familiar with the County government, and I’d appreciate being your County Judge.”

Craig Moreau spoke about his experience with his current job in the County government as Chief of Emergency Management.

“I’m extremely familiar with what the County Judge does – he’s my boss and his office is just down the hall from mine,” Moreau said. “I have the pleasure of talking to him every day. There are three main duties of the County Judge, and I found through this campaign that a lot of people don’t know those. The County Judge is the chief executive, and serves as kind of the mayor of the county. He serves with the city council of the county, if you will, the Commissioners Court. They make all types of decisions: employment, budget – pretty much anything that happens on a county-wide level is determined by the County Judge and the Commissioners Court.

“The judge rules over the judicial part of the job,” Moreau added. “The County Judge in this County rules over probates, which is very important. When you’re dealing with the death of a loved one and their estate, it’s an emotional time. You want someone who knows how to deal with people in an honorable way. They do Class A, Class B misdemeanors, which can have significant jail time associated with them. They also deal with juvenile court, which is something I’m very excited about as well because of my history as a youth minister. One of the most important things they do, especially in times of disaster, is they are the director of emergency management. A lot of the powers set forward by the state and a lot of the things we do in the Emergency Operations Center all go through the County Judge.”

Lori Berger said she has worked in the past with several County Judges around the state.

“I’ve worked with several county judges throughout my LCRA career, one-on-one programs in their areas and grants they might need in certain areas of their community,” Berger said. “I feel like the Judge definitely represents the community, and that community is Fayette County,” said Berger. “And every citizen is a part of Fayette County. I would consider it an immense honor to represent them fairly, equally and with compassion.”

Watching the complete forum on our Facebook page and/or YouTube Channel.