Spotlight on the JP Candidates at Ellinger Forum

The Fayette County Republican Party hosted their second candidate forum of the primary election season on Saturday, Jan. 29

The event took place at the Ellinger Chamber of Commerce Hall. Rita Dernell served as moderator and Tom Kubena served as timekeeper. The forum included the three candidates for Pct. 2 Justice of the Peace, Jamie Moreau, Bradley Neville and Victor Weishuhn; and the four Republican candidates for Fayette County Judge: William Bernsen, Dan Mueller, Craig Moreau and Lori Berger. The three candidates for Pct.

The three candidates for Pct. 2 Justice of the Peace spoke first.

Jamie Moreau works as a substitute teacher at Fayetteville ISD. She holds a master degree in psychology. She previously worked at Texas Children’s Hospital as a child life specialist in the emergency room.

Bradley Neville has worked for the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office since 2006. He currently serves as a jail sergeant. He also serves as a volunteer firefighter for the Fayetteville Volunteer Fire Department.

Victor Weishuhn, a Fayette County native, works as a meat inspector for the Texas Department of State Health Services. He holds a bachelor degree in agriculture business. He previously worked in outside sales and as a teacher.

One of the duties of the justice of the peace involves performing inquests after tragic deaths such as those that occur in highway accidents. That job involves visiting the scene to officially record the time and manner of death. The candidates were asked how they are prepared to handle those situations.

“That will be part of the job that will take a little getting used to, because that will be a new experience, an unpleasant experience,” Weishuhn said. “But you have to have someone who will be level headed, with a sound mind and perform the task.

Moreau responded: “My job at Texas Children’s Hospital was in the emergency room. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of death and dying there. You never know what’s going to come through the door. Deaths, be it from chronic illness or motor accidents, I’ve seen that. I understand what that looks like.

“I will be someone who will bring calm and compassion, and will help your family walk through that dark event,” Moreau added.

Neville said he has experienced the aftermath of several deadly highway accidents with his services as a volunteer firefighter.

“I’ve had to be there with the judge, extracting individuals out of vehicles,” Neville said. “I believe you need to keep the respect and dignity of that patient in mind. I’ve done that and will continue to do that. And keep the family in mind, too. They’re going through a rough time. I believe I can do that.”

The candidates were asked how population growth in Pct. 2 might affect the office of justice of the peace.

“I can see that increasing the sheer number of cases that are being heard by the Justice,” Moreau said. “When you think about civil cases and criminal cases, those won’t lessen with a bigger population. We have to be prepared for that. We have to be able to work together - the four justices within the County, and see how we’re going to handle that load. I also think law enforcement does a really good job in the County, and we want to take care of the law enforcement side of things. When they’re doing their jobs, it makes it so much easier for us to come along on our side and do our jobs. I think we’ll all work hand-in-hand.”

“There’s a lot of people moving into our County,” Neville said. “The Sheriff’s Office is doing a good job right now. I think you’re going to see a lot more of the antiques people moving into this area. It’s a great venue and it has been for years. Also in Round Top you’ve got the music venues, Festival Hill. A lot moving into the County. It’s going to bring the case load up. I don’t see a problem with it. You might have to bring in another clerk if the numbers continue. But that’s something your commissioners and County Judge are going to handle. As far as case load, you work with law enforcement hand-in-hand, and it’s going to all fall into place.”

“Our area has been booming for a while now,” Weishuhn said. “How that affects this office is the amount of cases that we see and the types of cases that we see. It’ll be integral for the new justice to work with the office staff, to be mindful of how many are we handling, how many more can we handle, and what types of cases are we seeing. Are we seeing an influx of civil cases? Or are they traffic cases? We need to be able to adjust how the office works, how we adapt moving forward.”

The three candidates were asked if they would consider the position of justice of the peace a full time job and if they had any other sources of income. All three said they would consider it a full-time job.

“The only other source of income I have on the side away from the JP position is the family cattle operation that my father and I operate together,” Weishuhn said. “Other than that, it would be my full time position.”

Moreau said she does not plan to continue her work as a substitute teacher if elected. She said she is prepared be available for the position 24 hours a day for calls that may arise.

“I’m not seeking the office of justice of the peace for the pay,” Moreau said. “I do have some other sources of income through my husband, but I’m seeking the office of justice of the peace for the work itself. I will be able to put my full-time attention to that.”

Neville said he operates a family cattle operation and does some part-time metal welding, but he said he is prepared to take on the unusual work hours that comes with the job.

“There’s going to be those phone calls you get in the middle of the night and you’re going to have to go to a wreck scene to pronounce somebody for an inquest,” Neville said. “Or you might have to magistrate a juvenile in the wee hours of the morning.”