The Texas Association of Counties describes a justice of the peace as someone who presides over the justice court in cases involving misdemeanors, including hearing traffic and other Class C misdemeanor cases punishable by fine only, hearing civil cases with up to $20,000 in controversy, hearing landlord and tenant disputes, hearing truancy cases, performing magistrate duties and conducting inquests.
In Kendall County, three men are seeking to become the next elected one in
Precinct 2 as Republicans William Faery, Jim Kohler and Dave Neighbor are hoping to replace Leon Brimhall, who is seeking to become the next Precinct 2 Kendall County commissioner.
Early voting got underway Monday, and the primary election is Tuesday, March 1. There is no Democrat on the ballot,but there is an independent running, Erica Matlock.
Faery is a U.S. Army veteran who spent 23 years as a combat medic. He participated in three combat deployments: Operation Desert Shield/ Desert Storm, Operation Intrinsic Action and Operation Enduring Freedom.
He retired in October 2012 and opened a small business where he was consulting local, state and federal law enforcement on tactical medicine in the field. He then was called to be a personal security medic for the ambassador and other dignitaries in Kabul, Afghanistan and worked at the embassy there for eight years until the fall of Kabul brought about by the Taliban.
Kohler began his career as a Hays County deputy after graduating from Texas State University. He then started with the Boerne Police Department in June 1990, where he worked his way through the ranks and became the chief of police in October 2011. He retired as chief and from the local force in October 2021.
Neighbor is a U.S. Marines veteran with Vietnam service who later worked in Christian ministry full time for 12 years. Seven of those years were spent in the former Yugoslavia, where he started an evangelical church.
He subsequently served almost two decades as a senior operations officer in the Central Intelligence Agency’s Clandestine Service followed by 16 years as an instructor and consultant to the U.S. Intelligence Community, the U.S. Department of Defense and federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.
The Star asked each candidate the same questions in regard to serving the county as a justice of the peace in Precinct 2. The following are their answers. Any editing was done because of space restrictions.
Q: Why did you decide to seek becoming a justice of the peace?
• Faery: I feel as it is the duty of ordinary citizens to step up and fill these positions. If we continue to allow the same people to rotate throughout our local government, we are going to get the same results. If we want to change what is going on in the county, with the talk of exploding growth, water, traffic and flooding, then it is time for sanity, common sense and good policy. This is what new choices can bring to the table. I will be leading the way into November with these issues in mind.
• Kohler: I had several other opportunities presented to me, but none peaked my interest like the justice of the peace. I seek this position to continue serving my community in a capacity that I feel comfortable with and still give back.
• Neighbor: By nature and training I have served our Lord, our nation, my community and church for over four decades. After spending so many years abroad, I focused on serving our community of Boerne and Kendall County for the last six plus years. … I see the position of justice of the peace in precinct two as an opportunity to ensure the well-being and improvement of our growing community.
Q: What are your qualifications/ strengths?
• Faery: Live by a value system that has been driven into me my entire adult life: loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage. With the acronym “leadership,” I plan on bringing a new attitude to the justice court. An attitude that not only brings my values, but American values to the court and solidifies the Kendall County way of life.
• Kohler: Bachelor of science degree in criminal justice, master of arts degree with honors in criminal justice and over 6,800 hours in criminal justice that pertained to leadership, management, patrol techniques, investigations and conflict resolution. (Strengths:) Leadership, management, character, honesty, integrity as well as being transparent to those I serve.
• Neighbor: First and foremost, I will leverage my leadership skills and experience with civil and criminal law and parliamentary procedure to quickly understand and solve complex problems. I’m a focused, trained and skilled interviewer who has a very long record of effectively and clearly getting the facts and adjudicating just and fair outcomes. I’ve managed some complex problems with multiple stakeholders and successfully brought people together to collaborate on solving problems. I adhere to the law and I am dogged about doing what is right, fair and legal. (Strengths:) I’ve demonstrated leadership, an ability to leverage diversity and repeatedly shown myself to work effectively under extreme pressure while maintaining focus and character.
Q: What are the most important roles/responsibilities of a justice of the peace?
• Faery: The most important duties of the JP are its judicial responsibilities: holding justice court, acting as judge of small claims court, issuing a variety of process and writs in situations where justice court has jurisdiction, holding court for minor misdemeanor offenses and assisting in evidence proceedings. In all of these, impartiality and fairness are key.
• Kohler: Team player with everyone in the criminal justice system and always doing the right thing. All the duties like arrest warrants, search warrants, blood warrants, bonds are equally as important … as you are dealing with someone’s life.
• Neighbor: I think the most important role of a JP is in dealing lawfully and fairly with our citizens. JPs serve as magistrates for recently arrested people and they need to weigh bail decisions in light of the strength of the charges ensuring that the individual will appear in court as ordered and not be a danger to public safety if released with or without bail. I also believe a JP needs to listen carefully to all sides of any civil litigation, misdemeanor, traffic violation, eviction or truancy case and fairly rule in accordance with the law. JPs also need to quickly and compassionately respond in a timely and professional manner to inquests when one of our citizens dies without the presence of an attending physician. JPs also need to respond quickly to law enforcement’s requests for warrants. Lastly, JPs need to listen attentively to their colleagues in the judiciary, prosecution, and law enforcement as well as the county’s citizens to improve our county’s judiciary processes as the county grows.
Q: How do you describe your role in working with the citizens in your precinct?
• Faery: With the JP position comes knowledge and wisdom of the law. Bringing these tools to the citizens of Kendall County is imperative to keep people out of the court system and solving problems on their own when possible. This position enables me to get out and talk to the community and inform them of what can be done and how it can be done. This takes a great deal of good communication and an abundance of hard work and long hours. This is not a retirement job!
• Kohler: I would work for them in a servant leadership role, and I will always be fair, firm and compassionate in my decisions.
• Neighbor: I’ll respectfully listen to all the relevant sides and aspects to the cases presented, apply the law and fairly adjudicate each case. I want to maintain good lines of communication with the community so I can understand the people’s perceptions and needs.
Q: How do you make sure you always remain fair and impartial in handling your responsibilities?
• Faery: Fairness and impartiality are not something you are born with. It could take a lifetime to learn with the right coaching and the right environment. Luckily, I was blessed to have excellent leaders in my life that taught me good values, the importance of fairness and how to be impartial. In the medical field, I had to triage patients according to their injuries and not who was my friend. Although sometimes that can be a difficult decision, I learned to follow my values and do what was right, even when no one was looking. This is what integrity looks like.
• Kohler: I feel taking the emotional aspect of a situation out and concentrating on the facts will allow the JP to be fair and impartial.
• Neighbor: I’ll seek the facts, examine the applicable laws, seek counsel from competent authorities when necessary and ensure I have no personal interest in the case.
Q: How do you work across the county with the other JP’s?
• Faery: Working with the JPs in the other precincts is essential to making the justice court work. I know that my dedication to the county would be an asset to the court. My work ethic is excellent and I would definitely help the other JPs make the system work efficiently and effectively. When a judge needs help because of a scheduling conflict, I’ll be there. When a call comes in the middle of the night for some work to be done, call me first. The responsibilities of the JP will always come first and that will alleviate some of the workload that the other JPs may be experiencing.
• Kohler: I have already reached out to the four JPs to discuss items with them. There are two JPs that I have worked with for a very long time, so I know their expectations.
• Neighbor: I think it is important to work collegially with JPs learning from each other and helping one another cover the workload when colleagues are out sick or on leave.
Q: How do you best handle the workload?
• Faery: In one word, dedication. Dedication to the responsibilities of the job and the time it will take to complete the job. Being in the military for so long has given me a priority system: God first, country and community and family. I have spent numerous years knowing that my obligation to the country and the community is a priority. I promise that I will put in the time and the effort to keep the court working at an optimal pace by implementing efficient and productive best practices.
• Kohler: I do not like to procrastinate. My parents always instilled in me to work hard, be honest and your life would be great. I will get the job done.
• Neighbor: I work hard until the job is done while being mindful of a healthy life balance. Nearing five decades of marriage my wife and I have learned how to optimize and cherish our time together under challenging circumstances.
Q: Why should people vote for you?
• Faery: My value system: Loyalty to the people, duty to the court, respect for the justice system and those that fall under it, selfless service by putting the job ahead of personal needs, honoring our constitution, integrity in the decisions I make and personal courage in applying the law even when it’s not popular. I know when the community sees that I live these values every day, not as a guideline, but as a way of life that it will make their choice for justice of the peace in Precinct 2 easier.
• Kohler: I have the knowledge, skills and ability to perform at a high level along with the character, Integrity, honesty and experience.
• Neighbor: I am qualified to serve, and am fair, analytical and emotionally even-keeled. I listen before I speak. I have faithfully served our country for over four decades and will provide the same service to the citizens of Kendall County.
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