Dave Neighbor will be the Republican Party’s candidate for justice of the peace in Kendall County in Precinct 2.
The U.S. Marines veteran who later worked in Christian ministry full time garnered 52.54 percent of the vote on Tuesday in the GOP primary election to defeat challengers Jim Kohler and William Faery.
Neighbor was checked on 1,220 Republican ballots in his precinct compared to 856 for Kohler and 246 for Faery. There is no need for a runoff as Neighbor earned more than 50 percent of the vote.
“I’m humbled by the trust of the voters,” Neighbor told The Star on the morning after the election. “I’m looking forward to stepping into the role and serving. God willing, I’ll get sworn in and I’ll start fulfilling my promise to serve faithfully.”
There was no Democrat on the ballot, but he faces independent Erica Matlock in November. The winner will replace current JP2 Leon Brimhall, who stepped down in order to seek the Precinct 2 county commissioner position. Brimhall will be involved in a runoff for that position with Andra Wisian.
While a Marine, Neighbor served in Vietnam. When he entered Christian ministry, he spent seven years 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.
“By nature and training I have served our Lord, our nation, my community and church for over four decades,” Neighbor said as to why he is seeking the office. “After spending so many years abroad, I focused on serving our community of Boerne and Kendall County for the last sixplus years. … I see the position of justice of the peace in Precinct 2 as an opportunity to ensure the well-being and improvement of our growing community.”
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.
Before the election, Neighbor said if he wins the seat he will leverage his leadership skills and experience with civil and criminal law and parliamentary procedure to “quickly understand and solve complex problems.”
He said a key function of a justice of the peace is to listen carefully to all sides of any situation and fairly rule in accordance with the law. He also said JPs need to listen attentively to their colleagues in the judiciary, prosecution and law enforcement as well as the county’s citizens to improve the county’s judiciary processes as the county grows.
“I’ll respectfully listen to all the relevant sides and aspects to the cases presented, apply the law and fairly adjudicate each case,” Neighbor said. “I want to maintain good lines of communication with the community so I can understand the people’s perceptions and needs.
He also said he will work hard until the job is done while being mindful of a healthy life balance.
Neighbor said his first order of business when he assumes the role will be to attend the state-mandated judge school.
“I look forward to that,” he said. “Then, I’ll immerse myself in my duties.”
He also said he will rely on the wisdom and experience of the other three county justices of the peace to help him get situated.
“I really want to get off to a good start and continue to serve,” he said.
Neighbor was quick to commend his team, especially campaign manager Joe Cheben and treasurer Maureen Cheben.
“I’m a relatively unknown guy running against a known entity,” he said. “It was quite a challenge.”
He also thanked his donors and volunteers who helped him throughout the campaign. He said about 100 people chipped in.
“I couldn’t have done it without them,” he said. “It was a team effort.”
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