The Hays County District Clerk manages district court records, oversees jury services and administers criminal, civil and family law cases in the county. Avery Anderson served as the previous Hays County district clerk for two years before resigning in July.
Amanda Calvert (DEM)
Why are you running for district clerk?
“I’ve been working for Hays County’s criminal justice system for 11 years now. I work in the [district attorney’s] office and I’m the felony lead supervisor over there; so I’m really running to get experience back in that office and get it stabilized.”
The previous district clerk resigned after a district judge found him incompetent and a lawsuit was filed to remove him from office. How will you address the backlog of inmates caused by the previous clerk?
“I don’t know if I would say a backlog of inmates was caused by the previous clerk. I think there’s a lot of administrative paperwork and things like that, that fell between the cracks that weren’t followed correctly… I know solutions to deal with them and I’m planning on meeting with the departments just to get us all on the same page.”
What qualifications do you have for Hays County District Clerk?
“I was hired on at the district attorney’s office and I was promoted a year later to the felony lead supervisor so I’ve been doing that for a decade. I have a thorough knowledge of the criminal justice system and the felony lead supervisor and the district clerk, their responsibilities closely mirror each other. We deal with indictments filing subpoenas, keeping records, archiving records. So I feel well-suited and experienced for this position.”
If elected, you would be one of the first openly LGBTQ+ elected officials within Hays County, how does that impact your campaign?
“It’s not really something that I think about, but I like the idea of the example that it sets for people who are in the LGBTQ+ community. They can see someone who can get into positions like this and hopefully inspire them to seek out higher positions and obtain their goals.”
What would be the goals of your term as Hays County District Clerk?
“My goal would be to make sure all of our state-mandated reporting is up to code, to make sure that office is stabilized, to make sure the staff is adequately trained and that they feel confident in doing their jobs.”
What do you believe the role of Hays County District Clerk should be?
“The district clerk’s role should be to accurately and efficiently keep the records of the court and provide a service to the community of obtaining the records, making sure that filings from the public and attorneys are processed correctly and timely.”
Philip Muzzy (REP)
Why are you running for district clerk?
“I had a big problem with the jury summons [under the previous clerk]. [San Marcos Police Department] Officer Kenneth Copeland was tragically killed, when it was time for his day in court… not one juror showed up. The local law enforcement agencies had to deliver 1,000 jury summons by hand within a couple of days, so that was kind of the icing on the cake for me.”
The previous district clerk resigned after a district judge found him incompetent and a lawsuit was filed to remove him from office. How will you address the backlog of inmates caused by the previous clerk?
“We’re working with the [district attorney’s] office and all the stakeholders… as far as the office itself, making sure we’re 100% in compliance, and being in compliance is making sure that the backlog is taken care of.”
What qualifications do you have for Hays County District Clerk?
“I got 30 years experience in the private and the public sector. What I mean by that is I’ve owned businesses: I served in the public sector as a teacher, head coach, associate principal. I started my own charter school district. I have a master’s degree in educational leadership from Texas State University and a bachelor’s in sociology, so my qualifications are really about administrative leadership and organizational leadership.”
What would be the goals of your term as Hays County District Clerk?
“Number one is the jury service experience, making sure that Tyro Technologies is a software being used. I want to make sure that we have proper training for all the staff and cross-training. I think a good idea would be to supplement the staff with an internship program… that would also provide a pipeline for future employees.”
Muzzy’s campaign did not release its first public financial disclosure until Oct. 17.
The Texas Ethics Commission states “an opposed candidate in an upcoming election must file reports of contributions and expenditures 30 days before the election.”
However, even if elected, Muzzy cannot accept the position of Hays County District Clerk. In a statement to The Star, Muzzy wrote he is administratively disqualified from accepting the position of district clerk because he voted in the Democratic Party primary.
“In this case, I voted for a friend and local community leader, who happens to be a Democrat in a primary election. Because of this, I am technically administratively disqualified at the last minute. My name is still on the ballot for [Nov. 5]. I humbly ask that you stand beside me and send a message to both parties in local elections. We choose people, not political parties.”
