While facing many federal, statewide and local races in the Nov. 8 election, registered Bexar County voters will choose who will succeed Nelson Wolff, who is retiring following 21 years as county judge—the county government’s top elected leader.

Vying for the position are Libertarian Edgar Coyle, an engineer and drafter; Republican Trish DeBerry, a former north side county commissioner; and Democrat Peter Sakai, a former district court judge.

Walter Wilson, an associate political science professor at The University of Texas at San Antonio, said he feels Sakai and DeBerry with their respective work experiences are grabbing much of the public spotlight in a contest that he said may change how the county judge’s office operates.

“It is a very important job. The Bexar County judge is instrumental on planning and expenditures for a major metropolitan city and for surrounding cities,” Wilson said.

‘Low-information election’

Wilson said he hopes the county judge candidates are promoting themselves and the county judge’s office, adding Sakai and DeBerry—while known to many locals—both lack a high profile held by Wolff, who has represented the San Antonio area in various elected offices on and off since 1971.

“Most local elections are low-information elections. Even though they can be impactful to someone’s daily experience, DeBerry and Sakai have lower profiles than Wolff, and there’s not many opportunities for someone with a low profile to break through,” Wilson said.

Wilson said it is vital that Sakai and DeBerry share how either would work with Commissioners Court, which collectively represents about 2 million residents countywide, according to the 2020 U.S. census.

‘Tough decisions’

Vying to become only the second GOP county judge in Bexar County’s history, DeBerry said she has long emphasized the community’s best interest in her professional and political experiences.

A lifelong San Antonian, DeBerry worked in local broadcast news before co-founding a local public relations and marketing agency, which led her to create her own firm, DeBerry Group. In 2020, she was elected Precinct 3 commissioner.

DeBerry said she felt she could better serve the community by pledging to apply pragmatic, small-business decision-making talents toward various county issues, so she sought and won the Precinct 3 county commissioner’s seat in the 2020 general election.

“Over the course of my career, I’ve been a problem solver, very solution driven,” DeBerry said.

DeBerry said she enjoyed effecting some county government change in her short time as a county commissioner, including leading efforts to drop the county property tax rate, restore the district attorney office’s elder fraud unit and expand the DA's office to better address domestic violence cases.

“I was a change agent. I took the job very seriously, which is why it was hard to give up,” she said, referring to state election law requiring her resignation as commissioner to run for county judge.

As county judge, DeBerry said her top priorities would include cutting property taxes; advocating for appraisal reform; improving infrastructure, public safety and county government transparency; and getting county representation on local utility boards.

Saying she has “big ideas and a bold vision,” DeBerry hopes to transform the county judge’s office, which she calls essentially the county’s chief executive officer.

“I don’t just mean chief executive officer, but chief economic development officer, chief empathy officer, all of it. You’re managing a $2.8 billion budget for the county. Some tough decisions have to be made,” she said.

‘Bexar necessities’

The grandson of Japanese farmers who migrated to the United States, Sakai said he grew up in South Texas, moved to Austin and attended law school at The University of Texas.

Sakai said he wanted to pursue a legal career after hearing stories from his father’s family, who along with other Japanese Americans were forced into internment camps during World War II.

“The stories I heard from my dad compelled me to defend the Constitution and the rule of law so that no one else would have to go through what my family and so many other Americans have endured,” Sakai said.

After passing the bar exam, Sakai’s first legal job was as a juvenile section chief in the Bexar County District Attorney's Office. He then went into private law practice and was eventually named the county’s first associate judge of the children’s court in the 1990s.

Voters in November 2006 made Sakai the first Asian American judge to serve in the 225th District Court, a civil court. In September 2021, Sakai resigned as a district court judge to run for county judge.

“As a public servant for over 26 years, I decided my work was not done. I wanted to continue my service to improve the county [and] its services and provide an open and transparent government that focuses on the ‘Bexar necessities’—a bold but back-to-basics approach,” Sakai said.

Sakai said he is not a career politician but rather a public servant who is experienced at building a consensus and finding innovative ideas to address issues such as education, workforce development, infrastructure, housing, public health and safety, and judicial system reform.

Sakai also said his experiences as a judge; as a small-city attorney/prosecutor; and working with local nonprofits, businesses, civic groups and school systems would help him to evolve the county judge’s position.

“I have not only some understanding of the needs of our community, but thoroughly understand that allocating dollars without accountability is simply not good government nor a sound business practice,” he said.

‘Freedoms and liberties first’

Coyle is lead engineer/drafter at Michael Edwards Custom Cabinetry and Closets, a local business. Coyle is also vice chair of the Libertarian Party of Bexar County.

Coyle said he opted to run for county judge because he feels the county’s COVID-19 policies early in the pandemic left a negative effect on the local economy, children’s development and people’s mental health.

He also said the county should rely less on property taxes and more on sales taxes to generate revenue.

“As Bexar County judge, I will stand up for your freedoms and liberties first and foremost and never allow what we saw over the last two years to happen again,” Coyle said.

Wolff’s reflections

Upon departing as Bexar County judge Dec. 31, Wolff, 82, will cap a 51-year career that included serving in both chambers of the Texas Legislature, as a San Antonio City Council member and as San Antonio mayor.

Wolff said as county judge, he oversaw the rollout of “transformative initiatives that have helped Bexar County to grow and thrive."

According to Wolff, one such initiative was the creation of BiblioTech, the nation’s first all-digital public library that now provides service through three physical main branches and several kiosks.

“BiblioTech actively works to bridge literacy and technology gaps in San Antonio and surrounding areas by establishing a community presence at the physical locations as well as an online presence through the digital collections and resources,” Wolff said.

Wolff said therapeutic justice is another significant initiative, an effort to reform the criminal justice system by creating 14 specialty courts to help people with mental health and drug issues.

“Through these specialty courts and our pretrial diversion programs, people with minor offenses are able to become and remain a productive member of society and are able to continue to stay with their family and work instead of being in jail,” Wolff said.

Wolff added he was proud to oversee the creation of the county manager position, an economic development department, and a preventive health and environmental services department.

The latter department, Wolff said, will help address local public health and provide a faster, more comprehensive coordinated response to health issues.

“Through the county judge position, I have been able to reform county government to bring it into the 21st century,” he said.

Wolff also reflected on how he and San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg guided the San Antonio community through the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in a recently released book, “The Mayor and The Judge: The Inside Story of the War Against COVID.”

Wolff wrote that "current and future community leaders cannot be deterred by politics or spread of misinformation in efforts to keep people safe during a public health emergency.”

"During the pandemic, a barrage of attacks were launched on the principles of reason, rational behavior, positive attitudes ... and respect for each other that are critical to the functioning of our society,” Wolff wrote.

In his final State of the County address, presented by the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce on Oct. 12, Nelson Wolff said he and wife, Tracy Wolff, who also has long been active as a partner in local business ventures and civic activities, are not necessarily retiring as they are “transitioning to a new way of life.”

“We will continue to try and make a positive contribution to our community. So, as I leave this stage, I will not say farewell, but ask you to join Tracy and I in seeking to protect nature and taking our humanity to a higher level,” he told the audience.

Views from other leaders

Some elected north side officials said regardless of the election winner, they look forward to working with the county judge’s office toward benefitting their respective council district or city.

“I’m excited by the new ideas and direction that the next county judge could bring,” San Antonio District 10 Council Member Clayton Perry said.

Shavano Park Mayor Bob Werner praised Wolff for including Bexar County suburbs and towns in countywide and regional planning processes over the years.

“I sincerely hope our next county judge offers the same open door and opportunity for shared leadership,” Werner said.

Hollywood Park Mayor Sean Moore said his city works closely with county officials on various larger issues.

“As a result, the leadership of the Commissioners Court is vital to our well-being, and we're always striving to better our working relationship with the county and [city of San Antonio] for that matter and make sure Hollywood Park residents' needs are being represented by the court,” Moore said.

Nirenberg said Wolff expanded the county judge’s role and does not expect Wolff’s successor to retreat.

“It will be important for the next county judge to collaborate with the city on a unified vision to accommodate the growth that is occurring in our region and improve the lives of all area residents,” Nirenberg said.

Early voting will be held Oct. 24-Nov. 4. Nov. 8 is Election Day. Early voting polling times are 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Oct. 24-28; 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Oct. 29 and Oct. 31-Nov. 4; noon-6 p.m. Oct. 30.

Area early-voting locations include Brookhollow Branch Library, 530 Heimer Road; Castle Hills City Hall community room, 209 Lemonwood Drive; Cody Branch Library, 11441 Vance Jackson Road; Encino Branch Library, 2515 E. Evans Road; Parman Branch Library at Stone Oak, 20735 Wilderness Oak; Precinct 3 Satellite Office, 320 Interpark Blvd.; Shavano Park City Hall lobby, 900 Saddletree Court; and The University of Texas at San Antonio Bexar Room, 1 UTSA Circle.