Experience vs. fresh perspective in race
Incumbent in Precinct 2 race says challenger’s focus on aiding sheriff is not new.
Constable Adan Ballesteros touts his experience. Challenger Deke Pierce promises a fresh perspective.
Both men are vying for the Travis County Constable position in Precinct 2, which covers the northern part of the county. The job involves serving papers for civil county courts and lowlevel misdemeanors.
Ballesteros, a Democrat finishing his second four-year term, has worked in the constable’s office for 17 years. He prides himself on his experience, knowledge of civil law and a more than 37-year career in law enforcement — traits he said set him apart from his opponent.
“A lot of people don’t understand what the job responsibility is,” Ballesteros said. “Foremost, it’s civil law, and you have to know the civil process. If you’re not familiar with civil law, you can’t do your job correctly.”
Pierce, a Republican, is a Travis County senior deputy and law enforcement motor instructor. Although he never thought he would seek public office, he said he saw room for improvement at the constable’s office.
He said although the constable’s office is the law enforcement arm in civil matters, it should respond to emergency calls when able to help police departments and the sheriff ’s office.
For example, Pierce said, it would have been good for the constable’s office to help sheriff ’s deputies with security of homes during the 2011 wildfires in the Steiner Ranch area.
However, Ballesteros said his constable’s deputies did help and were at the scenes of the fires as soon as they happened around Travis County. He said constable deputies were responsible for allowing people into their homes in Steiner Ranch and manned the refugee center at a local high school around the clock.
Ballesteros said his constable deputies also already supplement law enforcement by “walking the beat,” being visible in neighborhoods and communities, and patrolling school zones.
“There’s not enough law enforcement to go around, especially now, and it’s getting harder and harder for people to get in law enforcement with how (the public views officers),” Ballesteros said. “(The law enforcement community is) getting pretty thin, so when we’re requested because they need more security, we want to provide our precinct with quality of life where they feel secure in their communities. So that’s why when they ask for our assistance, we step up.”
Pierce, who has spent more than 21 years with the Travis County Sheriff ’s Office, said he sees other areas for collaboration as well. “I want to see the constable’s office get involved with the training at the sheriff ’s office ... so we’re all on the same sheet of music,” he said.
This year’s campaign has been a cordial affair, particularly compared with the bruising 2012 primary that Ballesteros faced against challenger Michael Cargill. That 2012 race drew Super PAC funding, salacious mailers and dueling defamation lawsuits that were both ultimately dismissed.