San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
Sakai becomes first to say he’ll seek Wolff ’s seat
Peter Sakai is running for Bexar County judge.
Just a day after Nelson Wolff publicly confirmed that he will not seek another term as county judge, Sakai, who has presided over the 225th District Court for the past 15 years, sent out a text message blast to Democratic precinct chairs and other potential supporters with news of his candidacy for Wolff ’s seat.
“I wanted you to know that I am running for County Judge,” Sakai said in his text. He said he had waited for Wolff “to make his announcement out of respect,” adding: “Thank you for your friendship and support.”
In early September, Sakai announced his resignation from the bench, effective Oct. 31. His announcement prompted considerable speculation about his plans.
Sakai is one of the most respected figures in the Bexar County court system, frequently lauded for his sensitive handling of family law cases and his advocacy for foster children and victims of domestic violence. He has been elected to four terms on the District Court bench, the last three without opposition.
Before that, he served 11 years as the first-ever judge of Bexar County Children’s Court, which is supervised by the 225th District Court.
It’s an open question whether Sakai’s text announcement constitutes a formal statement of candidacy.
That question is relevant because the judge intends to keep his seat until the end of this month, and the Texas Code of Judicial Conduct states that “a judge shall resign from judicial office upon becoming a candidate in a contested election for a nonjudicial office either in a primary or in a general or in a special election.”
Sakai did not respond to a request to be interviewed for this column.
Wolff, 80, has been county judge since 2001. His decision to retire at the end of next year creates the first open seat race for the position since 1992, when Cyndi Taylor Krier defeated Tommy Adkisson in the general election.
Given how coveted the county judge’s post is, and how rarely it’s up for grabs, it would be understandable for county commissioners to give this race a close look. But that might not happen.
Two of Wolff ’s four colleagues on the Commissioners Court — Rebeca Clay-Flores and Trish DeBerry — are in their first year in office. Justin Rodriguez was elected to his first full term less than a year ago, after winning appointment to the Democratic-dominated court in 2019.
On Sept. 30, Rodriguez announced that he planned to run for re-election in 2022, rather than consider a run for county judge.
Tommy Calvert, the secondlongest-serving member of the Commissioners Court after Wolff, also is up for re-election next year. He has not indicated what he plans to do.
At this point, Sakai’s most likely Democratic opponent is state Rep. Ina Minjarez, who has represented Texas House District 124 since 2015.
On Wednesday afternoon, shortly after Wolff declared his intention to retire, Minjarez announced that she is considering a run for county judge.
“I have received countless calls from community members encouraging me to consider running for county judge,” Minjarez said. “With the news that Judge Wolff is not seeking re-election, and after much thought, prayer and conversation with my family and supporters, I have decided to form an exploratory committee.”
Minjarez asked county residents to offer their feedback, adding, “I want to have an open and transparent conversation with our community about what needs to be done at the county level.”
Minjarez has been an effective lawmaker and, by all accounts, has enjoyed her time in the Texas House. But this year has been a trying one for Democrats in the Legislature. Republicans have been dogged in pushing forward a culture war agenda that has included a restrictive election law, a neartotal ban on abortions and a bill that would prevent transgender children from competing on sports teams that align with their gender identity.
In response to the election bill, Minjarez joined more than 50 of her Democratic colleagues in a 5 ½-week, quorum-busting stay in Washington, D.C. Ultimately, however, Republicans managed to pass the bill.
Both of the last two county judges — Wolff and Krier — came to the job after serving in the Legislature. And Rodriguez gave up his safe Texas House seat to join the Commissioners Court when the death of Paul Elizondo created a vacancy on the court.
It’s easy to understand why. Getting things done on a fivemember Commissioners Court is considerably less grueling than trying to make change as part of a 150-member legislative body.
No Republicans have stepped forward as possible candidates for county judge. But that should happen soon.