EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — With early voting set to begin Tuesday, Feb. 20 in the Texas Primary, Democratic candidates for El Paso district attorney talked to KTSM about their campaigns, issues and principles.
The three Democrat candidates are:
Alma Trejo
James Montoya
Nancy Casas
Each candidate is vying to win the party’s nomination during the March 5 primary and take on Republican incumbent Bill Hicks in November. Hicks is running unopposed in the Republican portion of the primary.
Alma Trejo is a lawyer and retired county court at law judge.
Trejo told KTSM she knows that she can go into office and rebuild the DA’s Office along with gaining the public’s trust.
Trejo said her platform is to first take care of the Walmart mass shooting case, the attorney shortage in the DA’s Office and mental health.
“Three administrations have already worked on this case and right now there is an attorney shortage crisis. The office normally runs with 90 attorneys. There’s less than 50 right now. And there is a couple of courts that don’t even have an assigned district attorney. And my platform also, it includes to resolve those matters and also to set up a mental health unit, Trejo said.
James Montoya is a public defender and former assistant district attorney. His platform also calls for addressing the attorney shortage in the DA’s Office.
“Victims are not receiving justice. People accused of crimes are not receiving justice as a public defender. Every week, there are cases dismissed for speedy trial violations because they’re not talking to their victims quickly enough. And I’m not talking about low level crimes. I’m talking about very serious child sex offenses, repeat DWI, aggravated assaults that are being dismissed on the eve of trial, the morning of trial. And it’s a disservice to everyone,” Montoya said.
Nancy Casas is an assistant county attorney and former assistant district attorney. Her platform calls for focusing on cases that are not receiving adequate attention, communication and transparency needed to improve in the District Attorney’s Office.
“We need to address the the backlog that we have of cases, the cases that are still with, that have been turned in by the by the Police Department, but have not been processed through. And if we don’t process through, then you don’t have a flow through. So if we don’t address the beginning part of these cases, then they never get to court,” Casas said.
KTSM asked each candidate to express what they would do in office if elected;
Trejo: “I would start building up my team, getting ready, taking applications, hiring people and start looking at the inventory, which is the cases, start looking at the budget, the many tables, and be ready to literally on day one, which is Jan. 1, 2025, start working.”
Montoya: “We’re going to figure out where the specific gaps are in the DA’s Office that need to be plugged immediately and figure out who is best suited for what positions. We’re going to do that immediately, from day one.”
Casas: “I’m used to putting in a lot of hours and I’m used to that and I’m ready for that.”
Each candidate has already made plans if they aren’t elected.
“I will become a visiting judge or I’ve got several options. I’ve always wanted to head a nonprofit. My interests are immigration, farmworkers, my children. I would see where I was needed in this community,” Trejo said.
“I’m happy to continue serving as a deputy public defender. I enjoy the work and I enjoyed continuing to serve our community,” Montoya said.
“I return to work at the County Attorney’s Office and finish my career. I’m not exactly sure what would be next, but I would finish off at at least a year with the County Attorney’s Office,” Casas said.
If none of the Democratic candidates win more than 50% of the votes, they will then head into a run off set for May 28.
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