16 Oct Connie Scott, Aidee Hernandez Make Their Case in Nueces County Judge Race

Nueces County voters pick a county judge Nov. 3, with Connie Scott, the Republican incumbent, facing Democrat Aidee Hernandez, who used to manage the county’s Commissioners Court, per the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. Early voting runs from Oct. 19 through Oct. 30.

The job is often misunderstood. Del Mar College political science professor Paul Gottemoller said the county judge isn’t a judge in criminal or civil cases. Instead, the judge is the county’s top executive, leads emergency management, oversees roads, bridges and county facilities from the courthouse to libraries, parks and jails, and chairs a court of four elected commissioners. Together, they set the tax rate and adopt the budget.

Scott took office in January 2023, is seeking a second term and says it would be her last. A former state representative, she also directs the Bay Area Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse nonprofit. She points to raises for county employees, a bigger reserve fund and plans, worked out with the Texas Historical Commission and commissioners, to demolish the 1914 county courthouse.

If she wins, Scott wants to keep up infrastructure repairs, pay for a sprinkler system the state requires for the county and improve the jail. She said she’s teamed up with Sheriff J.C. Hooper on a surge in work orders at the jail, like broken intercoms, that can force costly inmate transfers to other jails. The court responded by shifting four public works staffers plus a maintenance budget to Hooper’s control. Scott said a new jail will eventually be needed, and that’s a reason she wants another term.

Scott also pointed to the county’s response to water concerns. In April, commissioners declared a local disaster over a looming water crisis, and the county has looked at ways to cut its own water use. She said the issue could return, but that the county has a plan in place. Republican Party Chair Carmen Calderone called her time in the Legislature, business, nonprofit work and county government a reason not to switch course.

Hernandez was born in Tampico, Mexico, and has called Nueces County home for 16 years now. She handled audit and budget work under judges Loyd Neal and Barbara Canales and later under Scott, and holds master’s degrees in both business and accounting. She says that background, plus time serving the county through COVID-19 and Hurricane Harvey, gives her an inside view of budgeting and emergency planning.

Hernandez wants to grow tourism and fund small businesses, arguing that more jobs mean added tax revenue to fund county services. She plans to open the annual Coastal Bend Hurricane Conference to small businesses and build a public dashboard showing where tax money goes. She also wants to push the Legislature, which meets again in January, to raise the minimum wage, cut unemployment and encourage responsible AI use. Democratic Party Chair Conor Rice said her budget experience gives her credibility.

Campaign finance filings put Scott well ahead in cash. She reported $17,250 in contributions from July 1 to Oct. 4, $106,645 spent and $117,277 on hand. Hernandez reported $9,214 in contributions from July 1 to Sept. 24, with $6,217 spent and $2,922 left, in a report submitted Oct. 5.

Gottemoller said the race could track the national mood. Voters hungry for change could favor Hernandez, he said, while unsettled voters may lean on a familiar name like Scott. He urged residents to pay attention to county government, since its decisions shape daily life.