The two candidates vying for the Precinct 1 justice of the peace office are bracing for a close race.

Holland

The choice is between Republican business owner Joe Holland, who defeated incumbent Kenny Kirkland in the primary earlier this year, and Democrat Franklin “Mac” Poe, a manager for Bancsource, an equipment maintenance company for banks, who ran unopposed in that party’s March primary.

Justice of the peace courts handle truancy cases, some Class C misdemeanor cases, and some criminal and civil cases. The justices can also perform marriages and issue warrants.

Poe

Poe, 63, said he has lived in the county for 30 years.

If elected, Poe said his main focus would be on children and keeping them in school.

“My passion is I want to try to help kids to not drop out of school and not to go the GED route either,” Poe said. “I want them to finish high school and go to college or a trade school.”

Holland, 55, said he is a third-generation Denton resident who has owned Denton Bicycle on Elm Street for 35 years. He also owns other commercial and residential properties in the area.

If elected, he said, he would rely on his 35 years of experience as a small-business owner and residential property owner to effectively manage the justice of the peace office.

“I plan on serving the needs of the people in a quick and fair manner,” he said. “And I look for it to be a very smooth transition.”

Early voting will start Oct. 23, and the general election will be Nov. 7.

The Precinct 1 justice of the peace office serves Denton, Corinth, Shady Shores, Hickory Creek and Lake Dallas.

What Holland considers his strength, business ownership, Poe thinks could eventually cause a problem.

“There is a potential conflict of interest for a judge hearing eviction cases to also own properties,” he said. “There is a built in bias because he is a property owner. I think I can balance the interests of the property owner and the tenants.”

While Poe made it clear that he doesn’t expect Holland to consciously side with one side or the other, he said that it is still a conflict of interest.

Holland doesn’t agree.

“The only way it would be a conflict is if it was my property being heard. Unless there was a monetary reason or a blood relative that would be the only reason I would recuse myself,” Holland said.

Both candidates have ideas to improve the justice of the peace office if elected.

Poe said the office needs to work on communication with the public in order to run more efficiently.

“I want to make sure that everyone understands the process,” he said. “It will save time for everyone involved.”

He also said that it is important for the justice of the peace to be proactive in dealing with troubled students.

“I want to reach out to school administrators and counselors to help students before they drop out,” he said. “I could go talk to homeroom classes or maybe do some one-on-one counseling.”

Poe also said he believes the office has become too political under the current justice of the peace. He points to two letters to the editor, written by employees of the justice of the peace office, and printed in the Denton Record-Chronicle this year, that solicited votes for Kenny Kirkland.

“I want my office to be nonpartisan,” he said. “Judges have a responsibility to be above the fray.”

Holland said he plans to use his business experience to more efficiently run the office and to spend as much time as possible working with young people.

“I hired extra personnel to run my business so that I can devote my full time attention to being a justice of the peace,” he said. “I’m prepared to go to work and anxious to go to work.”

Holland has been campaigning for the seat for 27 months. He said that a lifetime of making friends and garnering respect in the community has given him an insight into what the people of Denton County want from a justice.

Holland has a long history of community service in Denton as well. He has been a Kiwanis Club member for 25 years. He was a volunteer judge at Denton’s Teen Court, a board member of the Denton Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Lake Cities Chamber of Commerce and the chairman of the UNT Coliseum “Green Seat” Committee.

“I’m not a newcomer to the county,” he said. “My family has a strong tradition of public service in this county.”

Holland’s grandfather, James Baldwin, was a member of the Denton City Commission, and his father, a physician, was also involved in county politics.

MONTY MILLER JR. can be reached at 940-566-6875. His e-mail address is mwmiller@dentonrc.com.