Steve Wadsworth

I am Steve Wadsworth, and I am proud to be seeking re-election as your Republican Gillespie County Attorney.

The county attorney is a prosecutor position primarily responsible for adult misdemeanor and juvenile felony and misdemeanor cases. Therefore, being an expert in criminal law is one of the primary qualifications for this office. Our Texas state law mandates that the primary duty of the prosecutor is not to convict, but to see that justice is done.

I have been married for 35 years to my college sweetheart, Kandice, who is a sixth-generation native of Gillespie County. We are conservative Christians who seek to preserve the traditions of this county. We have three wonderful children and one precious granddaughter.

I hold a Doctorate of Jurisprudence from top-tier University of Texas Law School, a B.A. degree in Political Philosophy, and a M.A. in Humanities, both from the University of Dallas.

I am the only attorney in Gillespie County, or any of the surrounding counties, that is board certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in both Criminal Law (since 2009) and Criminal Appellate Law (since 2017). In fact, I have been Board Certified longer than my opponent has even been licensed.

I became the 216th Judicial District Assistant District Attorney in 2006. In 2019, I was appointed Gillespie County Attorney for the newly formed County Court-at-Law and have been serving in that position ever since.

I have prosecuted felony and misdemeanor cases in Gillespie County for the last 18 years and have been responsible for thousands of criminal cases.

When I became County Attorney, I inherited from the previous administration, of which my opponent was part, a severely backlogged docket, an office with multiple positions needing filled and a bloated budget. I have now expertly worked through that backlog, hired a full staff of hardworking employees, cut tens of thousands of dollars from that budget, and come in under budget every year in office.

My overall conviction rate as Gillespie County Attorney is 99.2% with an undefeated 100% conviction rate on appellate matters. According to the Texas Office of Court Administration (OCA), my office is officially ranked as the sixth-most-efficient misdemeanor court in the state of Texas.

Because of these reasons and more, I humbly ask for your vote in the Republican Primary so I can continue to serve Gillespie County with fair-minded honesty, integrity, and proven leadership.

Sara Neel

After a brief stint in teaching, I left the classroom for the courtroom and answered the call to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves by seeking a law degree. While earning my J.D. at St. Mary’s School of Law, I competed nationally on the external mock trial team while interning at the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office.

In 2011, upon passing the bar exam, I was hired as prosecutor at that office where I tried up to two misdemeanor trials per week. Later, I worked as a felony prosecutor at the Nueces County District Attorney’s Office.

In 2015, my husband Oliver, and I moved to Fredericksburg, my husband’s hometown, to raise our children in a community that shares our values of honesty, integrity, and hard work. I worked as an assistant county attorney under the then Gillespie County Attorney, Chris Nevins.

After becoming pregnant with our third child, I resigned from that position to seek a flexible work schedule while my children were little. In 2019, when the Gillespie County Court at Law was created, I was encouraged by several county officials to apply to be appointed to the County Attorney position by the Commissioner’s Court.

Because my youngest child was not yet a year old, I declined to apply. Since then, I have worked at The Neel Law Firm as a trial attorney.  Much of my practice is against the current County Attorney’s Office, and as a former employee of that office, I am aware it can do so much more for our community than it currently does.

The County Attorney’s Office represents the State of Texas in criminal misdemeanor and juvenile prosecutions. If elected I will discern which cases are worth your time as jurors and your tax dollars to take to trial, improve communications with victims of crime who have a right to know what is happening in their cases, work with law enforcement on the accuracy of criminal investigations, and collaborate with community entities to address the increase in juvenile offenses.

I am a member of Fredericksburg Bible Church. I currently serve as a Trustee on the Heritage Board of Trustees and a room mom to a first-grade class. Over the years, I served as the coordinator, discipleship coordinator, and table leader of Mothers of Preschoolers.

I have also volunteered as an AWANAS teacher and an AYSO assistant soccer coach.