The Candidate – Meet the HAA PAC endorsed candidate for Harris County Judge Alexandra del Moral Mealer.

The Candidate

Meet the HAA PAC endorsed candidate for Harris County Judge Alexandra del Moral Mealer.

You have a very interesting resume; can you tell us a little about you and your background?

I attended West Point and then served in the US Army bomb squad. After my time in service, I graduated from Harvard Business School and Harvard Law School before moving to Houston to pursue a career in energy finance, where I worked on the execution of billion-dollar transactions as a strategic advisor on mergers & acquisitions and capital markets financing for public and private companies.

This is your first run for office, what led you to run and run for this position specifically?

I watched as petty crime in my neighborhood turned into violent crime and our local officials refused to even acknowledge the problem, let alone try to find solutions to immediately address the issue. When I launched my campaign in November of 2021, public safety was my top priority, yet it wasn’t even a priority for our County Judge at the time. My family and I love living in Harris County, and the first and foremost responsibility of government is to protect the most vulnerable. Our local leaders were failing in that responsibility, so I stepped up and raised my hand. We have enough resources in Harris County to make every neighborhood safe, not just for my kids, but for every kid in our community.

The position of County Judge, along with the votes of the other Commissioners, has the power of the purse through our county budget over our jails, law enforcement (including prosecutors), evidence processing (medical examiner, crime laboratories) and our court system. Instead of making sure these elements of our criminal justice system were adequately funded, Lina Hidalgo chose to expand the scope of county government to prioritize spending on new social services and alternative forms of crime fighting (Wi-Fi, trails, planting trees) at the expense of funding the traditional criminal justice system.

Can you explain a little about the role of County Judge and the responsibilities of the Harris County Commissioners Court?

County Judges preside over Commissioners Court which is the policy-making body elected to manage day-to-day operations of the county. County Judges also serve as head of emergency management when necessary.

In Harris County, the County Judge directs funding and influences policy throughout the county and all of its functions including the District Attorney’s Office, Sheriff, County Jail, Constables and Court system.

Crime is on the rise in Harris County. Our members are in the housing industry and it is a priority for them to provide a safe place for residents to live. Do you see a reason for why crime rates have increased so dramatically in the recent years? Do you have a plan to address the problem?

We know that the current backlog of cases plays a role and that means we need additional prosecutors, evidence processing and courtroom hours to move through the unprecedented backlog of criminal court cases (+130,000).

Across the county, the current administration has under-funded our law enforcement agenices starving them of necessary resources. This has meant slower response times, lower retention rate and difficulty hiring.

I have committed to fund 1,000 additional law enforcement positions once in office and to make public safety the top priority for commissioners court.

The need for affordable housing is something that we hear from elected officials and read in the media often, however, we see a disconnect with the actions and policies that elected officials adopt which negatively impact the ability of our owners and operators to continue to provide affordable housing. This can be attributed to new regulations and fees, but one of the primary drivers affecting affordability are skyrocketing property taxes. Some of our members see property tax appraisals that increase by 40% from year to year. Do you have a strategy for addressing the dramatic increases in property taxes?

Harris County needs to continuously adopt the no new revenue rate. Lina Hidalgo has offered cuts to the rate, but not enough help crushing appraisal increases. By adopting the no new tax revenue rate we will make sure that we are applying the same amount of taxes to the same properties, rather than always asking more of the taxpayers.

While our members try and exhaust every possibility of working with a resident who is delinquent, there are times that eviction filing is necessary. Our courts, and in particular our Justice of the Peace courts, play a vital role in that process. As with everything, we have seen some disruptions in that process over the past two years. In addition, and not exclusive to Harris County, we have seen a rise in activism and legislating from the bench. Do you know if there is anything that can be done by Commissioners Court to ensure that the JP courts run properly and that the law is followed?

The Commissioners Court has the power of the purse and the indirect ability to influence policy. The County Judge needs to make it clear that legislating from the bench will not be tolerated and the law must be applied as written.

Challenging an incumbent is obviously a difficult undertaking as they have higher name ID and resources, without pulling back the curtain too much, how do you get across the finish line and win this election in November?

We do it with all of your support. If you can give, volunteer, or even take a yard sign, that will help us pull out a victory. We also need you telling people who may not typically vote just how important and critical this upcoming election is for Harris County. We don’t want anyone waking up after election day wishing they had done more.

For more information on Mealer, visit https://alexandramealer.com.