From our September 14, 2000, edition.

Swinney files for constable as write-in 

By Roger Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise

Jimmy Swinney of Clarendon filed last week as a write-in candidate for constable of Donley County Precincts 1&2. The position has been vacant for about three decades.

According to the county clerk’s office, Swinney filed for the office Thursday, September 7, and paid a $300 filing fee. No other candidate filed for the position. The last person to run for the office was R.C. Hill in 1968.

“The position has been vacant all this time,” said County Judge Jack Hall. “No one has ever run for it.”

The county cannot abolish the office on its own, Hall said. It would take an amendment to the state constitution to do that.

Swinney says he’s known about the position for about ten years and is running to fill a need in local law enforcement.

“Howardwick and that area has very little law enforcement, and that would be a good place to start,” Swinney said.

“The job would also bring a lot of lost revenue in to the county.”

According to Swinney, approximately 360 warrants and subpoenas have not been served by the Donley County Sheriff’s Department.

“The law says the constable will serve warrants, subpoenas, and tax notices,” he said.

County officials, however, say they don’t know where the candidate got his numbers.

Jimmy Johnson, Justice of the Peace for Precincts 1&2, said there are some warrants that haven’t been served but that he has never tallied them to see how many. Some of the warrants are traffic warrants for people who live in places like Houston and are not easily deliverable, Johnson said.

Sheriff Jimmy Thompson said his office only has about 105 warrants that have not been served, many of which are out of county or out of state.

“We can’t extradite out of state on a misdemeanor charge,” Thompson said. “And I’m not going to take a two-day trip to Houston for a $100 fine.”

Thompson said some of the warrants have incorrect addresses and some are for people who have jumped bond, which is the responsibility of the bond company. He also said the sheriff’s department does not serve warrants for the Department of Public Safety.

The sheriff reacted strongly to Swinney’s assertion that Howardwick does not receive adequate law enforcement, saying officers patrol that community at least three times a day.

Thompson invited anyone who has questions about outstanding warrants or the record of his office to come by the sheriff’s office anytime to discuss it.

Another issue is where the money will come from to fund another constable in the county.

The commissioners’ court this week approved $28,083.98 for the constable of Precincts 3&4 in the fiscal 2001 budget, but Judge Hall said there is no provision for a constable in Precincts 1&2.

Swinney said the county should have planned to fund the office.

“They’ve known for three months that I was going to do this, but they chose not to believe it,” he said. “Now they’ve got a problem.”

Judge Johnson says a constable could be an asset to his office.

“I feel like if there was a constable, it would be beneficial and could relieve the sheriff’s office,” Johnson said. “But I am not campaigning for or against the position. That’s up to the citizens to decide.”

Swinney is US Navy veteran and is the head of the local VFW post. He says he is a certified peace officer and was with the Amarillo Police Department from 1966 to 1970.

Since Swinney is the only candidate for the constable’s office, he will be elected if he receives just one vote in the general election this November.