Justice of the Peace Precinct 1 candidate questionnaire

Justice of the Peace Dina Jo Marquez, Precinct 1, who is running unopposed, re-introduces herself to voters ahead of the November 8 General Election 

Dina Jo Marquez (D) 

• Tell us about yourself. What experience will you bring to this role?

I am Dina Jo Losoya Marquez and I am seeking election for Justice of the Peace Pct. 1. I was born and raised in Alpine, Texas, but Marfa is where my roots started as my mother was born in Marfa and attended the Blackwell School. I am married to Glenn Marquez, a native of Marfa. I graduated from Sul Ross State University with a Bachelor of Science degree. I majored in criminal justice and minored in psychology. In 2001, I took a position as an adult and juvenile probation officer and within a few months transferred to full-time juvenile probation officer for the tri-county. I served 16 dedicated years of working with the youth from Marfa, Presidio, Redford and Candelaria. I was appointed by the Presidio County Commissioners Court on November 17, 2021, as justice of the peace, and sworn in December 7, 2021. I have attended the Texas justice court training in San Marcos and completed the new judge stage I and II trainings. I will use my experience to ensure justice and fairness. I am excited, looking forward to continuing and furthering my career in law enforcement working as Justice of the Peace Pct. 1.

• What would your three primary objectives be going into the role as Justice of the Peace? 

• What will be your approach to serving the community? Will you offer hearings in both English and Spanish? What other measures will you take to ensure accessibility and transparency?
• A former justice of the peace for this precinct, David Beebe, tended to set bail at what an arrestee could afford, in instances where the arrestee was not a danger to themselves or others, and has stated that “bond used as punishment is unconstitutional.” As justice of the peace, would you follow this precedent? How would you approach the responsibility of setting bail? 

Editor’s note: Rather than answering each question individually, the candidate provided one response.

My 3 objectives as a Justice of Peace: 

• Being effective and exemplary at performing my duties, and adhering to my responsibilities pertaining to the office of the justice of the peace. Regarding accessibility, during business hours the door and phone lines to the office will be open to the people with pending citations, magistrate, death inquest, and (my favorite) performing marriage ceremonies. They will be assisted by a live person and not a computer-generated recording.   
• Being bilingual, if and when needed I will speak in Spanish. During a hearing with persons that can only communicate in Spanish, a professional certified translator will be made available to them to assist and to make sure everything is clarified properly and efficiently. 
• My approach to keep things straightforward, transparent and fair across the board is to comply comprehensively with the standards and guidelines that are set forth by the state of Texas and keeping with the Eighth Amendment avoiding imposing excessive bail, excessive fines, but setting bail, fines and bonds according to the merits of the individual and the case.