After 8,343 Kendall County residents cast their ballots, or about 29 percent of the total number of registered voters, Shane Stolarczyk and Chris Taylor came away as the top two county judge candidates and will face off in a runoff election May 24.
The two candidates polled closely. Stolarczyk took 40.20 percent, or 3,354 of the votes, and Taylor trailed closely behind by 1.58 percent, pulling in 38.62 percent, or 3,222 of the votes.
Kendall County Precinct 2 Commissioner Richard Elkins was knocked out of the running, bringing in 21.18 percent, or 1,767 of the votes. Because Elkins was required to resign from his commissioner seat to run for the county judge position, he will no longer serve as a commissioner after the November election results are in.
“I am very excited about the results as far as coming from, I believe, a person who got me by one point that started a year ago,” Taylor said of the March primary results. “For me to not come out until December to be able to announce my campaign, to be able to come from that far behind and come within a few votes was very exciting to me. And I’m very pleased with that.”
One big issue Taylor wanted to address with voters is clarifying the difference between the county judge position and the other judge positions in town, pointing out there is some confusion among voters. Taylor said he wanted voters to understand the county judge seat is not a judicial position, but the county judge serves as the chief officer or CEO of the county.
Taylor is a Kendall County native who graduated from Boerne High School before working his way up the corporate ladder at Hewlett Packard, making it all the way up to the legal and engineering operations manager. In his experience at HP, Taylor said he saved the company more than $42 million without ever cutting jobs and achieved the highest honor in the corporation – the Presidential Quality Award.
“For a kid from Boerne that graduated from Boerne High School to go accomplish something like that is pretty rare,” Taylor said. “I’m wanting to bring that back into the community and wanting to serve the community with that kind of education and skills. That’s what I want to bring.”
Taylor has a long, generational history in Kendall County and Texas, pointing out his great-great-grandfather was a Texas Ranger. Further, Taylor has entrepreneurial ties in Boerne, starting his very first business as a teenager in town from money he raised in the Kendall County Junior Livestock Show.
Stolarczyk has two children with his wife, who he said reside on a piece of rural property in Kendalia. He said he has served in a range of positions in life, from a janitor to the person signing the checks in his business, but he feels all roles are essential. Additionally, he has 20 years of experience as a research attorney and served as a military prosecutor in the USAF Reserves.
In his previous interview with The Star, Stolarczyk identified explosive growth, transportation and mobility issues and curbing government overreach as the key issues facing Kendall County, adding that he wants to work with the legislature to pass legislation that allows commissioners to protect natural resources and manage development.
“I am so proud to be a part of this county,” Stolarczyk told The Star after the election. “When compared to the state voter turnout, our county nearly doubled that amount. This strong turnout shows firsthand that you, the people, are eager to have your voices heard in our local government. Your message is received loud and clear and will be honored.
“Thank you for making me the candidate to receive the most votes in a contested county race. I started this journey to be your next County Judge almost a year ago. I promised you that I would listen to you and show up for workday in and day out. In turn, you kept your word that you would show up for me at the polls. I am humbled and grateful for your support. I will not let you down.
“More importantly, I am energized to work with each of you to protect the civil liberties that we hold dear, as well as all of the things we love about this great county. There is no place better to live. We all know it. Together, we will succeed in preserving this county for us and future generations.”
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