The author, left, in a Hays County press conference in 2022 to debut the jail dashboard – newly furnishing the public and policymakers detailed data on local incarceration – alongside Eric Martinez of Mano Amiga as well as Commissioner Lon Shell. Commissioner Debbie Ingalsbe co-hosted but is not pictured.

December marks the final month that Lon Shell, who has served as Hays County Commissioner for Precinct 3 since 2017, will hold office. Representing some of the more rural, conservative areas of Hays County, Commissioner Shell has undoubtedly been one of the most active, key players in the push for several criminal reform initiatives in Hays County.

Serving just two terms, Commissioner Shell played pivotal roles in the push for several reform efforts, including the Hays County Jail Dashboard, which, for the first time in the county’s history, made data regarding demographics, charges, and pre-trial wait periods for those incarcerated accessible to the public via a user-friendly dashboard. 

In addition to helping get the initiative through court, the commissioner participated in its official unveiling, serving as a spokesperson for the county during the 2021 press conference launch:

“The Hays County Jail Population Dashboard will allow us to make sound decisions for our criminal justice system based on granular, real-time data. We are partnering with the Vera Institute of Justice to analyze who is in jail and why, so we can see where taxpayer resources are going and how we can reduce the jail population while simultaneously improving public safety.”

Putting the data to use in the county’s decision-making processes is just what he did. 

Shortly after the dashboard’s launch, Commissioner Shell became a strong advocate in the push for the county to establish a public defender office, advocating for funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (also known as ARPA) to be allocated to its creation. I recall him passionately proclaiming during a 2022 budget workshop:

“It’s going to take everyone willing to open their eyes and say ‘what can we do differently’ given the circumstances that we’re in … we can no longer do what we have been doing in the past. And if we think that’s going to work in anything we do, we’re kidding ourselves. You have to continually evolve and find ways to do things better, faster, with fewer resources”

Minutes later, he made the bold motion to assign $5 million in ARPA funding toward the creation of the public defender office. 

Granted, no elected official is without blame, and others have taken issue with the commissioner’s votes on voting-poll access, the county’s acceptance of NRA donations, and other important topics. It is my experience, as someone who has championed transformation of Hays County court and incarceration systems, that Commissioner Shell has been a man of integrity and no nonsense.

He doesn’t spend much time grandstanding, but rather rolls up his sleeves and gets to work. This made him especially effective in his role of speaking with media and stakeholders about the importance of investing in a superior form of defense for our community, successfully securing buy-in from several key players.

It’s shocking to think that just a year prior to Shell seizing the mantle of the county’s maven on public defense, this writer, a then-college senior and campaign fellow with Mano Amiga, was outside the commissioner’s office in cowboy boots, kicking a large can painted with the words “Cite & Divert” to symbolize the county “kicking the can down the road” in pledged efforts to implement a court diversion program (the program was finally implemented about a year and a half into District Attorney Kelly Higgins’ election to office).

While other elected leaders scoffed and avoided interaction with young activists who called attention to issues of injustice in Hays County, Commissioner Shell took to heart the tactics deployed by the movement, choosing to have an open mind and heart to our message, even picking up bi-weekly meetings with local activists to discuss solutions to inadequacies in local court and jail operations.

Participating in those meetings, twice a month, over the years, I often found myself surprised by how inspired I was by the commissioner’s resilience and determination to bring change to the legal system in Hays County; there were certainly challenges he had to work diligently to overcome. I remember thinking to myself, “Wow, who knew Republicans could be so cool?”

I was disappointed to learn he would not be running for reelection in 2024, but very shortly after he made the announcement, he began inviting the recently elected Precinct 2 commissioner, Dr. Michelle Cohen, to our bi-weekly meetings, intentionally passing on the torch (and to a Latina from the east side of Kyle, at that). Already she’s been proactive, if behind the scenes, about carrying on criminal legal reform. I also have high hopes for Commissioner Shell’s successor, Morgan Hammer, for shepherding his legacy forward.

She told the Examiner:

“Commissioner Shell has excelled in his role, and I am grateful for the opportunity to continue and expand upon his efforts. We must have an efficient and effective criminal justice system in order to have a safe community, and every citizen in Hays County deserves fair treatment and the right to due process. I will maintain integrity in this matter, always prioritizing equality and fairness while providing the highest level of public safety.”

Commissioner Shell believes Hammer possesses great promise to do well in this role, telling me in a recent phone call:

“I don’t think there’s a way to be trained for this job; I think it’s something you have to learn no matter where you come from or what your experiences are. It really is about being willing to ask questions, and try to learn what’s going on. That’s my hope for Morgan and I think she’s well-suited for this: just ask a lot of questions of people and really be willing to dig into the details.”

During a time of extreme polarization and division, I’ve been thinking a lot about wise words I heard my favorite country artist proclaim at a concert recently: “There’s no left or right; it’s top and bottom.” I believe Commissioner Shell is a perfect example of how, despite where we think we fall across party lines and the political spectrum, we all want the same things: safe, healthy communities, and a justice system that serves with equity. 

I hope this story, my attempt to give Commissioner Shell his well-deserved flowers from the movement, serves as a point of unity and a reminder that despite the culture-war distractions in the media, we all have more in common than not.

BY SAM BENAVIDES