In the running for Justice of the Peace Precinct 2&4 is Jennifer Hartman, who has been serving as the clerk for JP Connie Ogle for the last five years.
Jennifer would start working for Gray County in October of 2018 as a dispatcher for the sheriff’s office, having prior experience in the field at the Clinton Police Department in Oklahoma where she was a dispatch sergeant and had actually been awarded Employee of the Year.
In June of 2020 when the dispatches between the Gray County Sheriff’s Office and the Pampa Police Department combined, she decided she wanted to do something different and Connie just happened to walk in the office on one of her shifts.
Jennifer would ask if she had a position open at her office, and Connie had just been approved to hire a part-time employee. Jennifer would land the job as part-time clerk, making her way to full-time clerk, and ultimately up to chief coordinator. It was in that position where she would unknowingly be prepared for this next potential career milestone.
“Basically I’m her when she’s not here. I do handle a lot of the civil cases and I’ve helped train the clerks that we’ve had. I get to make decisions on traffic tickets and things like that. I’ve worked for her for five years now, and she said to me one day, ‘so do you have aspirations to sit in my chair?’ And I had never really thought about that. But then I thought why not? I really, really enjoy my job, so why not try it?”
While she has taken on many of the administrative roles within the JP’s office, there is one particular facet of the job outside of the office that she has yet to experience for herself, but that doesn’t mean she hasn’t also been prepared for it.
“The deaths will be something completely new to me. I don’t go out on deaths with her or anything like that, but about a year or so ago, she said, ‘you’re in training, now.’ She will talk with me about the deaths, what the scene looked like, why she’s doing this. Instead of me being out there, she’s walking me through it and asking me what I would’ve done. She’s really been getting me prepared.”
During her time as clerk and chief coordinator, Jennifer has obtained a Master’s Clerk certification through the Texas Justice Court Training Center, the certification covering both civil and criminal. In fact, there are roughly 4,000 clerks registered through the Center, and Jennifer is one of only 176 master certified clerks in the entire state. Furthering her education isn’t necessarily about climbing a ladder, but about making sure she is doing her job to the absolute best of her ability.
“I do a lot of training and take a lot of classes because if I’m going to do the clerk’s job, I want to know all of it. I want to know everything the clerk does and I want to learn everything that the judge does. I’ve even watched a few online classes for the constables because I think if I know every part of that job, I’m going to do my job better.”
Jennifer admits that she never thought she would be running for Justice of the Peace, but through her experience and education, a ton of training and preparation, and a desire to continue serving the place she loves and calls home, she is fully confident that she made the right decision throwing her name in the hat.
“I’m ready. Now there’s a small part of me that is nervous, but the bigger part says, ‘you’re ready.’ I’m doing all I can to soak up every minute that I have with Judge Ogle and every bit of information and knowledge I can get. I think had I not worked for her, I don’t think I would be ready. She’s been my biggest supporter, and she’s been teaching me so much and has been for years.”
“It’s been an honor to serve in the different areas that I have served with the sheriff’s department and the things I was able to do there and the people that I was able to help, and then moving over here has just been awesome. The people that come in here, whether they’re filing a small claim or if they just have a traffic ticket-there was a kid when I first started who had a ticket and couldn’t pay very much. We worked with him and he came in every other week and paid $5. He would come in every other Friday, and on the very last day when he came to pay his very last $5, he was so proud of himself for doing that and I was proud of him. This is what I’ve learned from Judge Ogle-you show the compassion for these people and you show them respect and you work with them, they’ll work with you.”
“I care about this job, I care about the people that come into this office, and I do want to continue serving Gray County. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.”
Early voting will be February 17th through February 27th at the Gray County Courthouse, 205 N. Russell in Room 104. Times are: Tuesday, February 17th through Friday, February 20th-8 AM to 5 PM
Saturday, February 21: 7 AM to 7 PM
Sunday, February 22: 12 PM to 6 PM
Monday, February 23 through Friday, February 27: 7 AM to 7 PM.
Election Day, March 3: 7 AM to 7 PM
Last day to register is February 2, 2026. Mail ballots will begin going out on January 24, 2026. Last day to request ballot by mail is February 20, 2026.
