Happy Fall, everyone. My apologies for being absent from these pages for a while but election season is upon us and it's time to get motivated and organized for a BIG 2026 election year.
First, please don't forget to come out and vote on the Constitutional Amendments that will have a major impact on all of us. Early voting is at the Courthouse, and Election Day is Tuesday, November 4th, at the First Baptist Church.
The list of amendments was recently published in the San Saba News & Star, but if you have questions, please look them up or ask the County Clerk for information.
Speaking of the County Clerk, we all owe Kim Wells a big thank you for over 40 years of service as our County Clerk. When Kim retired last January, Christi Whitley was appointed by the Commissioners Court to fill her unexpired term. We are very excited to be working with Christi to keep our elections fair, accurate, and honest. We know she will do an outstanding job.
The following local positions will be up for election next year in our March Primary and November General Election: County Judge; County Commissioner, Precincts 2 and 4; County Treasurer; County Clerk; a new position approved by the voters in 2024…County Tax Assessor-Collector; Justice of the Peace; and County Surveyor.
For the County Republican Party, the following positions will be elected in the March Primary: County Chairman; and Precinct Chairman, Precincts 1,2,3, and 4.
Due to the untimely passing of our Precinct 4 Chair Christine Bessent this past August, the County Executive Committee of the Republican Party appointed Leif Haug as our Precinct 4 Chair. Christine was a wonderful advocate for election integrity and all of Precinct 4, and she will be forever missed. We welcome Leif and know he will do his very best for his constituents in Precinct 4.
If anyone is interested in running for any of the above positions, please contact me at jeffrey.f.carlson@gmail.com or call/text me at (361) 442-3232, so I can answer questions, explain the process and assist you in making an informed decision and submitting the necessary application paperwork.
The application timeframe opens on Saturday, November 8th, and closes exactly at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, December 8th. I will be at the Courthouse on November 10th, after the Commissioners Meeting, to take applications from all candidates. Please don't wait until the very end of the timeframe to submit your application. Your willingness to run for office and serve the community is very much appreciated.