MARFA — County Judge Joe Portillo said he has not decided if he will replace Precinct 4 County Commissioner David Beebe after Beebe inadvertently resigned on September 22 in a campaign event announcing his candidacy for county judge.
Per the Texas Constitution, county officials who announce their candidacy for another office more than one year and thirty days from the end of their term are subject to “resign-to-run” law, which states: “Such announcement or such candidacy shall constitute an automatic resignation of the office then held.”
Beebe would have had to announce in early December to be clear of the prohibition, and said he didn’t know about it when deciding to announce his candidacy. However, case law shows that a commissioner in a similar situation was allowed to follow a “hold over” state law, meaning they could stay in their seat as long as the county judge or Commissioners Court did not replace them.
Beebe said he plans to serve as commissioner for the rest of his term until December 31, 2026, unless someone tells him differently — likely if a new commissioner is appointed.
Thus, all eyes are on Portillo to see if he allows Beebe to remain. Precinct 1 County Commissioner Deirdre Hisler said she will urge the judge to let Beebe complete his term. Precinct 3 Commissioner Frankie Ortiz said also hopes Portillo will keep Beebe on the court, since he has so much history following the county. “I don’t think it would be good to have someone new come in that doesn’t know what’s going on,” he said. Precinct 2 Margarito Hernandez did not respond to a request for comment.
Regardless of that decision, Beebe is running in the Democratic primary in March. The winner of the primary traditionally wins the General Election in November for all county seats because of the overwhelming number of Democrats compared to Republicans in the county.
