Message from the President

I look forward to serving you during the coming year and would like to thank everyone who made this possible. Serving as president of the County Judges and Commissioners Association of Texas (CJCAT) is a great honor, and I take seriously my responsibility to carry out the duties of this office to the best of my ability.
For those who may not know me personally, I am a county commissioner in the South Texas county of DeWitt. My wife, Mary, and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary this past May. There are times when my wife thinks I am more dedicated to my duties as county commissioner than to her!
We live in Nordheim (population 345) and have five children, 12 grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren; thankfully, they all live close by! My sons and daughters are all working and enjoying the best a small community has to offer.
Our county seat of Cuero is north of Victoria, and Nordhiem is 26 miles west of Cuero on Highway 72 – just in case you get a yearning to visit.
I am now serving my 21st year as county commissioner with a four-year absence from 1996-2000. During this period I had the splendid opportunity to visit almost every jail in the state selling jail inmate phone service. Consequently, I learned a great deal about what sheriffs think about their commissioners courts. Most of the sheriffs had the same problem – not enough money to do what they needed.
I had the distinct honor of serving as president of the South Texas County Judges and Commissioners Association twice – once in 1995 and again in 2003. I also served on the Golden Crescent Planning Commission for 16 years, including a one-year term as president. During the past several years I have been a director of the Texas Association of Counties (TAC) and have served on several boards.
My wife and I have had the pleasure of working with a great bunch of people who always seem to make us look good. Our heartfelt gratitude goes to Borden County Judge Van York, our past president, and his wife, Barbara. We met Van and Barbara at a conference in Waco many years ago and have been friends ever since. They are gracious people, and we value their friendship greatly. They have done a wonderful job with this Association and worked hard to make this year’s state conference such a great success. Our hat goes off to them!
I would like to thank the staffs of County Progress, TAC, V.G. Young Institute of County Government, Texas Cooperative Extension, Allison, Bass & Associates, Holiday Inn Hotel & Towers, Lubbock Civic Center, Lubbock Convention and Visitors Bureau, important speakers, and the many volunteers for all of the time and effort they contributed to the success of this conference. Many will agree that this was one of the best. Also, we need to thank all of the vendors for their participation. They are an important part of our conferences, and I hope you made a visit to each one of the booths.
The next CJCAT conference will be held in Addison, located north of Dallas. The Continental Hotel, our host hotel, is a large facility and can accommodate all of us, including vendors, with reasonable room rates.
It is our wish that each and every one of you remain healthy and prosperous as we celebrate this Thanksgiving month. Please remember to pray for our troops who are stationed around the world in the name of peace, and the survivors of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita. God bless you all.
Gilbert Pargmann, President CJCAT