IN DECEMBER, I WAS HONORED with the responsibility of hosting the annual board/staff Christmas get-together at the Texas Association of Counties. I was particularly pleased with the opportunity to recognize two officials who have done more than their share to help TAC and Texas county government.

I know there are dozens of retiring county officials who deserve recognition at the conclusion of their public service, but these two individuals volunteered their time at length in support of your association.

Retiring after 34 years as Garza County Judge was Giles Dalby, truly a legend among Texas counties. For almost 30 of those years, he toiled on behalf of TAC in almost every conceivable capacity. He served as TAC president, chaired the Judicial Education Committee since its inception and chaired both the Risk Management Fund board and the Workers’ Comp Fund, twice. He played a key role on the TAC Building Committee that oversaw development of our permanent home in Austin. In November, TAC’s Texas Judicial Academy honored him by announcing the establishment of the Giles Dalby Judicial Excellence Award, which will be given to county judges who exemplify the standard of judicial leadership for which Giles is known.

The other retiree honored was Yoakum County Judge Dallas Brewer. His activities at TAC included serving on the TAC Board of Directors as well as the Workers Compensation Board. Like Giles, he served on the Building Committee during the long hours of overseeing that project. And for several years, he has served on the national county level as a NACo Board member, representing Texas counties in a way that made friends for Texans all over the country.

Speaking of Dallas Brewer and NACo, Dallas recently took the time to send a letter to county officials around the country on behalf Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley, who is seeking the position of NACo Second Vice President, and eventually, NACo president. He made a point of emphasizing Glen’s “unifying voice for all counties within the Texas NACo delegation.” I’ve also seen Glen in that role and can second that motion. He’s brought together urban and rural counties to do what’s right for Texas, regardless of whether your county seat is large or small.

The TAC Board of Directors showed no hesitation in voting to endorse Glen’s campaign, but to achieve success, Texas counties will have to rise to the challenge of greatly increasing our membership in the only organization that looks out for all our nation’s counties. At last count, less than half of Texas counties are NACo members.

We can do better.

Toward that end, I’ve also appointed Denton County Clerk Cynthia Mitchell to chair a NACo Membership Committee, a group which I expect to develop some creative approaches to increasing membership.

In addition, I’ve invited the county judge in each NACo member county to serve or appoint a representative to serve on a new Texas Leadership Caucus for NACo. This group won’t have a formal standing with NACo but it will serve as a vehicle for Texans to address the following goals:

• Strengthening NACo resources in Texas through promotion of NACo membership and services;
• Increasing awareness of national issues of concern among Texas members;
• Enhancing Texas leadership in NACo by promoting Texans for leadership positions; and
• Focusing NACo legislative action on issues of vital concern to Texas counties.

Our goal is to have each NACo member county designate at least one representative to the Texas Leadership Caucus. The Caucus will hold its first meeting in Austin early next year on the afternoon of Feb. 14 during the Annual County Judges and Commissioners Conference sponsored by the V.G. Young Institute.

Through this caucus, I hope that Texas can greatly increase its impact on how NACo represents Texas’ interests in our nation’s capital. And, of course, electing Glen Whitley to the leadership of NACo will be a great boon to Texas counties.