County commissioners in Amarillo are facing two new vacancies on their board at the start of this new year.

In December, Randall County Judge Ernie Houdashell passed away, opening up a vacancy for the position to lead the county. Last month, commissioners began accepting applications from those interested in fulfilling the remaining two years of Houdashell’s term.

However, Houdashell’s vacancy is not the only one on the Randall County Commissioners Court. In a meeting chaired by Commissioner Buddy DeFord last week, the commissioners voted 3-0 to accept the resignation of Precinct 1 Commissioner Christy Dyer.

County counsel Richard Gore said during the meeting that Dyer resigned after being appointed as an alderman for the Village of Lake Tanglewood, which is just south of Amarillo. According to Gore, Dyer was required to resign due to the resign-to-run provision of the Texas Constitution.

Dyer was most recently re-elected in an unopposed contest for her seat in November 2020.

During a special meeting of the county commission on Tuesday, January 26, commissioners will have the option of considering a person for appointment to fulfill the remaining two years of Houdashell’s term. No appointment process has been announced at this point regarding how Dyer’s successor will be selected.

Information on this week’s meeting can be found here.

Thomas Warren

Thomas Warren, III is the editor-in-chief of the Amarillo Pioneer newspaper in Amarillo, Texas.

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