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County officials sworn in

Families, friends watch as loved ones take oath of office

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  • Allison Miles •
  • Originally published January 1, 2009 at 11:44 p.m., updated January 1, 2009 at 11:44 p.m.

Morning sunlight filtered through the pastel windows in the Victoria County Courthouse's old courtroom as, one by one, elected officials stepped to the front, raised their right hands and vowed to uphold their positions.

County Judge Don Pozzi swore eight county officials into office Thursday morning as friends and family snapped away with their cameras.

Victoria County Clerk Val Huvar would typically swear people in, Pozzi told the crowd of about 40 people, but requested he do it instead. Huvar sat in front with the county commissioners through the approximately 15-minute ceremony.

Holiday or not, the swearing in always comes on New Year's Day, Pozzi said.

"They actually take office on the first day of January," he explained. "Until they're sworn in, they cannot act in an official capacity."

Kenny Spann was the second person sworn in and, although he admitted he was a little nervous, he had some support in the audience.

Among the six people who went with him to watch was his 11-year-old son, Matthew Spann, who occupied a front-row spot.

"I wanted to see my dad get sworn in," the cowboy hat-clad Michael said, smiling. "It was cool."

Richard Castillo had his own group present to watch him take his spot as constable for Precinct 1.

His stepdaughter, Kati Riley, kept one proud eye on her stepdad and another on her two daughters, 1-year-old Isabella Monroe, and almost-a-month-old Emma Varela.

Castillo's wife, Kellie Castillo, looked on with a smile as he was sworn in.

"It was a great moment," Kellie Castillo said, explaining they aren't sure what to expect in the coming months. "It's a big wait-and-see."

Taking on an elected position is a learning experience, Pozzi admitted. After six years, he said, he's still learning new things every day.

"It takes a while to get a full grasp of what all the job entails, what your responsibilities are," Pozzi said. "And it's always more challenging than what anyone would think."

And while he admits they're in for a difficult year with the state of the economy, Pozzi said he's got a good team to work with.

"We like to think that all of our elected officials work very hard," he said. "We're certainly going to make every effort to continue doing the job we've been doing. We'll make it."

  • NEW OFFICIALS

    Those sworn in Thursday morning include:

    Joseph P. Kelly - 24th district judge

    Kenny Spann - Commissioner, Precinct 1

    Gary Burns - Commissioner, Precinct 3

    Rena Scherer - County tax assessor-collector

    Richard Castillo - Constable, Precinct 1

    Kenneth ...

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    • NEW OFFICIALS

    Those sworn in Thursday morning include:

    Joseph P. Kelly - 24th district judge

    Kenny Spann - Commissioner, Precinct 1

    Gary Burns - Commissioner, Precinct 3

    Rena Scherer - County tax assessor-collector

    Richard Castillo - Constable, Precinct 1

    Kenneth Easley Jr. - Constable, Precinct 3

    James Calaway - Constable, Precinct 2

    John G. Miller - Constable, Precinct 4



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