The County Commissioners ratified the DeWitt County Election Commission's decision to hire Deidra McCollum as the new elections administrator during a regular meeting on December 19th. McCollumn will assume the position on January 6.
The termination of the previous County Election Administrator, Melissa Alcazar, on May 7th, created a vacancy that was temporarily filled by County Clerk Natalie Carson. Judge Fowler recognized Carson’s contributions, noting the challenges she faced in juggling her responsibilities as both County Clerk and County Election Administrator.
“It was difficult (for Carson) to balance two jobs, as well as handling the tax office and serving as the voting registrar during this crucial period,” said Fowler. He expressed gratitude for her diligence during the important 2024 Presidential General Election.
Deidra McCollum was hired as an election clerk in preparation for the general election, with the understanding that she would be considered for the fulltime Elections Administrator position. Last week, the Election Commission, which includes County Judge Daryl L. Fowler, County Clerk Natalie Carson, DeWitt County Tax assessor-Collector Ashley D. Mraz, De-Witt County Democratic Party Chairman Joe Sheppard, and DeWitt County Republican Party Chairman Jeannie Seidel, convened to evaluate McCollum's qualifications. They concluded that she met the requirements for the County Election Administrator role. McCollum will be bonded and will assume her full-time duties effective January 6th, 2025.
Originally from Port Lavaca, McCollum graduated from Cuero High School in 1986 and attended Victoria College. She returned to Cuero in 2011 and currently resides in Myersville. As a natural organizer, she was intrigued by the Elections Administrator position she found online. With 24 years of experience as a project manager at Dell in Austin, she felt her organizational skills were well-suited for the role, despite the challenges of overseeing elections being new to her. McCollum started as a clerk on October 1st.
“Any election is important, but this one was especially so. I got a ‘baptism by fire’ in that aspect,” she said, given the significance of the presidential general election on November 5th The elections proceeded smoothly, with 5,516 ballots cast during early voting and 1,861 votes on Election Day for the offices of President and Vice President.
“I'm very proud of the way that we handled the election this year 'cause. We saw people on record numbers. I think on the first day of early voting, we had over 800 voters. But I was like, wow, this is a lot of people that have turned out to vote, which is very positive and makes you feel good!” McCollum exclaimed.
Successful teamwork involved County Clerk Natalie Carson, Assistant Election Administrator Peyton Perez, and several early-voting election workers. With about seven polling locations on Election Day, the total number of workers was around twelve or thirteen.
“Laura Kocrek was here every day for early voting, and she ran the polling location on Election Day. We really enjoyed working with her,” McCollum said.
When the Election Commission asked Mc-Collum if she would like to take on the fulltime Elections Administrator position, she readily agreed.
“I did get a grasp of the general workings of things as far as election goes and but there are so much that goes on behind the scenes that nobody really understands or sees,” she said. “I have a whole lot still to learn. The goal is to learn everything I can,” she added Starting in January, McCollum plans to attend training conferences with the Secretary of State. “I really have to understand a role from the bottom up and inside out. (It) is the only way that I can really learn it fully,” she explained.
The next election, scheduled for May 3, 2025, will focus on city schools and local entities.
In anticipation of her new role as DeWitt County Elections Administrator, McCollum has a positive outlook. “I’m excited to work for the county in this role, and hopefully, I can run successful elections for the county. I'm not backing down,” she declared as she prepared for the challenge ahead.
Other business covered at the Commissioners Court on December 19 included compensation for Roy Kuester, new County Historical Commission appointees and cyber theft insurance.
Kuester Traffic Patrol Supplement received The Traffic Patrol Supplement was established in August 2012 when the Sheriff’s Department faced challenges in recruiting enough deputies to fill vacancies created by many leaving for jobs in the oil and gas sectors. To make the earnings competitive, a supplement program was introduced to help address this shortfall.
The program funded the presence of patrols on the highways for traffic control. Judge Fowler provided context on the situation, noting that as oil field locations were developed and trucks moved through the county, public awareness of the associated dangers and risks to public safety increased.
“The program was never intended to be a program to write tickets, to travel on the road, and intercept people at 100 miles/ hour,” Judge Fowler said.
Roy Kuester asked the Commissioners Court to allow him to earn this supplement to his constitutional set pay. The documents related to this request will be added to his employee file.
“He intends to earn that supplement and have a visible presence out on public roads,” said Judge Fowler.
The court received the Constable’s Acknowledgement and Pledge in support of the Traffic Patrol Supplement for Roy Kuester, effective January 1, 2025. He will be sworn in and assume the duties of constable at that time.
DeWitt County Historical Commissions Appointments & Best Seller
Peggy Ledbetter, Chairwoman of the De-Witt County Historical Commission, presented the list of members for the 2025-2026 term of service for appointment, which was received by the court. The total number of members is fifty-one, which includes eleven new members. A complete roster will be published in the upcoming annual report.
Additionally,Ledbetter provided the Commissioners Court with a sneak preview of Walterdorf’s “Geschichte von DeWitt County,” translated into English by James Kearney and titled “The History of DeWitt County.” The initial funding for this project came from the remaining funds from the 175th Anniversary of DeWitt County celebrations. Sales of the book will depend on the publication costs.
Yorktown resident Beverly Bruns discovered the original book among her grandmother's belongings. More than just a typical history book, it serves as an oral history of the people and their everyday lives.
“I would love to have a copy!” exclaimed Judge Fowler.
Cybersecurity coverage limit increased
County Auditor Neomi Williams presented coverage options from the Texas Association of Counties Risk Management Pool. The cybersecurity coverage limit was discussed, and the amount of $500,000 was agreed upon. The documents will be returned to the risk management pool and adjusted accordingly.
“Higher limits simply because county governments and municipalities and school districts are high targets,” Judge Fowler advocated.
