GEORGETOWN – On New Year’s Day, the world celebrated the start of 2023. But locally, there was also a ceremony to welcome in Williamson County elected officials.
On Sunday, Jan. 1, people gathered at the historic courthouse in Georgetown to watch the swearing in ceremony for 17 elected officials. While many were re-elected, newcomer and Taylorite Rhonda Redden was sworn in as judge for Precinct 4 of the Williamson County Justice of the Peace.
Redden said she has already been getting the lay of the land.
“I have already met with facility services, auditors, staff I am dealing with HR on a daily basis,” she said.
“I will be reviewing applications because we do have a couple of job openings . . . I am trying to give (people) their money’s worth.”
Redden said priorities for her new term will be to pay attention to public education entities, with regards to truancy, as well as other agencies.
“ The second priority, but it’s also a first priority . . . is rebuilding relationships with law enforcement so that they will start filing their cases, if they originate in Precinct 4 that they get filed at the Precinct 4 JP office,” she said.
Redden, who has lived in Taylor since 2014, said she is appreciative of the opportunity to serve.
“My message to voters is thank you for trusting me with this,” Redden said. “I definitely appreciate that you have confidence in me, and that I am going to be able to do it correctly. I am going to do my absolute best to be able to live up to their expectations within the law.”
Redden, a Republican, said she is appreciative of the help Hackenberg, a Democrat, who has been on the bench since 2019, gave her during the transition period.
“I do want to give a special shoutout to judge Hackenberg because she has been exceptional in making this transition very, very easy,” Redden said. “She has already allowed me access to the staff, so I can kind of get things going with them and get everybody going in the right direction. I also want to give a shoutout to the staff because the staff work for whomever is on the bench.”
Redden said her focus is to move away from politics and onto service.
“My focus is going to be on judicial issues and not on our political issues because this office serves everybody, no matter what the political spectrum might be at the time,” she said.
Other elected officials sworn in last weekend included County Judge Bill Gravell, Scott Heselmeyer, County Treasurer, Brandy Hallford, County Court-at-Law No. 1, Laura Barker, County Court-at-Law No.
2, Doug Arnold, County Court-at-Law No. 3, John McMaster, County Courtat- Law No. 4, Nancy Rister, County Clerk, Lisa David, District Clerk , Cynthia Long, Precinct 2 Commissioner, Russ Boles, Precinct 4 Commissioner, KT Musselman, Precinct 1 Justice of the Peace, Angela Williams, Precinct 2 Justice of the Peace, Evelyn McLean, Precinct 3 Justice of the Peace, Matthew Lindemann, Precinct 3 Constable, Stacey Mathews, 277th District Court, and Sarah Bruchmiller, 368th District Court.
