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Burnet County holds special meeting over Oakley’s replacement

The Burnet County Commissioners Court is holding a special meeting Friday, Jan. 3, at 9 a.m. to discuss the process for replacing the county judge. Former Judge James Oakley resigned Jan. 2 after the State Commission for Judicial Conduct issued him a public reprimand in December for security violations and sexual harassment of a fellow elected official.

The special meeting will take place in the second-floor courtroom at the Burnet County Courthouse, 220 S. Pierce St. in Burnet.

Agenda items include accepting Oakley’s resignation, appointing a lead commissioner to temporarily manage court operations, and formalizing the process for selecting an interim county judge to serve until an election can be held.
 
Precinct 2 Commissioner Damon Beierle told DailyTrib.com a commissioner will be selected to lead future meetings until an interim judge is picked. The interim judge cannot be a serving commissioner.

Additionally, Burnet County departments previously under the purview of Oakley will be reassigned to commissioners.
 
The court’s agenda sets an executive session early in the meeting to discuss the selection process for an interim judge. Commissioners will define how applications will be accepted, reviewed, and voted on.
 
“I hope we’ll make the selection by the last meeting in January or the first meeting in February,” Beierle said.
 
By law, current commissioners are ineligible to apply for the interim judge position. The selected individual will serve the remainder of Oakley’s term until 2026, when an election can be set for the March primary.
 
Residents interested in applying for interim judge will have the opportunity to do so once the application process is finalized.
 
“We want this to be a fair and efficient process to find the best candidate for the role,” Beierle said.

elizabeth@thepicayune.com