Clearing at the former site of First Street Plaza in downtown Marble Falls is finally underway after two months of setbacks. The lot has been littered with debris since an early October 2023 fire destroyed the entire structure.
Many local businesses were lost in the blaze, including China Kitchen, Hudson Electric, Hair Loft, and Family Taekwondo Center. In January, the Texas State Fire Marshal’s Office ruled the cause “undetermined.”
Debris-clearing work was originally scheduled for late January then pushed back to early to mid-February following issues with the property owner’s insurance company.
Marble Falls city officials are relieved the cleanup has begun.
“We’re grateful and appreciative,” said Deputy City Manager Caleb Kraenzel, adding that he did not know what was in store for the First Street property.
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Incumbent state Rep. Ellen Troxclair fended off two challengers in the Republican primary on March 5 to win the nomination for Texas House District 19. The first-term representative defeated Kyle Biedermann of Fredericksburg and Manny Campos of Marble Falls on Tuesday and will face Democratic nominee Dwain Handley in the Nov. 5 general election.
“You pushed us to a clear victory to ensure that the Hill Country is represented in the Texas House by a principled, conservative voice who fights effectively for our shared values,” Troxclair wrote in a statement to voters. “I am so grateful for your help and that you have entrusted me to continue with this work.”
Troxclair tallied 20,571 votes, or 52 percent. Biedermann came in second with 17,064 votes, or 43.14 percent, and Campos in third with 1,924 votes, or 4.86 percent.
“We have persevered to win a decisive victory, greatly supported by your prayers and your work,” she said. “There’s no question: We won outright with a nine-point lead and no run-off.”
Troxclair catapulted herself to the top of the ticket after earning endorsements from several of the state’s top Republicans, including Gov. Greg Abbott, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, and U.S. Rep. Chip Roy. She also received endorsements from the National Rifle Association, Texans for Medical Freedom, and Texas Alliance for Life.
That support was spotlighted after opponent Biedermann circulated campaign material with images of himself with one of those endorsers and was met with public cease-and-desist requests from Abbott’s campaign staff and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.
Troxclair is now focused on her Democratic opponent
“Now, it is time to unite,” she said. “There is more work to be done, and I am eager for the opportunity to press into the many issues we still face and build stronger relationships along the way with those who will be part of that work — right after a good night’s sleep!”
District 19 includes all of Blanco, Burnet, Gillespie, and Kendall counties as well as 6 percent of Travis County.
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Two Burnet County races are headed for run-off elections following the Republican primary on Tuesday, March 5. Chad Collier and Homer Will are in a battle for the Precinct 3 commissioner seat, while DeAnne Fisher and Susan Allen vie for the tax assessor-collector job.
Election day for the run-offs is May 28. Early voting is May 20-24.
The only decisive local race was for Precinct 2 constable with Garry Adams keeping the office he has held since 2013.
The GOP nominees in the three races will all take office in January 2025 due to no Democratic challengers in the November general election.
Burnet County voters turned out in modest numbers for the 2024 primaries with 9,707 of 37,510 registered voters, or 25.88 percent, participating.
PRECINCT 3 COMMISSIONER
Homer Will, candidate for Burnet County commissioner, gives a thumbs-up beside 33rd/424th District Attorney-elect Perry Thomas at a Burnet County Republican election watch party at the Reed Building in downtown Burnet. Will is going to a run-off with Chad Collier for the Precinct 3 seat in May. Staff photo by Nathan Bush
Not one of the five candidates seeking the Precinct 3 commissioner seat received more than 50 percent of the vote, forcing a run-off.
Collier got 590 votes, or 31.7 percent, to Will’s 522, or 28.05 percent. The third candidate in line was Cord Woerner with 482, or 25.9 percent. Joe Rosser garnered 156, or 8.38 percent, while Caleb Carrasco received 111 votes, or 5.96 percent.
Collier is a long-time Bertram resident who has run his Burnet County-based telecommunications construction firm since 2000. He cited his business savvy and deep connections to the county as strengths.
Will has been the foreman of Precinct 4 for the past 14 years and touts 30 years overall in operations management and road and bridge development. He also sits on the Central Texas Groundwater Conservation District Board of Directors.
Learn more about Collier and Will in this Feb. 12 DailyTrib.com article, which covers the 2024 Burnet County Republican Party candidates forum.
TAX ASSESSOR-COLLECTOR
DeAnne Fisher received 3,699 votes, or 44.6 percent, to Susan Allen’s 3,033 votes, or 36.57 percent. Adrienne Feild got 1,562 votes, or 18.83 percent.
Fisher has over 30 years of experience in finance, has lived in Burnet County for more than 43 years, and currently serves as the county’s chief deputy treasurer.
Allen has worked in the Burnet County tax office for the past 19 years and is currently the chief deputy tax assessor-collector under outgoing incumbent Sheri Frazier, who has held the office for the last 36 years.
Precinct 2 Constable Garry Adams (center) with wife Michelle (left) and Precinct 1 Constable Leslie Ray and wife Sarah at a Burnet County Republican election watch party on March 5 at the Reed Building in downtown Burnet. Adams retained his office, which he has held since 2013. Staff photo by Nathan Bush
Adams received 1,111 votes, or 53.34 percent, to Donald Brian Knowles’ 972 votes, or 46.66 percent.
The veteran constable has held his seat since 2013 and will have another four years in office. He ran on a platform of job experience and business leadership.
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A run-off election is May 28 for the top two of three candidates for Llano County Precinct 3 commissioner, Brent Richards and Bull Guthrie. Neither received more than 50 percent of the vote in the Republican primary on Tuesday, March 5.
In other races, Marquis Cantu got the GOP nomination for Llano County sheriff and Sam Silver won her race for Precinct 1 justice of the peace.
The Republican winners of the local races all take office in January 2025 due to no Democratic challengers in November.
Llano County voters turned out in modest numbers for the 2024 primaries, with 7,055, or 39.43 percent, of the county’s 17,893 registered voters participating.
PRECINCT 3 COMMISSIONER RUN-OFF
Richards received 360 votes to Guthrie’s 256 and Karen Shaw’s 196, or 44.33 percent to 31.53 percent to 24.14 percent of the Precinct 3 vote, forcing a run-off election against Guthrie on May 28. Early voting is from May 20-24.
Precinct 3 is the most densely populated in the county and mainly made up of the unincorporated lakeside community of Kingsland.
Richards has lived in Llano County for 14 years and in Kingsland since 2021. During the campaign, he cited his 29 years of experience as a civil engineer as his strongest asset. He ran on a platform of staunch Republicanism, Christian faith, and infrastructure improvements for Kingsland.
Guthrie is a recent resident of Kingsland, having moved to the area about nine months ago. He worked for over 30 years in law enforcement in the Houston area. He ran his campaign on a platform of support for the Llano County Library System’s battle to remove certain books from local libraries as well as public safety and securing water resources.
SHERIFF
Marquis Cantu with wife Sarah after the final results of the Llano County Republican primary election came in at around 11 p.m. on March 5. With no Democratic challenger in November, Cantu will take office in January 2025. Staff photo by Dakota Morrissiey
Cantu took the badge with 3,746 votes to Les Hartman’s 2,451, or 60.45 percent to 39.55 percent of the vote.
“I appreciate the overwhelming support and encouragement throughout this campaign,” he said in a statement to DailyTrib.com after the results came in. “I am honored that the people of Llano County have made their voices heard, and I look forward to taking office as the next Llano County sheriff.”
The soon-to-be sheriff ran his campaign on a platform of experience and dedication supported by 25 years in law enforcement, including several years as a Texas Ranger attached to Llano County. He also served in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Cantu was Precinct 1 justice of the peace, an office he won in 2022 but vacated so he could run for sheriff.
PRECINCT 1 JUSTICE OF THE PEACE
Silver got the gavel with 1,179 votes to Allen Fletcher’s 920 votes, or 56.17 percent to 43.83 percent of the Precinct 1 ballots. The precinct stretches from the southwest outskirts of Llano to Horseshoe Bay and the Llano-Burnet county line.
“I’m very thankful to everyone who helped me make this possible,” she told DailyTrib.com. “I am looking forward to serving.”
Silver has 36 years of experience as a first responder and an educator. She is a Horseshoe Bay resident and married to Precinct 1 Constable Gary Silver.
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Perry Thomas will be the next district attorney for the 33rd/424th Judicial District. He defeated Republican primary challenger Marie Primm of Sunrise Beach Village by 1,314 votes in a four-county election to replace retiring DA Wiley “Sonny” McAfee.
Thomas received 9,363 total votes from Blanco, Burnet, Llano, and San Saba county voters on March 5, while Primm got 8,049 votes. With no Democratic challenger in the November general election, Thomas will take over the office on Jan. 1, 2025.
The current defense attorney formerly served as first assistant district attorney under McAfee for about four years.
“My goal would be to take over and not miss a beat,” Thomas told DailyTrib.com after the election results were in. “I plan to have a smooth transition doing the work of the people.”
Thomas won with 53.77 percent of the vote in an election with big decisions and low voter turnout. Only 25.88 percent of Burnet County’s 37,510 registered voters cast ballots for district attorney, tax assessor-collector, Precinct 3 county commissioner, and Precinct 2 constable. Primm received 46.23 percent of the vote.
In Llano County, 31.57 percent of the 17,931 registered voters cast a ballot in the primaries. In Blanco County, it was 22.08 percent of 10,662 registered voters; and in San Saba County, 34.55 percent of 3,728 registered voters.
Thomas has extensive experience as a prosecutor, starting with 24 years in the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office before moving to Burnet and became the first assistant DA. He started his own firm, The Law Office of Perry Thomas PLCC in Burnet, almost five years ago, working on the other side of the table as a defense attorney. He currently lives in Llano.
“My joy, my pleasure, my calling has always been prosecution and representing the rights of crime victims,” Thomas told DailyTrib.com in a pre-election interview.
Thomas said he will soon start cutting back on the number of defense cases he takes on as he transitions into becoming a full-time prosecutor. He will closely follow ethics rules already in place for how to handle pending cases he is defending after he takes over the DA role, he said.
“It will be like there’s a wall between me and that case,” he said.
Thomas thanked the voters in the four counties in the 33rd/424th Judicial District.
“I am honored to have been elected and look forward to working for the people of this judicial district,” he said.
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Highland Lakes voters went to the polls on Election Day, Tuesday, March 5, to choose nominees in the Republican and Democratic primaries. DailyTrib.com will have full stories on the following results on Wednesday. All vote totals are unofficial.
BURNET COUNTY
Republican primary
STATE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 19
Ellen Troxclair 5,492 votes over Kyle Biedermann 3,330 and Manny Campos 438
33rd/424th DISTRICT ATTORNEY
Perry Thomas 4,264 votes over Marie Primm 3,846
TAX ASSESSOR-COLLECTOR
DeAnne Fisher 3,699 votes over Susan Allen 3,033 and Adrienne Feild 1,562
COMMISSIONER PRECINCT 3
Chad Collier 590 votes and Homer Will 522 over Cord Woerner 482, Joe Rosser 156, and Caleb Carrasco 111. A runoff between Collier and Will is set to determine the winner.
CONSTABLE PRECINCT 2
Garry Adams 1,111 votes over Donald Brian Knowles 972
Democratic primary
STATE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 19
Dwain Handley 554 votes over Zach Vance 519
LLANO COUNTY
Republican primary
STATE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 53
Wes Virdell 3,396 votes over Hatch Smith 2,729
33rd/424th DISTRICT ATTORNEY
Perry Thomas 3,077 votes over Marie Primm 2,583
SHERIFF
Marquis Cantu 3,746 votes over Les Hartman 2,451 votes
JUSTICE OF THE PEACE PRECINCT 1
Sam Silver 1,179 votes over Allen Fletcher 920
COMMISSIONER PRECINCT 3
Brent Richards 360 votes over Bull Guthrie 256 and Karen Shaw 196
News stories, staff photos, and other online content are copyrighted property of Victory Media. Reproduction in part or in whole is prohibited without the express written consent of the publisher.
Drop supplies (listed at the end of this story) at the police station, 606 Avenue N in Marble Falls. Top requests are milk replacement for rearing calves, protein pellets for livestock, water by the case, and medical supplies.
The MFPD hopes to ease the pain for those on the frontlines. The ongoing inferno, which started Feb. 26, has scorched roughly 1.3 million acres in over a week, killed at least two people, and burned down over 500 structures. Around 120 miles of power lines have been destroyed, leaving many without electricity.
“I just couldn’t sit idle any longer,” lead organizer Victoria French told DailyTrib.com. She is the wife of MFPD Patrol Sgt. Josh French. “I wanted to do something.”
The entire department stepped in to help.
“We have connections up that way,” said Police Chief Glenn Hanson, in reference to several MFPD members having family in the Panhandle. “When Victoria proposed the police department getting behind and helping, we were 100 percent for it because we are a family. We look after each other and our extended families, too.”
Organizers decided the drive should be a broader effort and include impacted ranchers.
“Agriculture, beef production, and rodeos hold a special place in my heart,” French said. “Given that the Panhandle produces 85 percent of Texas’ beef, I know that they need our help.”
Hanson said the response from residents has been “tremendous.”
“The majority of the donations to this point are on the firefighting side of the list, but we’re very grateful for everything we’ve received,” he said. “We’ll ensure that it will get to the folks who need it.”
DONATE
Monetary donations can be made online. Below is a full list of supplies the MFPD is requesting:
Firefighter/first responder needs
Water or Gatorade by the case
Liquid IV or any electrolyte powder
Cooling towels
Bandanas
Socks
Lip balm
Aloe vera, sunscreen
Tylenol and Ibuprofen
Gold Bond or baby powder
Batteries
Travel-size toiletries
Eye drops (refresh or Visine)
Baby wipes by the case
Ranching/livestock needs
Protein pellets (20 percent or higher)
Milk replacement
Alfalfa or Timothy grass cubes
Gauze, rolls and pads, alcohol pads, vet or Cuban wrap (medical or animal grade)
Burn/antibacterial ointment (animal grade)
Lodine or chlorhexidine (by the gallon, preferably)
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Former Kingsland librarian Suzette Baker filed a civil lawsuit in U.S. District Court on Tuesday, March 4, against Llano County, its judge and commissioners, the library system’s director, and four members of the county’s Library Advisory Board. In Barbara Suzette Baker v. Llano County et al., Baker charges the defendants with violating her civil and First Amendment rights when she was fired on March 9, 2022.
“I want to clear my name,” Baker told DailyTrib.com in a phone interview. “I was accused of doing something I did not do. I was asked to do things I couldn’t do, and I was fired because of it.”
In the lawsuit, Baker said she was fired from her position as head librarian of the Kingsland Library when she refused to remove books about racial minorities and LGBTQ+ individuals from its collection.
She also was ordered to take down a display of historically banned books during the nationwide Banned Books Week and told she could not attend then-public meetings of the newly appointed Llano County Library Advisory Board. The meetings were subsequently closed to the public. The list of books she was ordered to remove originated from members of that board.
The suit was filed in U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas, Austin Division. Defendants are listed as Llano County, Llano County Commissioners Court, Llano County Judge Ron Cunningham, Llano County Library Director Amber Milum, Commissioner Precinct 4 Jerry Don Moss, and Library Advisory Board members Bonnie Wallace, Rochelle Wells, Rhoda Schneider, and Gay Baskin.
It is the second lawsuit filed against these same defendants concerning books banned from the Llano County Library System. Leila Green Little et al. v. Llano County et al., which was filed in April 2022, is currently awaiting a ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans.
The appeal is to overturn an injunction from U.S. District Court Judge Robert Pitman, who ordered the 17 removed books be returned to library shelves and the digital catalog system. These include children’s books “Gary the Goose and His Gas on the Loose,” “Freddie the Farting Snowman,” and “My Butt is So Noisy!” — among others — and the following award-winning, non-fiction books that were in the adult section: “They Called Themselves the KKK: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group” and “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents.” The majority of the books removed focused on racial equality and gender identity.
In firing Baker, “defendants expressed clear animus towards protected groups and associated Ms. Baker with those groups and/or with advocacy and opposition against discrimination against those groups,” reads the official complaint filed, referring to minorities and members of the gay community as protected groups. The lawsuit further states that the defendants’ actions deprived others of their fundamental rights.
“As a result, they have caused Ms. Baker significant injuries, as well as indelibly harming their constituents and community, all actions for which they must be held responsible and be subjected to accountability,” the suit continues.
Baker filed a wrongful termination complaint on Sept. 16, 2022, with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that is still under investigation, a process that takes considerable time to complete, said Baker’s attorney Iris Halperin of Rathod Mohamedbhai LLC in Denver. Baker is also represented by Jerry S. Edwards of Edwards Law in Austin. The EEOC investigation and statutes of limitations affected the timing of the civil suit, which Halperin said is part of a nationwide movement.
“Llano is not the only place this is happening,” she continued, pointing to a national trend “to make it impossible for public libraries to continue to be valuable resources.”
“They are doing this by attacking the books and the librarians because they can’t attack the users. That’s already been established in law,” she said. “This isn’t really about parental rights or protecting children. It’s about suppressing information that these individuals or organizations disfavor and don’t want the broader community to have access to.”
Commissioner Moss told DailyTrib.com he agrees the two lawsuits have become national issues.
“I think they’re wanting national recognition,” he said of the plaintiffs. “I think that both of the lawsuits are bogus to start with.”
Moss denied having anything to do with Baker’s firing.
“She sued me individually,” he said. “I don’t have anything in the world against Suzette Baker. I found out she was terminated on Facebook. We (the commissioners) don’t hire or fire employees. We hire department heads.”
When asked if attorney Jonathan Mitchell, who is representing the county in the other lawsuit, would also defend it in this one, Moss said that would be decided by the entire Commissioners Court after an executive session.
He said the court system will “find the correct answer proving that (the lawsuits) were bogus.”
For Baker, the best outcome would be to see the libraries protected. A list of eight “prayers of relief” listed in the suit includes “further injunctive relief against all defendants to cease and desist from discrimination, retaliation, and censorship.”
“There needs to be something in place to protect this institution from harassment and censorship,” she said. “That’s the ultimate goal.”
The civil suit also seeks punitive, compensatory, and economic damages as determined by the court.
According to a media release sent on March 4 by the attorneys, Rathod Mohamedbhai LLC represents librarians across the nation who have been terminated and pressured to remove books from public libraries in violation of the U.S. Constitution. The firm has achieved numerous multimillion-dollar verdicts on behalf of victims of discrimination.
Edwards Law specializes in representing people who have suffered serious injuries and routinely litigates high-profile civil rights lawsuits. The firm has obtained numerous multimillion-dollar settlements and trial verdicts as well as achieving injunctions resulting in the provision of air-conditioning and safe drinking water in Texas prisons and Hepatitis C medications for Texas Medicaid beneficiaries.
News stories, staff photos, and other online content are copyrighted property of Victory Media. Reproduction in part or in whole is prohibited without the express written consent of the publisher.
March 5 is Election Day for the Republican and Democratic primaries, which determine the nominees for the November 2024 general election. Many local races will be determined on Tuesday due to the lack of Democratic candidates.
Polls across Burnet and Llano counties will be open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. on Tuesday.
Find out what you need and where to cast your vote below:
IDENTIFICATION
Texas driver’s license issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety
Texas Election Identification Certificate issued by the DPS
Texas Personal Identification Card issued by the DPS
Texas handgun license issued by the DPS
U.S. military ID card containing the person’s photograph
U.S. citizenship certificate containing the person’s photograph
U.S. passport (book or card)
If you don’t have one of the forms of ID listed above, visit votetexas.gov to learn about alternatives.
VOTING
Registered Texans can vote in either the Republican or Democratic primary, regardless of past or present party affiliations. For example, many of the local elections in Burnet and Llano counties only have GOP contenders, but a Democrat could vote in the Republican primary rather than their own to have a say in who their local elected officials are.
Burnet County
Burnet County voters will choose a Precinct 3 commissioner, tax-assessor collector, Precinct 2 constable, and district attorney (the DA also covers Llano County). The winners of these races will take office in January 2025.
Voters will also select nominees for Texas House District 19 and U.S. House District 31. The Republican winner in these two races will face Democratic nominees in November.
Learn more about Burnet County candidates in the following DailyTrib.com stories:
Llano County voters will choose a Precinct 3 commissioner, sheriff, Precinct 1 justice of the peace, and district attorney (the DA also covers Burnet County). The winners of these races will take office in January 2025.
Voters will also select a nominee for Texas House District 53, who will face the Democratic nominee in November.
Learn more about the Llano County candidates in the following DailyTrib.com stories:
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