By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
Val Verde County Commissioners Court honored Tom Garcia Tuesday, the county judge’s administrative assistant, who has announced plans to retire in early April.
Garcia, who has worked for Val Verde County since August 2012, has served as County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr.’s administrative assistant since Owens’ first year as county judge in 2020.
At the time, Garcia was working as the assistant court coordinator for County Court-At-Law Judge Sergio Gonzalez, a position he’d held since 2012.
Garcia said he had only met Owens in passing a few times before the newly-elected county judge offered him the administrative assistant position.
“I was very surprised when he offered me the job. He told me he was going on what the human resources department had told him, so he called me in and interviewed me and offered me the job,” Garcia told the 830 Times.
Before moving to Val Verde County in 1998 to work for Westex Petroleum as human resources and employee benefits manager, Garcia spent 11 years working as a vice president for Chase Bank in Dallas, where he served as a senior employee benefits administrator.
On Tuesday, Owens asked county commissioners court to honor Garcia and his work for the county with the presentation of an elegant, flame-shaped glass plaque on a wooden base.
“It says, ‘Congratulations on your retirement. Presented to Tom Garcia in sincere appreciation for your 12 years of outstanding commitment and dedicated service to the county court-at-law and to County Judge Owens,’ and I’m not going to read the rest,” Owens said, his voice breaking with emotion.
The court and audience then applauded Garcia and paused the meeting for a photo.
After the members of the court returned to their seats, Owens, still visibly moved, said, “He’s taken care of me and this county just unbelievably.”
The rest of the members of the court also congratulated Garcia.
After the meeting, Garcia said he plans to retire April 7. He said he has already sold his house in Del Rio in preparation for a move to New Braunfels, where he said he plans to reconnect with friends, play golf and travel.
“My time with the county has been the most rewarding 12 years. I’ve met a lot of great employees whose mission is to do the best they can at their individual jobs to serve the citizens, and overall I’m very, very pleased with having been associated with Val Verde County and will miss all my friends and co-workers here,” Garcia told the 830 Times after the meeting.
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