By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
Family members, friends and colleagues joined District Attorney Suzanne West in the county courthouse as she took the oath of office on New Year’s Day to begin her second term.
West was one of nine elected officials sworn in during the
the Peace Pct. 3 Pat Cole, left. West took the oath on New Year’s Day at the Val Verde
County Courthouse, and she was joined by her husband Derome West, the couple’s two
sons, Michael and Cooper, as well as by members of her staff, including Tom Wylie,
Duane Maldonado, Debbie Garcia and Lizett D’Amico. (Photo by Karen Gleason)
ceremony, which took place in the second-floor courtroom of the historic Val Verde County Courthouse.
Following opening ceremonies and remarks by County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr. and County Clerk Teresa Esther Chapoy, Justice of the Peace Pct. 3 Pat Cole gave West the oath of office. West took the oath in the company of her husband, Derome West, who held the Bible, and the couple’s sons, Michael and Cooper.
West also invited members of her staff who were present at the ceremony to join her and her family as she took the oath. Those staff members included Tom Wylie, Duane Maldonado, Debbie Garcia and Lizett D’Amico.
Just before the ceremony began, West spoke about what the event meant to her.
West said, “This means everything to me. Literally, the dream I’ve had since I was 12 years old, to be district attorney, and to be honored to do it for a second term, I’m really excited.
“We did a lot of fantastic things during my first term, and I’m just so blessed to be able to do what I love to do and do it again for another four years,” she added.
West said she was relieved when she learned she would run unopposed, noting it would have been difficult to find the time to run a campaign.
West said she is already looking forward to the work that lies ahead in the next four years.
“What I’m really trying to work on at this point is processes, which sounds boring, I know, but in small towns, we always have offices where the person who’s in makes or breaks the place, and you do most of the work, and everybody else sort of follows along behind.
“My goal for my next term is to put processes in place where it functions like a big office. It moves with a flow, it moves without me grinding all the gears to do everything, so I’m really hoping to put some good processes in place that make statistics smooth and reporting smooth and hiring and training and those kinds of things,” West added.
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