NEWS — Two new commissioners sworn in here

By Louis Zylka
The 830 Times

The two new county commissioners for Precinct 3 and Precinct 1 were sworn into office at the
Val Verde County Courthouse on Wednesday morning.

Kerr Wardlaw, a rancher and general manager of the Val Verde Wool and Mohair Company was sworn in as the new County Commissioner Pct. 1, and Fernando Garcia, real estate
appraiser, was sworn in as the County Commissioner Pct. 3. Both were sworn
in along with seven other elected officials at the ceremony on Wednesday.

Wardlaw first won the Democratic Party Primary in March 2024,

and the general election in
November 2024. Garcia won the Republican Party Primary in March 2024 and was unopposed
in the November General Election.

The Wednesday ceremony began with the Pledge of Allegiance and a prayer by Constable Pct.
2 Daniel Reyes Jr. County clerk Teresa Esther Chapoy continued the ceremony by introducing
the judges who administered the oaths to the elected officials.

Wardlaw was the first elected official to take the oath of office at the ceremony, and he was
sworn into office by U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph “Sonny” Cordova. After Wardlaw finished his
oath, his father, Martin Wardlaw, who was the former County Commissioner Pct. 1, gave his son
the Bible he had used in his own swearing-in ceremony eight years ago. The elder Wardlaw
also presented his son with his “county commissioner’s” vest.

Kerr Wardlaw spoke with The 830 Times after the ceremony and said it “meant a lot” for him to
become the new county commissioner of his precinct, adding he

worked hard for the position.

“I was nervous about it, but it meant a lot. It was my first time being sworn in as county
commissioner. I have taken an oath before as a peace officer, but this is the first time (I have
been sworn in for) an elected position,” Wardlaw said.

The new commissioner said he wants to continue working on the projects his father started
while in office.

Wardlaw also wanted readers to know that he studied at the New Mexico Military Institute and
Angelo State University. He said be believed studying history at Angelo State University will
help him carry out his duties as the new Precinct 1 commissioner.

“History is important because if you don’t know your history, you’ll repeat the same mistakes. The one good thing I have with me is that it’s better to learn from the mistakes of others than to
repeat them, and that is what I learned from studying history, and I’m going to make sure not to
make simple mistakes or the mistakes others have made before,” Wardlaw said.

Garcia was sworn into office by Chief U.S. District Judge of the Western District of Texas Alia
Moses.

Garcia spoke with The 830 Times after the ceremony to express his feelings towards being the new county commissioner of Pct. 3 and how he felt “elated” about being sworn in.

“(Being sworn in) has been a long time coming since I won the primary runoffs, so it feels good.
I feel happy; I feel relieved,” Garcia said.

Garcia said he wants to focus on “customer service” and helping people in his precinct during
his first term.

“There are a lot of people in Precinct 3 who have a lot of demands. They want their roads
paved, and they want stop signs; they want a lot of stuff like that and we are going to work hard to take care of them,”
Garcia said.

Garcia said he wants his constituents to know he is always available to answer questions.

“Precinct 3 is open for business. If you have any issues that need attention, please let me know,
and we will get to it,” Garcia said.