ENNIS – According to reports and in opposition to recent rumors, as of April 26, no replacement has been named for Ellis County Commissioner’s Pct. 2 upcoming vacant seat.
The seat is being vacated by Lane Grayson, who resigned earlier this month with an effective date of May 1.
At that time, he also withdrew from the County Judge runoff election on May 26 against former Ennis Mayor Kameron Raburn.
Following Grayson’s resignation, that led to the need to appoint an interim commissioner in that seat to fill the vacancy until a permanent successor is determined through the election process in November.
Currently, there is a runoff election to be held on May 26 for the Pct. 2 seat resulting from the GOP primaries in March.
That election will be between Matthew L. Zajic who received the overwhelming majority of the 1,849 votes and John Paul Dineem, III with 1,147 votes.
With more than two candidates running for the seat, no one candidate received more than 50% of the vote, required for the primary seat win.
According to a media release from Ellis County Judge John Wray’s office March 27, he received Grayson’s resignation of the Ellis County Pct. 2 seat effective May 1.
“As Ellis County looks ahead, county leadership remains firmly committed to ensuring continuity, stability, and effective representation for the citizens of Precinct 2,” the press release stated.
According to Texas law, when a vacancy occurs in the position of county commissioner, the county judge is responsible for appointing a qualified individual, who is a resident of the precinct, to fill the position.
In the release, Wray said he plans to appoint the winner of the upcoming May 26 Republican Party runoff election to the Pct. 2 commissioner seat.
There are no registered general candidates for the position, and the winner of the Republican runoff will be the presumptive winner of the general election in November.
Since Wray is waiting for the outcome of the May 26 election, Grayson will not be vacating his seat on May 1 as promised.
As such, the decision to appoint the winner of the runoff election is intended to respect the will of the Precinct 2 voters while also ensuring consistency in leadership and maintaining reliable and essential services for the community.
The release indicated in accordance with Texas law, Grayson will remain the commissioner as a holdover until the next commissioner’s appointment.
There had been speculation regarding Grayson’s resignation with both Ellis and McLennan County named as being part of a possible court matter.
The McLennan County District Clerk’s Office said they had searched for the name “Lane Grayson” and found nothing in regard to an open records request.
Ellis County & District Attorney’s Office replied to a public information request regarding a Grayson court matter with an attached letter to the Attorney General’s Office regarding the request for records.
The Attorney General’s Office has not sent a follow-up to date to the Ellis County Press.