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Willis
Willis
More than three months after the death of Jefferson County Pct. 1 Commissioner Vernon Pierce, who won the March 5 Republican Primary for re-election to the seat, the county’s GOP party approved a replacement nomination for the November General Election ballot in former Pct. 1 candidate Brandon Willis on July 9. Pierce, battling cancer, died April 14, roughly a month after winning the Pct. 1 race in the Republican Primary. He defeated Willis with 60% of the vote. Former Pct. 1 Commissioner Eddie Arnold, who retired in 2019, was appointed to finish out Pierce’s term, which ends Dec. 31.
No Democratic candidate filed to run for the seat, making the Republican candidate the de facto winner in November unless a successful write-in campaign is launched. Anyone interested in running as a write-in candidate has from Saturday, July 20, to 5 p.m. Monday, Aug. 19, to file, according to the Texas Secretary of State, which also states that a write-in candidate must file a Declaration of Write-in Candidacy with the county judge, and either pay a $1,250 filing fee or submit a petition signed by at least 500 qualified voters.
Write-in candidates would not be affiliated with a party and their name would not be on the ballot, according to County Clerk Roxanne Acosta-Hellberg.
Willis secured nomination from among a field of six candidates by 14 Jefferson County Republican Party precinct chairs that live in Precinct 1, which includes most of the western portion of Beaumont, the cities of Bevil Oaks, China and Nome, and the Cheek and Meeker communities, along with the county GOP chair. The six was narrowed to five, then narrowed to three, then a vote was taken for the finalists: Willis, eight votes; Mike Getz, four votes; and Jennifer Pate, three votes. Getz, who is also a precinct chair, voted for himself.
“It’s bittersweet for me that we had to replace Commissioner Pierce on the ballot because it means he’s no longer with us,” Willis said after securing the nomination. “You hate to lose a good guy like that.”
Willis reported he has resigned from his public affairs job with the Operating Engineers Local 450 chapter in Dayton and will serve as a full-time commissioner with roads and workforce development as his top priorities. With his background in the industrial sector and general construction, Willis said he knows how to build bridges and roads to state standards – and he hopes to foster opportunities for collaboration with local entities and cities, school districts and industries when it comes to cultivating the workforce.
“We have ton of industrial work in our backyard,” he said. “If we can get that percentage of local workforce up, where do you think the industries will spend their money — right back here.”
Willis said he doesn’t feel that the public knows how much the rural residents in Precinct 1 depend on county services and he would like to see more industrial development in Precinct 1 because there is enough property for expansion.
“The Commissioners Court is doing a great job,” Willis said. “I just want to get in there and help out.”
Willis said he plans to “jump back in the race full force,” as though he has an opponent.
“We were taking some signs down but it won’t be long until we start putting them back up,” he said. “We want to push people to the polls and get a good voter turnout.”