VOL 1. NO.

4 A publication of the Bowie County Republican Party

April 1, 2011

Bowie County Blade

Cutting through to the truth.

OVERVIEW
Our newly elected Bowie County Republican officials have hit the ground running to serve the
Citizens of Bowie County. They have already made a difference in each of their official areas.
Let’s learn about their duties and how they affect all the citizens.

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Welcome to Judge Leon Pesek

Judge Leon Pesek was extended an enthusiastic welcome by the Bowie County Republican
Party in a reception at the Collins House. Judge Pesek made the difficult decision to change
political parties. The event was well attended by people from all over the county. Congressman
Ralph Hall, State Representative George Lavender, Bowie County Republican Chairman Ken
Autrey, Judge Pesek’s family and staff were among the dignitaries who attended. Welcome,
Judge Pesek

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People That Make It Happen

It’s wonderful to win an election and we all celebrate but it doesn’t happen without
people like: Wanda Minnick Precinct 20 Chairman DeKalb, TX.

www.wandam.cieaura.com

“I think that I have occupied this position for four years. .I enjoy getting ALL of our
candidates signs displayed in places that will have the most visibility. I really
appreciated the help that Doug Williams gave us. My goal is to get Christian
Conservatives to run and get elected starting in Bowie County,state,
and federal. I am afraid that we have forgotten the goal of our Founding Fathers
to have a government patterned after Gods Word. (Holy Bible)”

Thank You, Wanda, for all you do to help Bowie County.

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VOL 1. NO. 4 A publication of the Bowie County Republican Party
April 1, 2011
Talk About A Responsible Job

To give everyone and idea of how important the elected offices are for all the citizens, here is
the description of the duties of a Texas County Clerk. Our Natalie Nichols has BIG
responsibilities.

Duties of a Texas County Clerk

The office of county clerk is established by the Texas Constitution, which states, “There shall be
elected for each county, by the qualified voters, a county clerk, who shall hold his office for four
years, who shall be clerk of the county and commissioners courts and recorder of the county,
whose duties, perquisites and fees of office shall be prescribed by the Legislature, and a vacancy
in whose office shall be filled by the Commissioners Court, until the next general election.”

A county clerk must complete 20 hours of instruction regarding the performance of the clerk’s
duties of office during each calendar year that begins after the clerk’s election or appointment to
office. At least one of these hours of instruction must address registry funds handled under
Chapter 117 of the Local Government Code, and one hour of instruction must address fraudulent
court documents and fraudulent document filings.

1. Most of the current duties of the office stem from an 1846 law that required county clerks to
record “all deeds, mortgages, conveyances, deeds of trust, bonds, covenants, defeasances, or
other instruments of writing, of or concerning any lands, and tenements, or goods and chattels,
or moveable property of any description...”. This law also stated that all marriage contracts,
powers of attorney, and official bonds be recorded. Today, the majority of the duties still pertain
to the receipt, custody and issuance of a wide array of documents, instruments, certificates,
licenses and other official papers in addition to the clerk’s duties to the county courts.

2. The county clerk acts as an ex officio member of the county commissioners’ court, serves as
the official clerk for the court, and is required to attend all sessions and record all proceedings.

3. The office is charged with keeping all books, papers, records and effects belonging to the
commissioners’ court.

4. Other duties may include assisting the county judge in preparing the court agenda and posting
notice for each court meeting. In addition, the clerk may handle correspondence for the court,
assist the commissioners as they sit on special committees, and perform other services requested
by the court.

5. As the clerk of the constitutional county court and county courts at law, the county clerk works
with judges, grieving families, defendants and jurors. These courts include at law probate courts,
mental health courts, juvenile courts and county criminal courts. The clerk's duties in these courts
are varied and include filing cases, issuing processes, maintaining minutes of proceedings,
collecting costs and fines, and arranging for commitments and appeals. Jurisdictional transfers
between county and district courts are also handled by the county clerk’s office.

6. The county clerk is responsible for administering all county and state elections, including early
voting and primaries, unless the commissioners’ court has transferred this function to the tax
assessor-collector or county elections administrator.
VOL 1. NO. 4 A publication of the Bowie County Republican Party
April 1, 2011
7. As the county's recorder, the clerk’s role is to determine if a document is suitable for filing and
to file, record and index many different documents. The clerk also is responsible for developing
and administering a records management program, ensuring the preservation of valuable and
essential records, and cooperating and complying with the Texas State Library. All birth and death
certificates as well as marriage licenses are maintained in this office. Additionally, the clerk acts
as the liaison to the Bureau of Vital Statistics, a division of the Texas Department of Health.

8. Other record-keeping duties of the county clerk include recording all real estate instruments,
subdivision maps/plats, financial records, elected officials’ monthly reports, federal and state tax
liens, abstract judgments, juvenile records and military records. This position requires knowledge
of a great many laws, recording fees, acknowledgment requirements and indexing.

9. The clerk also handles probate records, mental/chemical dependency proceeding records, and
doing business under assumed names. The county record manager is in charge of filming and
storage of all required county records from 1856 to present and must comply with state records
retention mandates.

10. If a county does not have a county surveyor, the county clerk is to act as the custodian of the
county surveyor records.

11. All county officials who are required to execute a bond before undertaking the duties of office
must have their bond kept and recorded in the county clerk’s office. Other responsibilities include
maintaining records on all wills, probates, deed records, deeds of trust, liens and abstracts.
Identification methods for all livestock must be recorded with the clerk of the county in which the
animals are located.

12. A great deal of money is collected by this office in the form of fines, fees of court, and
marriage license fees. Other collected fees include filing fees, costs for certified copies, court fees
that stay in the county, miscellaneous copies, and beer license fees.

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Think about 2012 election

Texas’ Sixth District Court of Appeals (a/k/a Texarkana Court of Appeals) is one of
fourteen intermediate appellate courts in the state system. The Texarkana court serves,
and its three appellate justices are elected from, nineteen counties in northeast Texas.

Officially, the court is made up of three judges, Chief Justice Josh Morriss (R) of
Texarkana whose term of office extends through 2016, Justice Jack Carter (D) of
Texarkana whose term of office extends through 2014, and Justice Bailey Moseley (R)
of Marshall whose term of office extends through 2012.

Justice Moseley is an important part of the court and is endorsed by Chief Justice
Morriss. Let’s learn about Him and his record and be ready to support him in the
election.