Bexar County Election Commission met Feb. 10, 2025, to continue interviews for the county’s elections administrator position and heard a public plea for broader community engagement. The commission did not make a hiring decision and moved into an executive session for personnel matters under Texas Government Code §551.074.

County Judge Peter Sakai, presiding, told the public that the commission would not decide the appointment at the Feb. 10 meeting and said a follow-up meeting is scheduled for Feb. 12 at 1:30 p.m. in the Double Heights Courtroom if the panel is ready to act. “I want to remind the public once again, today we will not be deciding,” Sakai said during opening remarks.

Kathy Vale, a Bexar County resident who identified herself as an election worker and certified volunteer deputy registrar, urged the commission to hold a public forum for finalists on a Saturday morning at a location with ample free parking and easy access. “I would like the finalists to be able to introduce themselves to the community, talk about why they want to be the Bexar elections administrator, and to give the community an opportunity to ask some questions,” Vale said. She told commissioners she had spent the morning dropping off mail-ballot applications to roughly 18 individuals in her precinct.

The commission’s packet shows three candidate interviews were scheduled for the session. Judge Sakai and other members described an interview format that would include an initial round of questions, brief follow-ups, and a five-minute closing statement for each finalist. The panel asked staff to serve as timekeeper and authorized several county personnel to remain for the executive session, including Noah Barshop, Larry Roberson, Stephanie Casiano of Bexar County Human Resources and Priscilla Hernandez, the judge’s chief deputy, to assist with the process.

Before moving to the closed session, the commission approved the minutes from its Jan. 28, 2025, meeting. A motion to approve was seconded by County Clerk Lucy Adame Clark and carried by voice vote. The public portion of the Feb. 10 meeting then recessed and the commission convened in executive session for personnel matters concerning the interviews, citing Texas Government Code §551.074.

The commission concluded the public portion and later adjourned after returning from executive session. No appointment or vote on an elections administrator was announced at the Feb. 10 meeting; commissioners indicated a decision could be possible at the Feb. 12 meeting if they are prepared to act.

Background: The elections administrator oversees county election operations, including staffing of election judges and coordination of mail-ballot processing. The commission’s use of an executive session for candidate interviews follows the personnel-exception provision in the Texas Open Meetings Act (Gov’t Code §551.074).