The Bandera County Democratic Club met Saturday, Oct. 10, to hear from Joe Paz Herrera, who is running for Texas Senate District 24.
Former Bandera Democratic Chair Lynn Oliver introduced Herrera, who began his presentation by discussing issues of current interest to county residents.
TX-24 includes all of Bandera, Bell, Burnet, Coryell, Gillespie, Kerr, Kimble, Lampasas, Llano, Medina, and Sutton counties and portions of Atascosa and Williamson counties Herrera spoke about leadership and how effective leadership can lead to proactive solutions to state issues.
Topics he discussed included water rights, property rights, power line placement, access to health care, affordability and improving public education.
Herrera said that following party leadership rather than evaluating each issue individually was a mistake.
A proponent of local control, Herrera said Texas should give counties greater authority to manage growth and protect local resources. He believes the state should pause development of additional data centers until stronger protections are in place for water, electricity and surrounding communities.
Herrera also said local landowners should not be pushed aside for the benefit of large corporations.
Bandera mayoral candidate Tim Galarnyk also made a brief presentation to the group. Galarnyk emphasized his experience in construction and infrastructure improvements, saying it would be relevant to the city's needs as it oversees construction of a new sewer plant.
Three candidates are running for mayor of Bandera: incumbent Denise Griffin, Cindy Coffey and Galarnyk. Candidates for local offices are considered nonpartisan.
In regular business, members approved the September meeting minutes, and Treasurer Patty Pyle presented her monthly report on the club's finances.
Bandera County Democratic Chair David Black gave a brief report and distributed a handout detailing the activities of the Bandera County Democratic Committee over the previous 30 days. Most of the activities involved election-related volunteer work.
Anne Samuels gave a membership report. Robert Rios outlined protest activities in which many club members had participated that morning before the meeting at Silver Sage.
Rios reported that 30 people participated in a protest against Gov. Greg Abbott. He said no further public protests were planned in Bandera.
Club member Jodi Sinclair reported on public relations committee activities. She said club members were doing a “fantastic job” of spreading the word about the Democratic agenda.
The Nominating Committee presented its slate of officers for the 2027 calendar year. Jackson Smith was nominated for president, Essie Smith for vice president, Kate O'Shaunessy for secretary and Patty Pyle for treasurer.
The club will vote on the slate at its November meeting.
President Anna Montague suggested that members become more active in the community, saying participation in community activities could help build positive sentiment toward the club.
In new business, a proposal to suspend summer meetings was defeated. Members expressed the view that June, July and August are crucial months in the election cycle and that suspending meetings would significantly hinder the club's momentum.
The club voted to make its standard $250 donations to candidates Kathryn Hartmann and Joe Paz Herrera. Hartmann is running for the Texas House of Representatives in District 53.
Members tabled a motion to pay Silver Sage the full rental fee for 2027 because the exact total was not available.
Montague also discussed the need for a social media and website administrator. Members suggested that Tina Miel and Sinclair work together on the task.
Montague thanked the group that picked up trash along the highway Oct. 11. Pyle reported that five people collected 12 bags of trash along a three-quartermile stretch of roadway in Pipe Creek.
The meeting adjourned at 1:20 p.m. The next meeting of the Bandera County Democratic Club is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 14, at 11 a.m. at the Silver Sage Dining Hall.
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