[November 09, 2009] 'Interim' appointment could be made permanent Tweet Nov 09, 2009 (Kerrville Daily Times - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Kerr County's "interim" county attorney may find herself filling that vacancy created when Rex Emerson was appointed to the 198th District Court bench longer than expected. Last month, county commissioners named Assistant County Attorney Ilse Bailey interim county attorney and announced that they would accept applications until last Friday and appoint someone to fill the vacancy until the March party primary. Kerr County Precinct 1 Commissioner H.A. "Buster" Baldwin said their expectations were that, since Kerr County almost never has a Democratic candidate for public office, the winner of the March Republican primary could be appointed to finish the rest of the year and then start a new four-year term on Jan. 1, 2010. However, those plans may be on hold. "I don't think we're going to do anything (today)," Baldwin said. When commissioners meet this morning, they will take up a memo from Emerson, one of his last official acts as the county attorney, in which he states that the county's "interim" appointee may have to remain in office until after the next November election. "The court does not have the authority to make more than one appointment to the position of county attorney when it become vacant," Emerson wrote. Emerson was appointed to the bench by Gov. Rick Perry to fill the vacancy after Judge Karl Prohl resigned in September. The 198th district includes Kerr, McCulloch, Mason, Kimble and Menard counties. Baldwin said commissioners have received two applications for the position -- Bailey, who has been the assistant county attorney for more than 10 years, and local attorney Fred Henneke, who has already said he plans to run for the position. "I don't know what we're going to do," Baldwin said. Kerr County Commissioners meet at 9 a.m. today at the Kerr County Courthouse. To see more of the Kerrville Daily Times or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.dailytimes.com/. Copyright (c) 2009, Kerrville Daily Times, Texas Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]