Susie Spring
Parmer County Clerk
2022 is a busy election year. In addition to the March Primary for County and State offices and a Run-off, sure to follow, the Texas State Legislature announced during their 2021 session, a Special Amendment Election for May this year. The General Election will be held in November as usual.
During the Primary, Parmer County will have 6 Polling Places open. This means poll workers to staff all those polling places are needed. If we do not have enough poll workers, we will be forced to consolidate polling places with fewer open to serve the County.
Many of the workers that have served for many years are choosing to retire, thus the need for new faces in the polling place. Also, the need exists for a least one bilingual speaker in each polling place.
This is not an easy job but it is a rewarding one. You are serving the community and county in a vital role; helping protect our democracy and fair elections. You must be a registered voter of Parmer County to serve. You are paid for all hours worked.
The County Clerk's Office will be holding training in mid-February for poll workers. This involves approximately two hours in Farwell. On the day before election day, it involves about 2 hours of set-up to prepare the polling place. On Election Day it requires 12 hours of voting time plus the time it takes to complete paperwork and pack equipment for transport to the Courthouse in Farwell.
If you have questions or think you would like to serve your County, please contact me. I will be happy to answer any questions and allay any concerns. Contact me via email: Susie.spring@parmercounty.texas.gov or by phone 806-481-3691 or come by the office anytime.
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The Chieftains played in the Hale Center tournament on December 28th-29th and won Consolation by beating Spur 40-39 on Jose Luis Saucedo's three point shot at the buzzer. In the first 2 games played on the 28th, the Chiefs lost to Hale Center 54-37 and then defeated Highland Park 57-47 to move into the consolation matchup with Spur. On December 31st, the Chiefs opened district play against Denver City and lost 44-31. Their record is 11-7 overall and 0-1 in district.
Prairie News — Prairie Acres Resident of the Month for January is Donald Phelps. The Employee of the Month is Alex Cigarroa. Alex works in the laundry department and has been with Prairie Acres since October 2017. Congratulations to both!
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Free Vaccination Clinics — Parmer Medical Center now has Pfizer Pediatric doses available for kids 5-11 years of age. Please call 806-250-2754 (ext. 120 or 121), 806-240-1562, or 806-240-1761 to schedule an appointment.
PMC offers weekly shot clinics on Thursdays from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in Friona at the 6th Street Church of Christ and on Fridays from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in Bovina at the XIT Recreation Center.
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About January — Around 700 B.C., January replaced March as the first month of the year. Roman king Numa Pompilius revised the calendar and added two months to it. However, many religions continued to celebrate the new year either on March 25th or December 25th according to their church calendars. Even the Julian calendar did not indicate a clear beginning and end to the year. Then in 1582, Pope Gregory developed the Gregorian calendar and most of the world came around to January 1 being the beginning of the New Year.
January takes its name from Janus, the Roman god of beginnings and endings. He's a protector of gates, doorways, and transitions. The Wolf Moon rises in January so it's a great opportunity to howl at the full moon. While it's uncertain where the name for this moon is derived, it's interesting to note that the month used to be called Wolfmonath. As food became scarce, wolves would begin scavenging and could be heard howling at the moon.
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Snack Pak News — Snack Pak 4 Kids will start delivering again to the 3 schools this Friday, January 7th. If you would like to help pack the meals, meet at the Friona United Methodist Church (north entrance on 9th street) at 3 p.m. on the following Tuesdays: January 18th, February 1st, February 15th, and March 1st.
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Governor Greg Abbott has appointed Kathryn Gurley as Judge of the 287th Judicial District Court in Bailey and Parmer Counties for a term set to expire December 31, 2022 or until her successor shall be duly elected and qualified.
Judge Gordon Green retired at the end of the year after serving 23 years in the position. Kathryn Gurley, of Friona, is currently the District Attorney of the 287th Judicial District in Bailey and Parmer Counties. She is a candidate for Judge of the 287th Judicial District Court in the upcoming Republican primary.
Parmer County Sheriff Randy Geries announced that he is retiring, effective January 24, 2022. Geries was first elected in 2000 and is currently serving his sixth term as sheriff. Geries stated that he is retiring "early" in his final term in order to run for Parmer County Judge in the Republican primary.
The Parmer County Sheriff's Office has seen a lot of changes during Sheriff Geries' 20-year tenure. The most significant was the construction of the Parmer County Law Enforcement Center in 2004. The $2.5 million dollar project brought state-of-the-art jail facilities to Parmer County. The Law Enforcement Center has maintained compliance with State jail standards since its inception.
The Sheriff's Office has also hosted the annual "National Night Out" which promotes all first responders in Parmer County. Over 1500 people from all over the county and surrounding areas attended the last event. The Sheriff's Office has received many grants over the years in order to purchase the latest technology and updated equipment for the jail.
In addition to his two decades of service to Parmer County, Sheriff Geries law enforcement background also includes serving as Police Chief for the City of Friona and working with the Amarillo Special Crimes Unit as a Homicide Investigator.
Sheriff Geries has served on the board of many regional organizations including the Panhandle Regional Emergency Management Advisory Committee, a two-term Chairman of the Panhandle 911 Advisory Committee, Board member of Panhandle Community Services, and a Board member of the Texas Sheriff's Association.
Geries stated that he has enjoyed his time as Sheriff and would like to thank everyone who has supported him and the Parmer County Sheriff's Office over the past twenty years.