Port Lavaca council member resigns, announces run for county judge

Port Lavaca City Council member Allen Tippit resigned Dec. 4 from his seat after announcing his intent to run for the position of Calhoun County Judge. The resignation, which was effective immediately, will create a vacancy on the six-person council.

The resignation, Tippit said, was necessary in order to run for judge and that he had planned to run in the past. However, he said that he had not resigned up until now in order to spare the city the financial costs of a special election.

“According to the charter, when somebody wants to file for another office, they have to resign that day. I wanted to file in 2021, but I was in the middle of a cycle. My term is up in May so they will be able to conduct business with the five city council people without a special election, so it won't cost city of Port Lavaca any money for a special election,” Tippit said “I spoke to the city secretary about that and for now, they’ll hold tight. I think in January they'll put my district up for people that want to be on the council to apply and close applications out in February and hold an election in May.”

Tippit stated that he plans to run as a Democrat in the upcoming 2026 election. Part of his reasoning to run, Tippit said, was to support smaller businesses and increase the county’s focus on tourism and the natural landscape.

“I've got some ideas. I'm all about the people and trying to help them as much as I can. My ideas are directed towards the people of the county, not so much big business. If you're a small business owner and you want to start a business, I want to make sure that you have an even playing field to be able to do that,” Tippit said. “I want to take the county in a different direction: we have more coastline than any other county in the state of Texas yet it is the most underdeveloped in terms of tourism. I’d like to see our county do more in that direction.”

Having served for more than five years on Port Lavaca City Council, Tippit said that he could accomplish more as judge than as a council member. 

“I ran for county judge back in 2016 against Judge Richard Meyer. I've had this feeling that I could do some good for this county. I could get us more housing, more tourism, cleaner water, cleaner environment. I've got some ideas that, if the commissioners agree with me, we could get done,” Tippit said.

The primary election in Texas in 2026 is scheduled for March 3, while the 2026 general election, in which Tippit is running, is scheduled for Nov. 3. For more information visit www.calhouncotx.org/calhoun-county-elections/.