County commissioners, judge election draws in candidates

Several candidates have entered the election for Calhoun County judge and Precinct 1, Precinct 2 and Precinct 4 commissioner seats, as well as other races, following the 5 p.m. Monday, Dec. 8 application deadline.

The positions, currently held by Calhoun County Judge Vern Lyssy and commissioners John Martinez, Ronny Best and Gary Reese, respectively, will be up for election in November 2026. Lyssy, Best and Martinez were previously appointed to their positions, due to vacancies on the court.

Calhoun County Judge

Four candidates are running for the position of Calhoun County judge, which serves all of Calhoun County.

Incumbent Lyssy is running for reelection under the Republican ticket. He has served as county judge since Dec. 13, 2024, following the death of former Calhoun County Judge Richard Meyer.

Linda Graham has applied to run as a Republican and, according to filing documents, resides in Port Lavaca and is an investor. Port Lavaca resident Stacy O’Donnell also filed as a Republican and is self-employed. 

The only Democrat, former Port Lavaca City Council member and program director Allen Tippit submitted his application, as well. 

Three candidates are running for the position of commissioner of Precinct 1, which oversees  a portion of Port Lavaca and Magnolia Beach.

Current Precinct 1 commissioner Martinez is running for reelection. He was appointed Oct. 29 by the Calhoun County Commissioners Court, following the death of former Precinct 1 commissioner David Hall.

Martinez is challenged by Jim Oliver, who has also applied to run as a Republican. Oliver resides in Port Lavaca and currently works as a real estate agent.

Mark Gonzales of Port Lavaca has applied to run as a Democrat. According to his application, he is retired.

Three candidates are running for the position of commissioner for Precinct 2. Precinct covers the north of the county and part of Six Mile. 

Precinct 2 commissioner Best is running for reelection as a Republican. He was appointed to the position in 2024, following the appointment of Lyssy as county judge, who had previously served in the seat and created a vacancy upon becoming a judge.

Michael Balajka is also running for election for the position and has filed as a Republican. He has filed that he lives in Port Lavaca and works in construction.

Also running for commissioner as a Republican is chemical engineer Patrick Petrisky. Petrisky lives in Port Lavaca.

For the position of commissioner of Precinct 4, two candidates are running. The precinct covers the southern end of the county, including Seadrift and Port O’Connor. 

Precinct 4 incumbent Reese has applied for reelection and is running as a Republican. Reese has served in the position since 2019.

Running against Reese as a Republican is Daniel Bermea Jr. Bermea did not provide an address in his filing, but is recorded as currently being a manager at Napa Auto Parts store.


County Judge Court at Law

Two candidates are running for the seat of Calhoun County judge court, at law oversees legal proceedings and conducts trials

The current incumbent Judge Court at Law is James Beeler, who has filed as a Republican and was appointed by commissioners in June.

Running against Beeler, Kelly Cross has also filed as a Republican and is currently employed as an attorney.

The justice of the peace serves as a local judge with jurisdiction on minor and criminal cases, as well performing marriages and issuing warrants alongside other duties. There are several justices within the county that cover different precincts.

Hope Kurtz is the current incumbent justice for Precinct 1 and has filed as a Republican. She is running unopposed.

Thomas Dio, incumbent for Precinct 2, has also filed as a Republican and is running unopposed.

Tanya Dimak, current justice of the peace for Precinct 3, is running as a Republican and is unopposed.

Dwana Finster, formerly principal of Hope High School, is running for the seat of justice of the peace for Precinct 4. She is also running unopposed as a Republican.

Sue Glover, who has filed as a Republican, is running for the justice of the peace seat of Precinct 5. She is currently employed in client services.

Also running for the Precinct 5 justice of the peace seat is Jana Gregory, who has also filed as a Republican and is working as a court clerk.

A constable is an elected peace officer who serves a specific precinct and enforces both civil and criminal law. They also serve legal documents issued by courts. Currently three candidates are running for the position and all three have filed as Republican.

Nathan Lapham, current incumbent, was appointed to the seat Oct. 29 following the resignation of previous seat holder Kevin Koliba, and currently serves as a Calhoun County Nuisance Officer.

Opposing him is James Tolar, who currently serves as a deputy in the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office.

Finally, Louis E. Warren is also running for the seat. Warren previously served as constable for Precinct 4 until he was defeated in 2024 by Koliba.

The position of district clerk is responsible for managing court records, jury selection and supporting other functions of the district court system.

Running unopposed for the seat is Teresa Garcia, who has filed as a Republican and is currently serving in the seat.

The county preserves and issues public records, oversees local elections and manages administrative duties within the county.

Current incumbent Anna Goodman is running unopposed and has filed as a Republican.

The county treasurer is responsible for the collection, management and disbursement of county funds.

Incumbent Rhonda Kokena is running unopposed and has filed as a Republican.

For more information on the election, visit bit.ly/4iO9zz6.