Amarillo municipal court presiding judge Sonya Letson has announced her resignation and the move comes less than a month before filing ends for the 2018 elections in Texas.
Letson, a former county attorney and municipal court judge, has been floated by some in the community as a possible candidate for one of the two open benches for the Potter County Courts at Law. Currently, Walt Weaver, Jerry Morales, Wade Overstreet and Matt Hand have each announced their candidacies for one of the vacant spots.
While nothing is set in stone, Letson has been discussed as a possible candidate for one of the benches. Due to her experience as a county attorney and now a municipal court judge, some in the community are wondering if she would be the correct candidate to seek a spot.
I do not believe that Letson's candidacy would provide much boost to the current state of the Amarillo courts.
Letson has served in public office in Amarillo for many years, even decades at this point. And in her most recent capacity, Letson has overseen a very flawed and broken system in the Amarillo Municipal Court. This should be a major reason for Letson to consider avoiding a bid for the bench.
However, more than that, is Letson's continuous years in government office. For many years, Letson has been cashing government checks and has been serving in government office. While Letson's willingness to serve should be commended, at a certain point, residents deserve new ideas.
A field of candidates has already began cropping up and it appears to feature experiences and ideas from all over the map. And the filing period is not even over.
Therefore, Letson should not run in 2018. Instead, Judge Letson should give other candidates a chance to make a difference.
-Thomas Warren III, Editor-In-Chief
Photo by KVII