This from last week was a surprise.
Harris County’s longest-serving current constable resigned today at commissioners court, upset by the layoffs he said he was forced to make after the county passed its leanest budget in years earlier this month.
Precinct 8 Constable Bill Bailey, 72, who also is an announcer, board member and lifetime vice president for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, surprised much of the room by announcing he would step down from his post effective May 31.
He explained the painful process of laying off 10 employees, then 11, then being told even those cuts didn’t reach his required budget number. So, he said, he had decided to cut a 12th worker.
“I’ve reached the difficult decision that that employee’s going to be me,” Bailey said, his voice faltering at times. “I will cut my position… I will retire from a job that I dearly loved, for 28 and a half years.”
I don’t know anything about Constable Bailey, but it’s clear from the story that he was well-liked. I wish him well in his retirement.
As the Chron story notes, Bailey was not going to run for re-election in 2012 anyway. Commissioners Court will choose a replacement for him – Bailey will recommend that his chief deputy Phil Sandlin be appointed to fill his unexpired term – and that person will then have the advantage of having been in the office for a few months before being on a ballot. Normally at this time I’d tell you what the partisan numbers for 2008 were in Bailey’s precinct, but I seem to have managed to misplace the original Harris County canvass file that I had, so I can’t. Given that County Commissioner precincts, which include the Constable and JP precincts within them, are due to be redrawn, those numbers wouldn’t have served as more than curiosities anyway. But I knew you’d wonder about that, so there you have it.
I just don’t get it. Why would ANYONE be working at the age of 72? I have a guy at work that is over 80. Nice guy. Still works hard, but come on. Get a life. Literally. No one should be holding a job over 65 that someone else could be doing.
Folks, at 59 1/2 years I will be out on the water fishing my butt off.
Wow. I grew up in Pasadena, TX, and Bill Bailey was the only Constable I ever knew until I moved to Austin (where I am now a proud constituent of Constable Bruce Elfant).
I didn’t realize Bailey was still in office, but I am not surprised. I’m similarly unfamiliar with him as an elected official–I never voted for him, as I was too young to vote while I lived in his precinct. Still, I remember his name and his campaign signs. I have to respect that he cut himself, instead of another employee. Happy retirement, sir.
I know Bailey has been in office over 25 years. My guess is he was elected in the late 70’s or early 80’s. The guy is a survivor having stayed in office in the Democrat to Republican power switch in the 90’s.
@John, lots of folks like to work, and can’t imagine not working. I hope I’m still capable of working at 72, even if I don’t need to.