Palo Pinto court accepts Pierce resignation

PALO PINTO — Commissioners on Monday accepted the resignation of Precinct 3 Commissioner Mike Pierce, who explained he had felt for awhile it was simply time to bow out of public service after more than three decades.

“I don’t enjoy the challenges that I once did,” Pierce told the court and a roomful of Palo Pinto County officials. “Let somebody else come in and kind of change the picture. … The county’s been good to me, I’ve tried to give back in any way I can.”

County Judge Shane Long told the commissioner he will be missed, and he thanked Pierce for his professionalism — even when they disagreed.

“Before we’d walk out, he’d always say, ‘Are we alright, Judge?’ “ Ling said.

Pierce’ resignation takes effect on March 31.

Long asked that anyone interested in filling out the term to Dec. 31, 2024, submit a resume to his office in the courthouse by noon Friday.

Pierce has been a member of the commissioner court since 2009. Before that, he served 18 years on the Precinct 3 Road and Bridge Crew.

“There just comes a time when an official knows they’ve had their time,” Pierce told the Weatherford Democrat. “There are a number of things --I don’t want to just hang around just to be hanging on.”

Pierce, 66, said he had no pressing health concerns and hinted even the relatively peaceful political landscape in Palo Pinto County gets old.

“I just got to the point with the politics aggravating me,” he said, later saying he has no plans to move. “I’ll just do something different for a while and just go from there.”