April 26, 2023 824 PM
FORT DAVIS — In a meeting on Monday, Jeff Davis County commissioners appointed Glen Eisen as the new county attorney.
Eisen is filling in for the unexpired term of Teresa Todd, who served as the county attorney since January 2013. Todd officially retired from the position on February 28, prompting a search for her replacement.
Todd exited the county attorney role in the middle of a four-year term, meaning Eisen will hold the role until December 31, 2024. The elected position will next be on the ballot in the March 2024 primaries, which have a November 11-December 11, 2023 filing deadline.
Eisen was appointed as the new county attorney Monday, with all commissioners with the exception of Royce Laskoskie voting in favor of the appointment. He was sworn in by Judge Curtis Evans on Tuesday.
Evans said after launching a local search for the position — applicants must live in Jeff Davis County — Eisen was the only applicant out of two who met the residency requirement.
Eisen, who grew up in Hamilton County, Texas, will be coming out of retirement to take on the county attorney role. He holds an undergraduate degree and master’s degree in business administration from Texas Tech, as well as a law degree from the University of Houston Law Center.
Before Eisen moved full time to Jeff Davis County in March 2020, he worked primarily in Houston. His law practice focused on tax controversy, state taxation of interstate businesses, federal taxes, as well as working with business executives in an advisory capacity.
“The county attorney job is quite a bit different,” said Eisen. “Although, legal work has a great deal in common. Legal concepts, they span pretty much all the specialties. The experience I’ve had, while it’s not directly point to this job, it’s certainly very helpful.”
Judge Evans, having acted without a county attorney since Todd’s retirement in February, said Eisen coming on board would help him and the county commissioners with vital legal council services, keeping up with general business, maintaining compliance and more.
“With everything going on in the county, we are in need of an attorney for our direction, in order to not spend so much time looking up what is legal to move forward,” said Evans.
“Because of his expertise, he’ll be looking out for us to make sure where we’re following deadlines and guidelines,” he added.
An impending federal audit, customary for counties that spend more than $750,000 in grant funds per fiscal year, was another reason Evans said it was important to have the role filled.
The county and the Fort Davis Water Supply Corporation also recently entered into settlement agreement discussions regarding a lawsuit brought against the entities by Fort Davis ISD regarding water storage facilities on the district’s property.
The day after Eisen’s appointment he was already in the process of getting “fed through a firehose of all of the things that are going on in the county,” said Evans.
Eisen said he had a lot to learn, but is looking forward to getting up to speed and learning from fellow county employees.
“It’s exciting. Quite honestly, I’m having fun,” said Eisen. “I’m approaching it all with an open mind. I’m interested in what everyone has to say.”
When reached for comment, Todd said “it was a pleasure to serve” and she was enjoying semi-retirement, still living in the area and working in private practice in real estate and probate.
Todd also resigned from her long-held position as Marfa City Attorney in October of last year, citing her journey of recovery following an arrest for driving while intoxicated.
