PRESIDIO COUNTY — The newly-appointed Presidio County Historical Commission (PCHC) held its first meeting Saturday in Marfa and discussed a variety of projects and organizational needs that the commission may tackle this year.
Precinct 1 County Commissioner Deirdre Hisler spearheaded the reboot of the commission last August. She said at the time that her constituents had raised concerns about the informal nature of the organization and lack of communication from the commission’s leadership.
On January 8, the Commissioners Court appointed the following members to the body: Martha Stafford, Sam Karas, Anibal Galindo, Bobbie Meader, Jesusita Mondragon, Arian Velazquez-Ornelas and County Attorney Blair Park. Appointed members who served previously on the board are Robert Arber and Terry Bishop.
The PCHC also voted to recommend that the Presidio County Commissioners Court appoint Arian Velazquez-Ornelas as chair. On Tuesday, the Commissioners Court approved the appointment. PCHC also elected other officers: Stafford as vice-chair, Karas as secretary and Meader as treasurer.
State law says a county “may” appoint a historical commission, and if it does it should be composed of at least seven members with two-year terms who are appointed by a county’s commissioners court every two years in odd-numbered years — thus the January appointments. Hisler said previously that most of the people serving on the commission last year were appointed in 2020, and their terms expired in 2022.
Hisler, who is not formally on the commission, said her attendance Saturday was to help organize the body and that she wouldn’t be attending meetings in the future unless the group needed her help.
Velazquez-Ornelas agreed that the session was an organizational meeting to start a process for creating new by-laws, ensure the Texas Historical Commission (THC) has the correct contact information and establish committees at the next meeting. “In general, it was getting to understand how the commission works,” she said.
Representatives from the historical commissions in Jeff Davis County and Brewster County — Jerry Dumas and Thomas Alex respectively — also shared how their commissions work, the committees they use and the types of requirements often needed for THC.
The commissioners did discuss one specific item — descendants of the 15 men and boys killed in 1918 at the Porvenir massacre in Presidio County attempting to get death certificates for those murdered.
As reported in The Big Bend Sentinel on February 6, some of those relatives are expressing frustration at what they perceive are roadblocks by Presidio County in issuing what are called “delayed death certificates.”
“We talked about the Porvenir death certificates and how we need to get more information first and foremost to understand if and how we can support that process and whether it’s legal,” Velazquez-Ornelas said. PCHC members voted to table the item to discuss in the future.
The PCHC will meet again on Monday, February 24, at 6 p.m. in Presidio, location to be determined.