Russel Cole for Aransas County Judge

02/26/2026

I want to take a moment to make a few comments about Ray Garza's use of millions from the Waterway Restoration Fund to balance the budget. Whether or not transferring funds between accounts like this is an acceptable accounting practice is immaterial, because it does not eliminate the underlying problem: Aransas County is carrying deficits totaling more than $5 million.

Moving money from one restricted fund to cover shortfalls in another does not solve the imbalance. It simply shifts it. Those funds must still be repaid.

Ray tells us the expectation is that pending lawsuits will eventually reimburse some of these costs. Really? You’re planning the financial future of Aransas County based on the hope of winning litigation? That is not a sound strategy. Lawsuits can take years to resolve. There is no guarantee of success, and even a favorable ruling may not fully offset the costs incurred to pursue it.

Now that Teal Construction Company has filed suit against the county, courthouse completion is once again stalled. Until that matter is resolved, progress remains uncertain. Ongoing litigation also creates hesitation among contractors who may be wary of bidding on county projects.

In the meantime, taxpayers continue paying rent for scattered county offices, and legal expenses continue to accumulate.

Of course, this issue does not stand alone. In just one term under Ray Garza’s leadership, Aransas County has seen three consecutive property tax increases totaling $6,633,120 more taken from taxpayers, legal spending rise to more than $2 million, and a credit rating downgrade that increases our financial risk.

Taken together, this reflects a pattern of financial mismanagement on the part of Ray Garza. Aransas County deserves steady leadership and decisions that strengthen our long-term financial position — not policies that increase risk and shift costs into the future.

My goal is simple. We need to enforce fiscal discipline and responsible budgeting. That begins with implementing zero-based budgeting to justify every tax dollar spent, and it helps us focus on priorities that matter most, like roads, infrastructure, and public safety. If you agree that we need to make county government work for the people again, then please head to the polls and let your voice be heard.

02/20/2026

When I decided to run for county judge, I knew I would be subject to online criticism. I also knew that some of Ray’s friends would dig up things in my personal life to try to discredit my character, but I made the decision to move forward anyway. I also made the decision to leave Ray's personal life out of my campaign, because I am not running against him personally, I am running against his record in office as county judge.

Look, we all have personal struggles and hard times, and I have had my share. I am sure Ray, (or any elected official), has things in his personal life that he does not want blasted all over social media or in the local newspaper. The same can be said for all of you out there posting negative comments – you have personal things that you want to remain personal.

The non-stop personal attacks by Ray's friends have put a spotlight on what it is like to run for office, and to be in office, in Aransas County.

I believe in a citizen's right to question the decisions made by their elected officials. It is our responsibility to be aware of what is going on with our tax dollars and to ask questions when something does not seem right. And that process is what led me to run for County Judge.

I know that our county is in a precarious financial situation. I know that the courthouse is still a major project that needs to be dealt with so that the County Court at Law, District Clerk, and County Clerk can move in. I know that our budget needs to be scrutinized. I know that the lawsuits need to be dealt with.

I worked for 22 years with Bay/Berry Contracting where I started as a laborer and worked my way up to Project Manager. I oversaw multimillion dollar highway, road, and bridge, infrastructure and drainage construction projects all over Texas, finishing them on time and under budget. After retiring from that job I became a realtor and a home inspector. I later accepted a job as project manager in a multimillion dollar apartment complex. After that was completed I worked as a construction inspector for the City of Portland Texas overseeing all infrastructure and drainage projects.

I was in the United States Navy. I was an Alderman on the Fulton Town Council, I was Mayor of Fulton and I was a County Commissioner. As Mayor of Fulton, I oversaw the 3 million dollar Fulton Beach Road downtown project that involved drainage, infrastructure, and new concrete roads. I worked with the Fulton downtown business owners to acquire some of their property to build sidewalks and parking spaces.

In working all of these jobs I gained valuable and actual hands-on experience with budgeting, building and maintaining infrastructure, building drainage and sewer projects, reading blueprints, dealing with engineers, architects, and contractors, preparing bids, reviewing bids, working with local and state elected officials, applying for, receiving, and handling grant funds and bond money.

I stand ready to put my experience and knowledge to work for all of the citizens of Aransas County, not just a select few.

Thank you for reading. Please Share on your personal account as they are allegedly blocking your content on local group pages.

02/19/2026

Hello again, still feeling all the love. Wanted to share a video of Ray Garza the candidate back when he ran the first time.

He states "No More Blank Checks" and "Borrowing should always be voter approved"

How many of you voted for the $6 million?

How many of you voted for the $5 million taken from the Waterway Restoration fund? Yes, it is a loan, it has to be paid back to the fund it was "borrowed" from.

02/19/2026

Wow, feeling all the love out there!

And Ray's people are definitely in attack mode, and it does make for a good distraction. Hate on Russel so that people forget about looking at Ray's record.

Ray Garza is the chief financial officer for the county of Aransas. For the past two years, he did not seem to be aware that the Waterway Restoration fund was being used as a backdoor checking account.

Despite the 2023 Single Audit Report addressing the following: "Due to deficit cash balances in the grants projects fund, downtown anchor courthouse fund, and the airport fund, the general fund did not have sufficient deposit reserves to cover all the deficits. As a result, the County used $2,625,849.00 from the Waterway Restoration fund to cover payments within the grants projects fund", nothing changed.

Please go look at the Single Audit Report for 2024, pages 9, 10 & 11, which points out that the same thing happened again, this time the amount taken from the Waterway Restoration was $1,851,062.00.

On page 72 of the 2024 Audit Report, there is a line item labeled "Due from other funds" $5,621,244.00 in the Waterway Restoration column. Where are those funds going to come from? What is the plan to pay those funds back?

Ray has been publicly stating that a "3rd party auditor told us to do that". How can that be possible? The role of a 3rd party auditor is to find the issues and provide recommendations on how to fix the issues. They would not tell you to take funds from a restricted account to try to cover up deficits in other accounts because then, what is the purpose of an audit?

The Single Audit findings affect our credit rating, which was just recently downgraded. Ray Garza has stated that the downgrade is not that big of a deal.
That makes no sense.
Everyone knows that when a government entity is applying for a loan or grant funds, Single Audits and credit ratings matter.

02/16/2026

This is a key vote. A Democrat opponent is not on the primary ballot for Aransas County Judge, which means the primary election will decide who holds office.

Early Voting in Aransas County runs February 17–27, 2026 for the March 3, 2026 Primary Election.

Location:
Aransas County Elections Office
602 E. Concho St., Rockport, Texas 78358
(Side entrance)

Hours are 8:00 AM–5:00 PM on weekdays, with extended hours during the weekend.

This is our chance to vote out what hasn’t served all of Aransas County and choose leadership that represents the whole community.

Make a plan to vote!

I am proud to introduce my campaign for Aransas County Judge.

I am a lifelong public servant who believes the county government should be practical, transparent, and focused on people. With decades of experience managing construction projects, and working closely with local communities, I understand how to get things done efficiently and responsibly.

My goals are: keep taxes reasonable, make sure departments work together smoothly, and make the county government easier for citizens to understand and trust.

This page is here to share information, ideas, and ways to get involved. We look forward to respectful conversations and keeping the focus where it belongs, on the future of Aransas County.

02/12/2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 12, 2026
Official Response to the Abstract of Judgment

Yes, there is an abstract of judgment tied to a personal loan dispute with Wells Fargo. That matter is still
ongoing and stems from a disagreement with the bank regarding the terms of that personal loan. I am
addressing it through communications with Wells Fargo and handling it responsibly.

But voters deserve perspective.

For decades, I have served this community as Mayor of Fulton, as an Aransas County Commissioner, as
President of the Fulton Oysterfest Committee, and as a member of the Fulton Volunteer Fire Department.
In those roles, I helped manage public budgets, deliver infrastructure improvements, and protect
taxpayer dollars responsibly.

In just one term, Ray Garza has overseen three budgets that raised property taxes every single year,
totaling $6,633,120 more taken from taxpayers. His first budget included a 23.20 percent tax increase,
followed by nearly 10 percent increases for the next two years.

Under Judge Garza, county legal spending jumped from $11,439 the year before he took office to
$582,349 in his first year, $701,152 in his second, with $500,000 more budgeted in year three, more than
$2 million in one term.

And three months ago, Aransas County’s credit rating was downgraded by S&P, citing financial concerns
and mismanagement. That downgrade affects borrowing costs and reflects management decisions at the top. Yes, Judge Garza has not once addressed the public about this downgrade.

This race is about stewardship of public dollars, taxes, infrastructure, public safety and the future of
Aransas County. My record in that regard is clear, and unfortunately so is Judge Garza’s. But to somehow
try and draw comparisons between a single dispute I’ve had with a bank over a personal matter, and the
management of our public institutions is off the mark and a disservice to your readers and the voters of
our community.

Russel Cole

02/12/2026

Want to see what’s on your ballot before you vote?

You can view and download the sample ballots for the upcoming elections on the Aransas County Elections page. Study your choices ahead of time so you’re ready at the polls.

See the sample ballots here:

https://www.aransascountytx.gov/electionadmin/voteelectinfo.php

The purpose of this page is to provide up to date information for upcoming elections in our area, when there is an election this page will be updated with the relevant information you need in order to vote. This page will be updated with the time, date, and place for each election including a listin...

02/09/2026

I am proud to introduce my campaign for Aransas County Judge.

I am a lifelong public servant who believes the county government should be practical, transparent, and focused on people. With decades of experience managing construction projects, and working closely with local communities, I understand how to get things done efficiently and responsibly.

My goals are: keep taxes reasonable, make sure departments work together smoothly, and make the county government easier for citizens to understand and trust.

This page is here to share information, ideas, and ways to get involved. We look forward to respectful conversations and keeping the focus where it belongs, on the future of Aransas County.