<description>&lt;div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW183320845 BCX8"&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;span class="TextRun SCXW183320845 BCX8" lang="EN-US" xml:lang= "EN-US" data-contrast="auto"&gt;&lt;span class= "NormalTextRun SCXW183320845 BCX8" data-ccp-parastyle= "No Spacing"&gt;From&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class= "NormalTextRun SCXW183320845 BCX8" data-ccp-parastyle= "No Spacing"&gt; patching asphalt &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class= "NormalTextRun SCXW183320845 BCX8" data-ccp-parastyle= "No Spacing"&gt;as part of a county &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class= "NormalTextRun SCXW183320845 BCX8" data-ccp-parastyle= "No Spacing"&gt;work &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class= "NormalTextRun SCXW183320845 BCX8" data-ccp-parastyle= "No Spacing"&gt;crew to elected official, &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class= "NormalTextRun SCXW183320845 BCX8" data-ccp-parastyle= "No Spacing"&gt;De Witt County Commissioner Ryan Varela knows what it takes to keep rural roads moving. In this &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class= "NormalTextRun SCXW183320845 BCX8" data-ccp-parastyle= "No Spacing"&gt;episode of &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class= "NormalTextRun SCXW183320845 BCX8" data-ccp-parastyle= "No Spacing"&gt;Texas County Voice&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class= "NormalTextRun SCXW183320845 BCX8" data-ccp-parastyle= "No Spacing"&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class= "NormalTextRun SCXW183320845 BCX8" data-ccp-parastyle= "No Spacing"&gt;—&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="NormalTextRun SCXW183320845 BCX8" data-ccp-parastyle="No Spacing"&gt; part &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class= "NormalTextRun SCXW183320845 BCX8" data-ccp-parastyle= "No Spacing"&gt;of our Texas County Storytellers initiative — he shares how the&lt;/span&gt; &lt;span class= "NormalTextRun SCXW183320845 BCX8" data-ccp-parastyle= "No Spacing"&gt;Eagle Ford Shale&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class= "NormalTextRun SCXW183320845 BCX8" data-ccp-parastyle= "No Spacing"&gt; oil&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class= "NormalTextRun SCXW183320845 BCX8" data-ccp-parastyle= "No Spacing"&gt; boom tests South Texas infrastructure&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="NormalTextRun SCXW183320845 BCX8" data-ccp-parastyle="No Spacing"&gt;, &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class= "NormalTextRun SCXW183320845 BCX8" data-ccp-parastyle= "No Spacing"&gt;and the lessons of responsibility, resilience and service he's learned along the way.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;strong&gt;See also:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a class= "Hyperlink SCXW183320845 BCX8" href= "https://www.county.org/county-magazine-articles/storytellers/2026/dewitt-county-story" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"&gt;&lt;span class= "NormalTextRun SCXW183320845 BCX8" data-ccp-charstyle= "Hyperlink"&gt;County magazine: Dust, pavement and the price of progress&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;a class="Hyperlink SCXW183320845 BCX8" href= "https://www.county.org/resources/resource-library/resources-for-officials/texascountystorytellers" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"&gt;&lt;span class= "NormalTextRun SCXW183320845 BCX8" data-ccp-charstyle= "Hyperlink"&gt;Texas County Storytellers&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span class= "EOP SCXW183320845 BCX8" data-ccp-props= "{"335559739":0}"&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/div&gt;</description>

Texas County Voice

Texas Association of Counties

Ep. 96: From Potholes to Public Office: A Working Commissioner's Story

MAR 13, 20269 MIN
Texas County Voice

Ep. 96: From Potholes to Public Office: A Working Commissioner's Story

MAR 13, 20269 MIN

Description

From patching asphalt as part of a county work crew to elected official, De Witt County Commissioner Ryan Varela knows what it takes to keep rural roads moving. In this episode of Texas County Voice — part of our Texas County Storytellers initiative — he shares how the Eagle Ford Shale oil boom tests South Texas infrastructure, and the lessons of responsibility, resilience and service he's learned along the way. See also:County magazine: Dust, pavement and the price of progress Texas County Storytellers