Monday, April 29, 2024
District Judge Bryan Bufkin officially appointed Roberta Zamarron to be the new district clerk for Hood County on Tuesday, March 12.
Zamarron will fill the position previously held by Tonna Hitt Newman, who passed away on Feb. 18.
“It’s very hard to lose somebody like Tonna Newman,” Bufkin told the Hood County News. “It’s been hard for the district clerk’s office. We miss her. It’s hard to replace her — who’s a legend in the courthouse — but according to state law, when there’s a vacancy in that office, I fill it.”
Zamarron has worked for the county attorney’s office since May of 2017. She became office manager in 2019.
Bufkin explained that the 355th District had a pool of qualified candidates, but he chose Zamarron specifically for a number of reasons.
“One, she’s a strong, conservative woman who I think will serve the citizens of Hood County well,” he said. “Two, she has worked in the courthouse for around seven years in the county attorney’s office and she gets along with everybody well. She leads the team as the office manager there well, so I think she will lead the team in the district clerk’s office well. Most importantly, I was just very impressed with her.”
Bufkin said he believes Zamarron will be accessible to the public, transparent, and proficient with the duties of the district clerk.
“It's a hard position,” he explained. “That district clerk position is vital to the administration of justice. Every file that comes to that office represents a very important court case, so it's very important that we have somebody there who is transparent, and I believe that Roberta can do those things. Ultimately, it just came down to somebody that I think will do well for our county and move us forward.”
Zamarron’s swearing-in ceremony will take place at 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 20 in the 355th District Court.
