Constable George Morales announces bid for Precinct 4 commissioner

Less than a week after Travis County Precinct 4 Commissioner Margaret Gómez announced her retirement, a new candidate has entered the race.

Travis County Constable George Morales announced his plans to run for the seat on Saturday in front of a crowd at the Plumbers & Pipefitters Union office in East Austin.

He is the first to publicly enter the race since Gómez revealed last Monday that she plans to retire at the end of her term. The election is scheduled for next November.

"Precinct 4 is my home. I was raised here, I've raised my family here, and I've spent my life working to uplift this community," Gomez said in a message to supporters later posted on social media.

Morales’s path in public service mirrors Gómez’s. Like her, he served as Precinct 4 constable before seeking a seat on the Commissioners Court. He has held the position for nine years.

"My parents taught me the values of service, dignity, and never forgetting where you come from," Gomez said. "As a lifelong public servant and your Precinct 4 Constable, I've worked hard to live by those values every day."

Before being elected constable, Morales worked as a deputy in the Precinct 4 Constable’s Office. He was fired and later allowed to resign in 2002 after being accused of misconduct stemming from an alleged night of drinking and inappropriate behavior with court clerks. In a 2016 interview with the American-Statesman, Morales denied the allegations, saying he was targeted in retaliation for accusing then-Constable Maria Canchola of racism.

Canchola and others disputed his account, but Morales went on to defeat her in the 2016 election.