Killeen mayor steps down

Killeen Mayor Jose Segarra announced that he has stepped down as the city’s mayor Thursday in order to run for City Council.

“In accordance with the Charter of the City of Killeen, when running for a different position within the city, this is my official notification of my resignation of my position of Mayor of the city of Killeen with an effective date of March 17, 2022, at the time of 12 p.m.” Segarra said in his resignation letter.

Segarra has been the mayor of Killeen since 2016 and also served three terms on the City Council beginning in 2012.

The vacancy will allow Mayor Pro Tem Debbie Nash-King, who is the District 2 council member, to become the mayor, according to the City Charter.

Nash-King is also running for mayor in the upcoming May 7 election.

According to the Killeen City Charter, the mayor and members of the City Council must step down from their office if they are running for a “different office” at least 40 days prior to the election.

Segarra’s move to step down and allow Nash-King to become mayor — Killeen’s first Black woman to do so — also prevents Nash-King from having to step down from the council, since she will now be running for the same office instead of a “different office” as the charter describes.

When asked when Nash-King would be sworn in as mayor, Segarra said that it will be late next week.

“In accordance with state rules, we must wait eight days once I send in my resignation letter, so it will be next Friday,” Segarra said.

A news release sent by Killeen city officials Thursday afternoon echoed the mayor’s comments and provided an excerpt from the Texas Elections Code.

“If an officer submits a resignation, whether to be effective immediately or at a future date, a vacancy occurs on the date the resignation is accepted by the appropriate authority or on the eighth day after the date of its receipt by the authority, whichever is earlier,” according to the code.

Segarra said previously it was his intention to step down and allow Nash-King to be sworn in as mayor. Per the city charter, the mayor pro tem shall be sworn in as mayor if the mayor vacates the position for any reason.

The city’s news release Thursday did not mention Segarra’s replacement, however, Killeen spokeswoman Janell Ford said late Thursday “The Mayor Pro Tem is acting mayor.”

The council has already begun the process to fill the expected vacancy for the District 2 council seat.

Applications to fill the District 2 Killeen City Council seat are scheduled to close Friday.

“We have 2 applications for the District 2 seat,” Ford said in an email to the Herald late Thursday.

Applicants must be 18 years old, have lived in Texas for the past 12 months, and have lived in District 2 for the past 6 months. The applicant must also be a registered voter.

The online application can be found at the link below. Interested parties can also pick up an application at City Hall: http://www.killeentexas.gov/153/City-Council

The City Council plans to interview candidates March 29, according to the city.