Williamson County welcomes new public officials with swearing-in ceremony

Williamson County swears in elected officials

Newly elected officials in Williamson County were sworn in on New Year's Day, including a brand new sheriff.

GEORGETOWN, Texas - On New Year’s Day, Williamson County celebrated more than a dozen public officials. They were sworn in at the county's courthouse as hundreds of voters looked on.

As crowds stood shoulder to shoulder to watch the county's 112th swearing-in ceremony at the historic courthouse, there was not an empty seat in the house.

Altogether, 15 public officials took their oath of office on Wednesday, including District Attorney Shawn Dick, County Attorney Dee Hobbs, several constables, and the two returning Commissioners, Valerie Covey and Terry Cook.

Perhaps most notably, there's also a new sheriff in town. The courthouse just about exploded after Matthew Lindmann's swearing-in.

"I appreciate their faith and all their confidence they put into me and I promise that I will do my best and to be the best Sheriff of Williamson County has had in recent years," said Lindemann.

Lindemann began working for the sheriff's office in 1985, but for the last 28 years, he's served with the Texas Rangers.
When he walked out of the courthouse on Wednesday, as sheriff, the first thing on his mind was his employees.

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"There are a lot of people at the sheriff's office that I don't know," said Lindemann. "Getting to know each one of those people personally will be one of my goals, but doing everything we can to equip them and train them, compensate them so that they come home safely at the end of each day is going to be my number one priority."

As so many public officials do in Williamson County, he'll have to consider the area's growth. According to him, about 4,000 people move here every month.

"We're going to have to continue to ask for more deputies, more equipment to be able to meet the needs and keep the response times down on 911 calls to a minimum," said Lindemann.

He'll also need more space for the sheriff's office. "It's aged and we want to build something that's going to be good for 30 or 40 years."

Lindemann also wants to prioritize a fentanyl education program during his term.

"Most importantly, we need to develop some type of educational program so the kids don't take these pills and the adults don't these pills in the first place so I want to focus on that, maybe work with our school districts to get that word out to more young people," said Lindemann.

Lindemann ousted Mike Gleason as sheriff in November. On day one, he's ready to get to work for the future of the county.

"Being in law enforcement that long, raising our children here in Williamson County, and now my grandchildren are being raised here, I want to keep it safe for them and for everyone else that lives here," said Lindemann.

Below is a list of all newly sworn-in public officials in Williamson County: