Hon. Michael C. Roach was sworn in as the Stephens County Judge on January 1st, 2019. Judge Roach received his Bachelor of Arts in Government with a Pre-Law concentration from Regent University in 2022. Judge Roach is currently attending Syracuse University College of Law to advance his legal career. Judge Roach is the chairperson of the Salvation Army in Breckenridge, Texas. Judge Roach has served on the executive committee of the West Central Texas Council of Governments since 2020. Additionally, Judge Roach serves on the board of the Central Texas Rural Transit District.Judge Roach was honored as his community's Citizen of the Year for his public service work during the COVID-19 Pandemic and winter storm Yuri (2021).Elected in November 2018 and reelected in November 2022, Judge Roach serves the citizens of Stephens County. A county judge in Texas is the presiding officer of the governing body of a county government in Texas, the five-member county commissioners court. There are 254 county judges in Texas, one for each of the state’s 254 counties.County judges wield a mix of executive, judicial, and legislative or quasi-legislative powers. Each county judge is a voting member of the commissioner's court in his or her county, which sets the tax rate, policies, and budget of the county. Duties of county judges in Texas include:• serving as the judge of the county court in certain criminal and civil cases• presiding over the commissioner's court and overseeing the agenda• serving as the head of emergency management in the county• serving as the chief budget officer in counties with a population under 225,000• calling elections, posting election notices, and receiving and canvassing election returns• holding hearings for liquor license applications• performing marriages• receiving and approving bonds and sureties for various county concerns.In effect, a county judge is the chief executive of the county, though his power is shared with other county officials and the commissioner's court collectively.