It's the end of an era in Tarrant County -- the only county administrator that it has ever known is retiring.
G.K. Maenius has been serving in that role since 1988, and he has announced that he will be retiring at the end of September.
"He truly is a Tarrant County institution and will be missed," said Tarrant County Judge Tim O'Hare.
Maenius is the longest-serving county administrator in the State of Texas, having served under four judges, including O'Hare and his immediate predecessor, Glen Whitley.
"He was always one that would talk with the commissioners and the court and try to keep us up to speed on what was going on," Whitley tells KRLD News. "(He) would let us know when he thought something was going to be newsworthy."
In his 35 years as county administrator, Maenius held county government together as the county's population nearly doubled from 1.1 million residents to 2.1 million.
"It's pretty amazing that he's been able to keep everybody happy, and he's kept them happy by creating a very financially sound county and helping us to do the things that we needed to do to achieve that." said Whitley.
"Getting to know him, seeing his integrity, getting to work with him, and just things I've learned from him -- he will be definitely missed, but his retirement is well deserved," said Judge O'Hare.
The Commissioners Court is expected to discuss launching the search for its new county administrator at its next meeting on June 20th.
Whitley said it would be in the county's best interest to hire someone local who's familiar with the county and how it operates.
"It's the end of a big era and one that G.K. can look back with a great deal of pride in what he's done to bring Tarrant County to where it is today," said Whitley.
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Tell your Smart Speaker to "PLAY 1080 KRLD"
Sign Up and Follow NewsRadio 1080 KRLD
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
