District Clerk
Harris County District Clerk Marilyn Burgess is no running for reelection. This is posted on the District Clerk’s website:
Houston (TX) Monday, September 22, 2025 – The following statement must be attributed to Harris County District Clerk Marilyn Burgess.
I am deeply concerned about the disparity of salaries of Harris County elected officials and some appointed county officials and high-level county employees. Because of this, I filed a salary grievance, which Texas law allows elected officials to do.
The Texas Local Government Code outlines two options to form a Salary Grievance Committee: A panel of nine public members randomly selected from a list of individuals who served on a grand jury in the previous calendar year or a committee made up of six countywide elected officials, with former grand jurors added to reach nine voting members.
The Harris County Commissioners Court opted for the second option and this is how the committee that heard my grievance was formed. As part of this process, the County Attorney’s Office confirmed it is legal under Texas law that I, as a grievant, participated as a voting member of the Salary Grievance Committee.
On September 16, the committee voted to make a recommendation to Commissioners Court to raise the District Clerk’s salary to $260,000 per year.
For perspective, Commissioners Court approved a 23% raise for the eight Harris County constables in 2024, which saw their salaries increase from $144,279 to $178,000. Then, earlier this month, Commissioners Court approved yet another raise for the constables, which will make them earn $260,000 starting in Fiscal Year 2026.
With over 600 employees, a budget of more than $60 million, and multiple statutory duties that include managing jury service and supporting more than 100 courts, I have a bigger staff to manage and more responsibilities to fulfill as District Clerk than several of our constables do. By asking for a salary raise, I was trying to be on par with constables because I think it is fully justified.
In addition, I am deeply concerned about the skyrocketing raises that multiple appointed county officials and high-level county employees have enjoyed in the past few years. In some cases, the people holding these county positions are earning annual salaries higher than $400,000. This is more than what the President of the United States is paid.
I filed my salary grievance and stood by it to expose the concerning disparity between the salaries of elected officials and other county positions that do not have as many responsibilities. In addition, I also wanted to raise my voice one more time about the fact the employees of the District Clerk’s Office are some of the lowest paid in Harris County, while in many cases their training is more strict and arduous than that of people who work for other county agencies.
With this statement, I am also announcing I will not run for reelection as District Clerk in 2026 and I will not pursue any other political office either. I will continue to work hard every day and do the best I can for this office for the balance of my term.
This is from the Chron:
Marilyn Burgess, the elected Harris County district clerk, is not running for a third term in 2026, she said in a statement days after voting for her own pay increase amid a salary grievance.
Burgess, the Democratic clerk tasked with assembling jurors and housing civil and criminal court records, said she would not run for any other political office, either. She took office in 2018. Her political plans capped a lengthy statement in an email from her office Monday. The same email took exception to salaries for elected officials lagging behind appointed leaders in Harris County.
She makes more than $179,000 a year as district clerk, an amount she believes is too low.
Her grievance comes as elected constables are poised to receive a pay increase to $260,000 after similarly pursuing a challenge to their salaries. Burgess asked for a similar amount in her grievance, saying in a statement Monday that she has a “bigger staff to manage and more responsibilities to fulfill as District Clerk than several of our constables do.”
The grievance did not garner her desired outcome.
Last week, Burgess asked the grievance committee, which she is a voting member of, for the raise and went as far to motion for a $81,000 pay bump. Burgess and other members voted for the increase, but Commissioners Court took no action on the raise Thursday on their recommendation. Commissioner Adrian Garcia, who outlined Burgess’ steps to get the raise, challenged her on whether she believed her participation in the vote was a conflict, but county attorneys said the appearance of a conflict is not a legal conflict.
“So it looks bad,” Garcia said. “It may not necessarily be illegal, but it’s horrible on the face of it.”
Here is the entire Chron read: Marilyn Burgess, Harris County district clerk, not seeking re-election.
Crocodile tears from Commentary on this.
In the case of the constables, they were all in it together and put forward a united front.
If salary is a concern, candidates should know what the position pays before they file for office.
The District Clerk being out there on her own asking for a hefty pay raise at taxpayer expense wasn’t a good look. She could have handled it a lot better.
BTW: Members of the Texas State Senate and the Texas House of Representatives get paid $600 per month plus a per diem stipend while in session.
Now let’s see who files for Harris County District Clerk that pays $179,000.
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The featured photo says it all. ABC felt the heat. ABC listened to the folks who have supported their product instead of those who love to bash them and their parent company Disney. Good call by ABC. I guess they finally saw “Brave.”
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If you are going to take medical advice from Donald Trump and RFK, Jr., well, you are on your own. Unfortunately, a lot of folks will.
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It is down to six games. Let’s win in Sacramento this evening.