Anderson County Judge recognized for service

Pennylynn Webb, Palestine Herald-Press, Texas
·2 min read

Dec. 10—The East Texas Council of Governments recently recognized Anderson County Judge Robert Johnston for 11 years of service.

"Judge Johnston's service to Anderson County and to the entire 14-County East Texas Region has been nothing short of stellar" said East Texas Council of Governments Executive Director David Cleveland. "His passion for excellence and willingness to serve whenever and wherever needed is a model all of us aspire to attain."

ETCOG, a voluntary association of counties, cities, school districts and special districts, serves 14 East Texas counties. It helps local governments to plan, cooperate, and coordinate actions and policies for sound regional development.

Established in 1970, ETCOG, either directly or through its contractors, provides programs and services for East Texas seniors, employers and job seekers.

ETCOG and its contractors also built the 911 emergency call delivery system. The organization also provides peace officer training and homeland security planning services, and delivers rural transportation services, business finance programs and environmental grant funding for the region.

Johnston has served as county judge in Anderson County since 2010. He has served as a member of the East Texas Council of Governments board of directors and executive committee since 2011 and became the Chairman in 2015. He also joined the ETCOG Chief Elected Officials/Rural Planning Organization Board in 2011 and has served as its Chairman since 2015.

In September 2022, Johnston was elected the first ETCOG delegate to serve as President of the Texas Association of Regional Councils Board.

TARC is the statewide association of regional councils whose members focus on enhancing the quality of life through regional strategies, partnerships and solutions. Johnston began service to the TARC board representing the ETCOG region in 2016 and served as its President-Elect in 2021.

"We want to give our sincerest thanks and recognition to Judge Johnston for serving ETCOG in a multitude of capacities for eleven years," Cleveland said. "During Judge Johnston's service, many things have been evident through his leadership. He loves this region. He takes his role seriously and has sacrificed to serve the region. He always does what he believes is right. And both as an individual and leader of our organizational boards, he has supported our agency and made it better. We thank you for your leadership, guidance, dedicated service, and friendship, for which we are incredibly grateful."