Montgomery County judge lays off official who ran against him

Montgomery County Judge Craig Doyal has laid off the county's director of infrastructure, a onetime political adversary, as part of a move to reorganize county government.

Mark Bosma, who served with the county for more than 20 years, was laid off Monday, after county commissioners voted to give Doyal the authority to restructure the bureaucracy.

Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack cast the only vote against the proposal.

Bosma ran against Doyal last year for county judge in a heated battle of conservative credentials in the heavily Republican area. Although Bosma drew some tea party support, Doyal won a GOP runoff in May.

Bosma also gained widespread attention when he spoke publicly in 2013 about his role in uncovering alleged financial misconduct in the construction of two county projects, a detention facility and mental health treatment complex.

Statute expired

A county grand jury cited "ethical violations, mismanagement and lack of financial oversight" in the construction of the facilities. But it did not find criminal violations, in part because a two-year statute of limitations on criminal charges such as conflict of interest had expired.

The county attorney last year demanded that two former county officials and the center's developer reimburse Montgomery County for millions in alleged overcharges, but the Commissioners Court, fearing a defamation suit from the two ex-officials, agreed last fall to pay them a total of $50,000.

Reached by phone, Bosma confirmed Tuesday he was let go but declined to elaborate until he consulted with his attorneys.

Doyal declined to comment on anything concerning the reorganization or Bosma's termination apart from a written statement.

He said that the move was part of an effort to streamline the county's operations and save money.

In addition to Bosma's, four other positions were eliminated, including some in the county law library, according to the statement.

Savings put at $400,000

According to Doyal, the county would save more than $400,000 from the eliminated salaries, not including the savings from not having to provide benefits. That money would be directed toward law enforcement operations, he said.

"The goal is to streamline and organize county operations to ensure the highest and best allocation of tax dollars in line with our mission of providing services to Montgomery County taxpayers and residents," the statement reads.

Doyal will be scrutinizing more positions in the future, his statement said.

Bosma was appointed infrastructure director in 2006 as part of another county restructuring effort to save money and bureaucracy, then-County Judge Alan Sadler said at the time.

Before that, Bosma served as the county's purchasing agent. He was hired by the county in 1992.

Noack said he voted against the proposal because he said the commissioners court should "collectively" manage the county.

"We as a court should make those types of decisions instead of abdicating that to a single individual," Noack said.