Plano Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Julie Holmer resigned from the City Council this week to launch a bid to become the sole Democrat on the Collin County Commissioners Court.
Holmer is seeking the Precinct 4 seat on the five-member court, which oversees county government. The seat is up for election in November 2026.
“Our county is growing, and we have people coming from all over the United States,” Holmer said. “It’s really important that our county feels like a welcoming place and is representative of people that live here.”
Because of the state’s resign-to-run law, elected officials must step down if they announce their candidacy for another office during their term. Holmer will stay in her council seat until a special election to replace her is held within 120 days of her resignation.
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Holmer was elected to the Plano City Council Place 7 seat in 2021 after council member Lily Bao resigned to run for mayor, a race she lost to current Mayor John Muns. Holmer then ran unopposed in 2023. Her current term expires in 2027.
Holmer, 51, moved to Plano in the 1980s and graduated from Plano Senior High. She holds a degree in social work and is a marketing professional at a local printing company.
“Serving and representing the people of Plano has been one of the most meaningful and rewarding experiences of my life,” Holmer wrote in her resignation letter.
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“I’m deeply grateful for the trust our community has placed in me and proud to have worked alongside past and present council members — and our dedicated city staff — to keep Plano a safe, vibrant, and forward-thinking city,” she said.
Holmer will run against Shelby Williams, former chair of the Collin County GOP, who also resigned from his seat on Plano City Council in March to run for Commissioner Duncan Webb’s Precinct 4 seat. Webb previously told The Dallas Morning News he is not running for reelection after serving on the court since 2011.
Woody Huffines, a financial and project management executive, is also running for the Precinct 4 post as a Republican.
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Precinct 4 includes land in Plano in the county’s southwest portion. Holmer said she hopes to make health care more accessible in the county and address strains on transportation and water as the county grows.
Commissioners on the court have authority over the county’s administrative services, including public works, which maintains and builds county roads; health care services; facilities; and the county’s budget.
The court has four commissioners and the county judge, Chris Hill. Court members serve staggered four-year terms with no term limits. Last year, Commissioner Darrell Hale defeated Democratic challenger Yvette Johnson in the race for the Precinct 3 chair and a bid to upset the fully Republican governing body.