I realized one of the pillars of Uvalde County was gone.
04-12-26
Commentary by Michael Robinson | Uvalde Hesperian
Hearing the news of Uvalde County Judge Bill Mitchell passing on Friday of this past week, a part of my world stopped for a moment — like the day it was announced that Rush Limbaugh had died. I saw the Facebook post by Gat Mitchell saying his dad had passed earlier that morning at 9:25 a.m.
I realized one of the pillars of Uvalde County was gone.
When my wife Julie and I moved to Uvalde County almost twenty years ago, Bill Mitchell wasn’t someone I immediately got to know. Having worked in print advertising sales, I wasn’t yet orbiting Judge William “Bill” Mitchell. Yet even living just outside the city of Uvalde, working in town, and being a member of the Rotary Club of Uvalde, I met him and heard him speak as a guest at our club meetings and at Uvalde Area Chamber of Commerce banquets.
Years later that changed when I started the Uvalde Hesperian over four years ago. Taking on the mission of reporting local news, I regularly attended Uvalde County Commissioners Court meetings, with Mitchell presiding. Those meetings were held Mondays at 10 a.m., twice a month, in the third-floor courtroom of the Uvalde County Courthouse.
Locally in any Texas county, a county judge holds the most powerful political office someone can have.
Looking back, I’ve likely written hundreds of news articles about Bill Mitchell. Personally, I didn’t agree with all of his decisions as County Judge.
But I can say this without hesitation: Bill Mitchell loved Uvalde. When I had a news question, I could stop by his office at the courthouse and see him. He always returned my calls and texts. On a few occasions he’d text me, “This is Bill Mitchell. Do you have a couple of minutes to come by the courthouse today?”
When I saw his name pop up in a text, I felt like a junior-high kid called to the principal’s office. I’d wonder, “What did I do or write that got the County Judge’s attention?” But as soon as I stepped into his corner office, that anxiousness disappeared. Judge Mitchell usually just had a point or perspective on a news item he wanted to share. The meetings quickly turned into cordial, back-and-forth conversations.
In the aftermath of the May 24th Robb School tragedy, Mitchell was one of the first people I interviewed on camera.
He signed a proclamation designating a particular day as official STEM Day ahead of one of the four educational expos I organized at the El Progreso Memorial Library.
Person to person, he wasn’t the often-intimidating figure sitting on the county commissioner’s dais. We’d always share a laugh at the end and a warm handshake.
Many people may not know that Bill Mitchell started and ran his own local newspaper for a year or two back in the 1970s right here in Uvalde.
Mitchell was always dressed to the nines. He probably knew John T. Molloy’s Dress for Success by heart.
Bill Mitchell had huge supporters and detractors. He was a controversial figure for sure — an enigma to me as well. His political savvy was unparalleled. Politically, he was a formidable force.
I found Mitchell to be neither a saint nor a villain, but a complicated man who wasn’t afraid to lead our county through many huge challenges. He was quick to celebrate with us when something good happened, and he stood with the people in the dark times.
Rest in peace, Bill.
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