December 7, 2018

Loyd Neal, county judge of Nueces County and former mayor of Corpus Christi, is retiring of elective office and as chairman of the Alliance for I-69 Texas. His leadership in guiding the Alliance was celebrated at the organization's recent Annual Meeting.

Sydney Murphy, county judge of Polk County since 2015, was elected as the new chairman of the Alliance by board members at the meeting in Houston.  Community leaders in Polk County (Livingston) and adjacent Angelina County (Lufkin) were among the original advocates for I-69 and have worked for three decades to make it a reality.

Judge Neal took over as Alliance chairman in 2015 and has been very active in efforts to sustain and grow support for I-69 projects. The former mayor of Corpus Christi suffered a series of health setbacks during the past year and thanked friends in the Alliance for their support.

“I have had the privilege of being involved in the development of I-69 since I was first elected mayor of Corpus Christi in 1997,” he said.  “I am confident that the Alliance will go on as strong as ever under the leadership of Judge Murphy.”

Judge Murphy challenged those attending a Houston luncheon to seek ways to quicken the development of I-69.

She praised Neal for his long-term and steady focus on the end goal of completing I-69 and his role in achieving tremendous progress in recent years.  “The work you have done over the years has strengthened the Alliance and prepared us for future success,” she said.

ALLIANCE OFFICERS

Other officers elected during the annual meeting include David Garza, Cameron County Commissioner, secretary-treasurer; Roger Guenther, Port of Houston Authority, vice chair; James Carlow, Bowie County Judge, vice chair; Charles Thomas, Carthage Economic Improvement Corp., vice chair; and Gerry Schwebel, International Bank of Commerce, vice chair.

Before her election as Polk County Judge, Murphy was executive director of the Livingston-Polk County Chamber of Commerce for six years.  Earlier in her career she was a school teacher and counselor in the Livingston and Corrigan-Camden school districts, including time as a bilingual/at-risk counselor.  She spent a decade in private practice as a professional counselor before joining the Chamber of Commerce in 2008.  She is the mother of three adult children.