The City of Edna, Jackson County, and the greater Crossroads region lost an important champion and friend this week with the death of longtime Edna Mayor Joe Hermes.
Hermes passed away Mon., July 27 at the age of 82. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Margaret (Wiede) Hermes, children Joel (Molly), Chad, and Ashli (Corey), and four grandchildren, Joseph Hermes, Peter Hermes, Sam Taylor, and Lilli Taylor. Visitation will be from 5-7 p.m. on Wed., Aug. 5 at Oaklawn Funeral Home. A Celebration of Life service will be held at 11 a.m., Thur., Aug. 6 at First Baptist Church of Edna with Pastor Andy Schroer of Redeemer Lutheran Church officiating.
Born in El Campo in 1943, Hermes grew up in Edna and graduated from Edna High School, then from the University of Houston, and started a career as an accountant in Houston with ITT Henze and later the James Letsos Company. He and his family moved to Edna in 1974, and Hermes joined the office of Garland Sandhop, CPA. Hermes earned his Certified Public Accounting certification in 1980 and opened his own accounting firm with offices in Edna and Ganado. He expanded his expertise by becoming a licensed stockbroker, financial advisor, and securities dealer with a Federal Securities License. He was also part of a group including Harrison Stafford, Willard Ulbricht, David Rose, and Mark Rose who owned the Jackson County Herald-Tribune for a time, before selling the paper to Moser Community Media in 2005.
Hermes served as District 1 city councilman in 1979-1981, and later as District 3 councilman from 1982-1986. He ran for Mayor in 1987 and served the City of Edna as Mayor for 32 years, until 2019, never losing an election. He was named the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce & Agriculture Citizen of the Year in 1993.
Over the years, Hermes served the community as a member of many civic organizations, including as president of the Edna Lions Club; director of the Jackson County Appraisal District; director and officer of the Jackson County Senior Citizens Board; director and officer of Oak Creek Retirement Foundation; director and officer of the Jackson County Literacy Foundation; director and officer of the Jackson County Economic Foundation; director and officer of the City of Edna Economic Foundation; and director of the South Texas Commission. He was also a member of the American Institute of CPAs, the Texas Society of CPAs, and the National Society of CPAs.
A member of St. Paul Lutheran Church, Hermes served as a member of the church’s Board of Lay Ministry, Board of Youth, and as Church Treasurer. He also coached his sons in T-ball and Little League baseball.
He was involved with the Texas Municipal League, a statewide organization devoted to providing services to Texas cities by representing cities’ interests at the state and federal levels. Hermes served as a board member; president of TML Region 11; chairman and member of the TML Small Cities Advisory Council; and board member of the TML Intergovernmental Employee Risk Pool.
In addition, he also was involved with the Golden Crescent Regional Planning Commission, a voluntary association of local governments, special districts, and regional stakeholders who work together to solve challenges facing the seven-county Golden Crescent region. He served as director of the Golden Crescent Regional Planning Commission and was appointed by Texas Governors Bill Clements, Ann Richards, George W. Bush, and Rick Perry to be a member of the GCRPC Grant Review Committee. In 2001 he was named the GCRPC’s Citizen of the Year, and in 2003 he received the GCRPC’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
But Hermes was so much more than a member of a board or an elected official.
Current Mayor Lance Smiga was first elected to council in 2016 before running in 2019 to succeed Hermes in office. He said Hermes influenced him from the start with his graciousness and servant’s heart.
“Joe’s love for Edna was evident in every conversation that I ever had with him,” Smiga said. “He was a dedicated servant to the city and, more importantly, to the people of this town. He poured his heart and soul into every decision to try and help this city be better. His career as public servant is second to none and should serve as a guide for all of us to follow.
“His dedication to the community in which he lived has touched all that live inEdna, whether they know it or not. Joe told me in 2016 to make decisions with my heart and stand by them, and that is exactly what he had done during his 40+ years of service. I stated at his retirement that, ‘Joe is Edna, and Edna is a reflection of Joe’. Icannot come up with a better summation of what he means to this city and all that live here.”
Longtime city employees recalled Hermes’ influence fondly, relating his importance to their careers and personal lives.
Brad Ryan said that Hermes was the reason he rose from a sewer plant operator to become Public Works Director.
“He was the reason I’ve gone where I’ve gone,” Ryan said. “He was behind me, supported me, and encouraged me. He was a big influence, a big positive influence on my life.
“Joe Cool, he was something. He was the biggest influence on my career of anybody here. The most important thing to him was seeing that stuff for the City of Edna was done.”
City Utility Billing Clerks Vicki Hessong and Samantha Idlett fondly recalled Hermes’ leadership and gracious, kind attention toward everyone who worked for him at City Hall and at the Jackson County Herald-Tribune, describing a man who was pleasant to work for, who never forgot a holiday, and who always had something uplifting to share.
“He was a wonderful boss,” Idlett said. “We could go to him with anything we had questions on or we needed help with.”
Hessong agreed, adding, “He was always willing to help us. We could talk to him about anything, and he would be able to (guide us in the right direction).”
Idlett recounted memories of Hermes offering to drive her and family members to medical treatments in downtown Houston years ago.
“He was not just a boss,” Idlett said. “He was a good friend, an ‘uncle’, ‘adopted daddy’, whatever.”
“We always joked and told him he was the ‘Man of City Hall,’” Hessong said. “He was just a really great guy.”
Hermes stayed in touch long after leaving office, checking in with his friends to make sure all was well and offering advice when needed.
“We loved him,” Idlett said. “We can’t say enough about him. He’ll definitely be missed.”
Smiga said that Hermes’ guidance and experience were invaluable, and that he would miss him.
“He was a dear friend and mentor that I admire and truly look up to,” Smiga said. “He and I would often joke because I still referred to him as mayor, and he would quickly remind me that it was now my title and obligation. I would always respond that as long as he was around, he would always be mayor in my book.
“With his passing, I still don’t feel worthy of that title. Joe set the bar extremely high. I will sit in the chair and hold the place, but Joe Hermes in my eyes will always be Mayor.”