Vanessa Luna’s sign read, “DANIEL WONG WRONG WRONG WRONG.”
Another protestor’s sign said, “Wong Should Be Elected, Not Appointed.”
Luna, a Rosenberg resident, signed up to speak during Fort Bend County’s Commissioners Court Thursday. She and six other people voiced their concerns to Interim County Judge Daniel Wong about his appointment to the position. This was his first time presiding over the Commissioners Court.
Luna told Wong during her testimony, “You are not doing the right thing, and you are not with the right people.”
Vicki Kaufman, a resident of unincorporated Fort Bend County, was first to speak: “The interim appointment of Mr. Wong as County Judge is wrong on so many levels that I don’t know where to begin. I guess I’ll begin by saying that if Mr. Wong were to exhibit an understanding of the situation and a bit of integrity, he would turn down this appointment. I think we all know that incumbency is usually a big advantage in an election.”
Wong, the Republican nominee for the position, was appointed Friday, April 10, by Galveston County visiting Judge Jeth Jones (R), following the suspension of KP George. Wong was sworn in Monday, April 13.
Current Precinct 4 Commissioner Dexter McCoy will most likely face Wong on the ballot in November. He told ABC 13 the appointment “reeks of collusion.”
Wong’s naming of Trever Nehls as Chief of Staff and Bobby Eberle as Director of Communications also came under scrutiny from those who gave testimony against Wong’s appointment.
Anna, a Sugar Land resident, told Wong his installation is pure politics. “It’s a rigged system by a hyper-partisan Galveston County judge who decided to install a current Republican candidate for county judge. To add insult to injury, you’ve also installed the Republican chairman of the Fort Bend Republican Party as his Director of Communications. Continuing the insult to injury, you have added as chief of staff MAGA Trever Nehls, who is running for his brother’s seat in Congressional District 22. So, our taxpayer dollars are now going to be paying for a hyper-partisan MAGA takeover of our Fort Bend County government, and this is happening without one single vote being cast.”
Trever Nehls’ opponent, congressional candidate Marquette Greene-Scott, spoke to the press outside of the Historic Courthouse in Richmond. When asked about Harris County commissioners appointing Abby Kamin to county attorney, a position she’s currently campaigning for, Marquette said, “I didn’t think it was right. This one affects me more personally. I am going to voice my opinions, but no, I thought the same thing. How can we decry this if we’re not decrying that? I didn’t congratulate her on the appointment.”
Eberle told the press Thursday Daniel Wong had to make staffing choices quickly after the surprise ruling: “Most people, when they’re elected, they have sixty days to transition. Our team had sixty hours, and so what he looked for from the chief of staff position is someone who can lead, someone who also had government experience. That combination, in the timeframe that we were given, made Trever an obvious choice. He’s stepped in, and I’ve seen him in meetings. He knows the departments. He knows people in various divisions. He’s been able to take charge and is doing a great job. As soon as we find someone who can step into that chief of staff position in a more permanent way, he’ll step aside.”
Eberle resigned his position, effective Saturday, April 18, as chair of the Fort Bend Republican Party. Incoming Chair Greg Barnes was sworn in as interim party chair until his official term begins in June.
Eberle went on to say that Daniel Wong’s likability and expertise will be good for the county. Eberle said, “I think what you are seeing with these comments is an effort to just dig up dirt and try to tarnish what should be something very special, and that is this first meeting. I think it’s been run very successfully, very professionally. I think that’s what he’s going to continue to do. He sets a warmth and a tone that is both professional and engaging, and I think that’s what we should take out of this.”
Daniel Wong will face either Rachelle Carter (D) or Dexter McCoy (D) in November. The winner will serve a four-year term as Fort Bend County Judge beginning in January 2027.