AMARILLO, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) — Nancy Tanner, the judge for Potter County, announced Wednesday that she has appointed Robert Ruiz as the interim county commissioner for precinct two. This comes after Mercy Murguia, the previous precinct two commissioner, stepped down earlier this year.

According to previous reports by MyHighPlains.com, Murguia stepped down from her position in September, stating that she was moving to the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Ruiz was sworn-in Wednesday into the precinct two commissioner’s position.

Ruiz currently serves as the bailiff in the Amarillo Municipal Court and has been an Amarillo resident nearly his entire life. He told MyHighPlains.com that he was excited, but nervous, about the new position, but was ready to get to work.

“It’s a great day for a lot of us. A lot of precinct two is going to be happy that I’m taking over and I hope I can be an assistant to all the community,” he said. “I’m just going to keep riding what I do and I work hard for the people. I am a great people person… I just feel confident that coming in with new ideas may be able to help with my job here, my seat here.”

Ruiz said his biggest concern was leadership within the community, particularly surrounding the youth within precinct two. But another thing that Ruiz wants to focus on as the precinct two commissioner is the budget for the overall county.

“I want to get familiar with the budget and I know that’s their biggest, number one, concern. I just want to be able to be an impact player,” he said. “When they have these meetings, to know exactly what their budget is all about… I just love my community. I love being here. I love Potter County. I can’t wait to start working with my precinct along with my fellow commissioners so we can get on the same page and start working hard to move forward.”