Pat Deen — Parker County Judge
Pat has just finished up his first year as the Parker County Judge.
It’s been an eventful, albeit, exhausting first year filled with joys
and challenges. His biggest challenge? “Balancing the work sched-
ule with family,” Pat said. “I work probably 70 hours a week.”
Prioritizing the needs of the county and the need to spend time
with his family is no small feat.
Growth is coming and needs of the people are starting to grow,
as well as the need to generate more money. One major goal he
has set is to bring more jobs to with county, jobs with more value.
“But it’s important that we make sure we’re not negatively affect-
ing the identity of Parker County,” Pat said. “We aren’t trying to
be a Plano or a Frisco.”
Although his first year in office has been somewhat challenging,
he’s loved every minute of it. “I love what I do and love this job
more than anything I’ve ever done in my whole life,” he said.
“The judge works as a team with the commissioner’s court and
inspires teamwork with the commissioners. We have a good court;
I love working with these guys. I feel we have a good connec-
tion and they know I have their backs and will do anything to
help them. My success goes hand-in-hand with theirs. They’re all
straight shooters and don’t pull any punches. When you have that,
you have their trust and respect.”
Jim Eggleston — Attorney with Eggleston
King and Developer, Rancher and Writer
Most people in Parker County think of Jim as an attorney, but
lately he’s becoming well-known for the dramatic vision he has
for Parker County, in general and Weatherford in particular. He
is a land developer and was instrumental in forming the Parker
County Economic Development Council. He is fond of saying,
“Weatherford is going to change. You can either go with it, or get
run over by it.”
His most recent property acquisitions include the old Citizen’s
National Bank building on the square purchased from Parker
County and The Texas Opry. “I inspire people to buy in on stuff,”
Eggleston said. “My goal is to make a difference. The plan for my
land is to create 5,000 new jobs for Parker County.” Why? “I do
everything for my grandkids,” he said.
The one thing that few people know about Jim is, “I have a Big
Jayhawk tattoo on my leg,” he said with pride. “I have a lot of
tattoos. I started getting them a few years ago.”
Another little-known fact about Jim is that he has deep roots in
Parker County.
“My great-great-grandfather was here in 1856,” Jim said. “He
owned the trading post between Fort Worth and Fort Richardson. It
was at that place where they held the first court in Parker County.”
Jim also plays drums. His favorite saying is, “Before you do me
wrong, make sure you never need me again.” Jim is also a big fan
of Thomas Jefferson.
What he enjoys most about practicing law is “making deals.”
“The other thing I find most gratifying is when I have people come
in with some issue or life consequence. I tell clients, “You only get
to worry about this for 15 minutes a day,” Eggleston said. “I’ll worry
about it the rest of the time for you. A lot of people start crying at
that point. It’s a stress release for them.”
124