A newly announced candidate for Bell County treasurer is running on an unusual platform: if elected, she plans to eliminate the very office she is seeking to lead.
Adriane Hodges, a Republican and co-owner of Bold Republic Brewing in Temple, launched her campaign Tuesday with a pledge to “hire herself only to fire herself.” She said the treasurer’s office is redundant and costly, arguing that its duties overlap with those already handled by the county auditor.
“I’m asking voters to hire me so I can fire myself,” Hodges said during her campaign announcement at her brewery. “Because government should serve the people, not protect waste and redundancy.”
According to Hodges, Bell County spends more than $800,000 annually to operate the treasurer’s office. She contends that eliminating the position would streamline county operations and save taxpayer dollars.
Her approach mirrors a recent move in Galveston County. In 2023, Treasurer Hank Dugie succeeded in getting his own office abolished one year into his term after cutting multiple staff positions. That change came after state lawmakers passed legislation allowing counties to vote on eliminating the treasurer role. Galveston County voters narrowly approved the measure, with about 53 percent supporting the office’s dissolution.
Hodges said she sees Galveston County as a model for Bell County.
“The people there recognized unnecessary government when they saw it,” she said. “We can do the same here.”
The current Bell County treasurer, Republican Gaylon Evans, has served in the role since 2019 and recently announced he will seek re-election in 2026. In a statement, Evans pushed back against claims that the office is wasteful.
“I respect that people can have differing opinions about the structure of county government, but I firmly believe the Treasurer’s Office plays an important and necessary role in maintaining transparency, accountability, and separation of duties in county finances,” Evans said. “My focus will continue to be on operating the office efficiently, responsibly, and transparently for the citizens of Bell County.”
Hodges currently serves as treasurer for the Belton Area Chamber of Commerce and says her political perspective is shaped by lessons from her father, U.S. Marine Corps Captain Jonathan Ross Edwards, who was killed in Operation Desert Storm.
“If a business ran its books that way, it would close,” Hodges said of what she views as unnecessary government spending. “If a family did, it would go broke. But government? It just shrugs — and sends you the bill.”
%20(1)%20(1)%20(1).png)
