WACO (March 17, 2010)—The resignation Wednesday of State Sen. Kip Averitt, R-Waco, sets the stage for a special election that will likely be held in May to fill the remainder of Averitt’s term, and one of the candidates will be the man Averitt replaced in the Texas Senate, David Sibley, a longtime Waco resident, Baylor University graduate, former dentist, lawyer and lobbyist.

"This is a critical time for all families in State Senate District 22 and for Texas," Sibley said.

"Not only will legislators be grappling with a possible $15 billion state budget deficit and a list of other challenging issues, but they will be undertaking the contentious task of redistricting.

"I believe I have a proven conservative track record at getting results, the understanding of the legislative process and the familiarity with issues of importance to Senate District 22 that will benefit all 10 counties in the district during this tough upcoming session,” he said.

The winner of the special election the governor is expected to call to fill the seat would only serve for the 10 months that remain in Averitt’s term.

Assuming Averitt removes his name from the ballot, Republican and Democratic Party county chairman from each of the counties in the Senate district will chose candidates to run for the seat in November.

That term, however, will be only for two years, McLennan County Democratic Party Chairman John Cullar said, because of redistricting, which will require everyone to run again in 2012.

Averitt ended his reelection bid in February for health reasons, but his withdrawal came after the filing deadline, which meant that his name remained on the ballot for the GOP primary, in which Darren Yancy of Burleson challenged him.

Despite dropping out, Averitt, 55, won the primary, perhaps in part because Waco-area Republican leaders urged residents to vote for him in hopes of replacing him in November with a candidate from this part of the district to ensure that McLennan County would be represented in the Texas Senate.

Sibley left the Senate in January 2002 and started a law and government-relations practice, which he said he closed last Friday in preparation for the special election.

Averitt had served in the Texas Senate since 2002 and the Texas House for nearly a decade before that.