State Sen. Kip Averitt (R-Waco) announced Monday that he will be resigning in about a week and a half to allow for a special election in May to fill out the remainder of his term.

Last week Averitt won his Republican primary with 60 percent of the vote, despite a decision in January to shutter his campaign because of recent health concerns.

In a statement Averitt said he was “humbled” by the outcome that election, adding that “I will now work on maintaining a healthy lifestyle and spending time with my children.”

For weeks there had been speculation that if Averitt resigned, his predecessor and mentor David Sibley would consider a run to return to the senate.

After Averitt’s announcement, Sibley said he’s taking a hard look at vying for the seat:

“I’ve not made a final decision but I’m very interested and I’m talking to people,” said Sibley, who represented Waco in the senate for 11 years and who currently works as a lobbyist.

Sibley said he’d also started talking to clients about the possibility that of leaving his lobbying shop to seek the senate seat.

According to records from the State Ethics Commission, Sibley currently represents two Waco-based organizations: the Brazos River Authority and Profiles International, a firm that creates products designed to help companies with hiring and performance.

Before news of Averitt’s resignation broke, his primary opponent, Burleson businessman Darren Yancy, wrote on his campaign Web site that if a special election is called, “I will immediately file to run.”

He also predicted that he would fare better in a special election than he did in the primary.

“My team is assembled and ready to go,” Yancy wrote. “There will be boots on the ground, calls on the phone, and signs everywhere.”

“With my name having been on the ballet (sic), the name ID will be high and difficult for a new filer to overcome,” he continued.

That last piece of logic might not apply to Sibley, however. The former senator has represented nine of the 10 counties in the senate district. (He was never Coryell County’s senator.)

Sibley, a former Waco mayor, was elected to the Senate in 1991 and served 11 years.

Sibley said that experience would benefit the district in what looks to be a very challenging session, with the state facing a budget deficit and redistricting.

“I think it’s important for all 10 counties to be represented by someone who has experience,” Sibley said. “This is going to be a very, very tough session, and if I chose to (run) and if the people send me back down there, I believe I can do the job.

McLennan County Democratic Party chairman John Cullar said it was too soon to know if any Democrats would take a shot at the May special election.

“A lot of people weren’t wanting to pre-judge Sen. Averitt’s decision and be seen as seeking an office that wasn’t open,” Cullar said.

He also noted the winner of a May special election isn’t guaranteed a shot at being senator in the upcoming legislative session that starts in 2011; That will be decided by the county party chairs in the 10-county district.

The chairs from the Democratic and Republican parties will each caucus to put a replacement candidate on November’s general election ballot. According to state election code, the two chair committees will have to choose their candidates by 10 weeks before the election.

Both Sibley and Yancy indicated they’ve talked to the Republican county party chairs about who would be the GOP chairs’ selection.

Here's the text of Averittt's release:

“Your vote of confidence last Tuesday, election day, was most gratifying. I am humbled by your support.

"Now, the time has come for me to step down. I will resign my Senate seat as of noon on March 17th. This will allow the Governor to call a special election on May the 8th. My immediate priority now is to see that the voters in central Texas get to pick their next senator.

"Serving you, our friends, and our neighbors has been my highest honor and greatest privilege. I thank you for your continued support of my decision to step away from public office after 17 years of service. I will now work on maintaining a healthy lifestyle and spending time with my children.”

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