Paul Simpson was surrounded by supporters as he filed Wednesday to run for Harris County Republican Party Chair.
Paul Simpson filing the paperwork to run for county chair. (photo from the Simpson campaign)
Simpson stated he is running because, “We are in a fight for the future of Texas. Harris County is a key battleground. To win, the GOP needs to rebuild, ground up. But reform must start at the top. That’s why I ask for your vote in March 2014 for Harris County Republican Chair.”
Simpson continued, “As Harris County GOP Chair, I will bring a lifetime of leading civic and conservative Republican organizations to empower a Strong grassroots organization with a Solid positive conservative message backed by financial Solutions.”
A lifelong pro-life conservative, Paul has advanced conservative Republican political causes as a hands-on conservative activist since high school. His political activities – campaigning, recruiting, mobilizing, precinct organization, election judging, and conventioneering, and serving as legal counsel and treasurer of the county party – give him the practical expertise and ability to lead the Party to political resurgence. Paul has honed his skills by also leading non-political volunteer civic organizations, demonstrating his ability to recruit, organize, and lead volunteers in everything from blockwalking neighborhoods to a successful multi-million dollar fundraising campaign.
Paul is a graduate of Rice University and University of Houston Law. He has been a partner with the law firm of McGinnis, Lochridge & Kilgore since 2001. Paul and his wife Kathy have been married for over 28 years. Their son, a recent college graduate, and daughter, a college senior, are both Houston natives and proud Republicans! To get involved with Paul’s campaign to Take Back Harris County, please join him at his Campaign Kick-off Party on December 11, 2013 at 6:30Pm at Cafe Adobe on the Katy Freeway. To learn more, contact Kelly Horsley at [email protected] or please visit www.SimpsonForGOPChair.com.
I’m seeing a lot of momentum this year for Simpson, unlike his two previous runs. He’s lined up an impressive group of supporters this time, including: George Strake, Jack Rains, John O’Neill, Bert Keller, Anne Clutterbuck, and Toni Lawrence among many others. In addition to that list, he is being supported by many of the “liberty” groups around the Harris County area. This is important because they are young and bring a lot of energy to his campaign.
Will this be the year that Harris County Republicans finally reject the regime of current HCRP Chair Jared Woodfill, and by extension the pay for play slates? If so, it will go a long way towards avoiding a disaster in November 2014. As I’ve said many times, Jared is a wonderful spokesperson for the party but what we need at this point in time is someone that has the ability to organize the party, broaden our coalition, and turn out the vote. Simpson has demonstrated that he can do that.
I’m often asked why Republicans are against “comprehensive immigration reform” that gives citizenship to people in the country illegally. The clear and simple answer is that Republicans respect the rule of law and recognize that ignoring and flaunting law will eventually result in the demise of any democratic society. We believe in the rule of law. From the US Army Counterinsurgency Handbook:
The presence of the rule of law is a major factor in assuring voluntary acceptance of a government’s authority and therefore its legitimacy. A government’s respect for preexisting and impersonal legal rules can provide the key to gaining it widespread, enduring social support. Such government respect for rules—ideally ones recorded in a constitution and in laws adopted through a credible, democratic process—is the essence of the rule of law.
For those of you that are praising Mayor Parker as “brave” and “heroic”, she is neither. She is, in point of fact, a gutless politician. Just over two weeks ago, the mayor won reelection with 57{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} of the vote. Yet during her campaign, she never once mentioned this issue. In fact, during every single one of her campaigns, she has downplayed her activist role in the lesbian community. Now that she has won the election, and is term limited with no future elections in sight for her in the city, she decides to break Texas law with an executive order. If she really were “brave” or “heroic”, she would have announced this decision before the start of early voting.
Gutless. Politician.
At some point, citizens will turn on a government that ignores the rule of law. Annise Parker will have played a role in that revolution.
Friends — 20 years ago the Houston Property Rights Association led the fight against zoning in Houston. Come help us celebrate this Friday noon. We have a special speaker to cap off this event, our final meeting of the year. Twenty dollars…..No RSVP needed.
LAST MEETING OF 2013
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A Two-Part Event
1. Celebrating the Defeat of City-Wide Zoning
HPRA President Barry Klein will present a brief overview of the campaign to defeat the last major push to bring zoning to Houston, which spanned four years – early 1990 to early 1994 – ending with voters rejecting a zoning ordinance and then approving a charter amendment that mandates an election on any new attempt to bring zoning to Houston.
(Souvenir packets of political advertising and news articles from the period will be distributed)
2. Reflecting on Origins of American Governance and Jurisprudence
Historian and attorney David Furlow will then speak aboutthe origins of constitutional government and the ideas on liberty and justice circulating in the Colonies at the time of the original Thanksgiving.
SPECIAL GIFT TO ATTENDEES… We will have available free copies of Local Ballot Initiatives, a 30-page booklet published last year by the Lucy Burns Institute (lucyburns.org), which gives guidance to grassroots activists in all 50 states on how to restore the country by adopting the role of citizen legislators.
These ideas are already proving effective in Texas!!!
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Houston Property Rights Association
PUBLIC INVITED: $20 — Courtyard Restaurant – 1885 St. James Place
Friday, November 22, 2013
Buffet lunch – 12:00 to 2:00 – Program starts at 12:30
(Directions: The Courtyard issouth of San Felipe, west of Yorktown, and east of Chimney Rock.)
Please tell your friends and neighbors about our meetings.
RESERVATIONS NOT NEEDED
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Upcoming Speakers and Topics
January 10, 2014 — TBA
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NOTE: Nov. 22 is the last meeting of the year and our last at the Courtyard, which has been sold, with the site to be redeveloped.
We are looking for a new location.SUGGESTIONS WELCOMED.
Man, o’ man, you never know what you’ll walk into when you attend a board meeting of the Harris County Department of Education. I missed the last couple of board meetings because I can never remember when they are, so I put the November meeting on my calendar to make sure I’d remember. I wish I wouldn’t have but I’m glad I did. I wish I wouldn’t have because I had to leave when I got so angry that I became nauseous. I’m glad I did because otherwise I wouldn’t have had the “opportunity” to see a true trough feeder belly up to the trough and beg to suck on the teats of the taxpayers via their elected representatives for two more years.
Former state rep and now trough feeder Rob Eissler begging for more.
I truly don’t know which is worse. A former state rep raping taxpayers for $12,250 per month for the privilege of lobbying the legislature to rape them more. Or board members elected by those taxpayers pulling down the pants of the taxpayers to make it easier.
There’s an old saying in politics that the first priority of a politician is survival. And that is surely the case with the members of the HCDE board that voted to give former state representative Rob Eissler and his new employer, The Schlueter Group, $269,500 over the course of the next 22 months for the sole purpose of helping those board members keep their positions of power.
Nevermind that the legislature isn’t even in session for 75{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} of the time this contract is in effect. Nevermind that the members of the legislature and specifically the education committee will not be known until the 14th month of the contract. Nevermind that $12,250 per month doesn’t get you the full attention of The Schlueter Group – Eissler said during the meeting that they have many other clients. Nevermind that a quarter of a million dollars would help an awful lot of children get educated.
No, none of that matters because HCDE Superintendent Dr. John Sawyer is scared to lose his job. And the elected board members are scared to lose their positions. That is all that matters. Children and education be damned.
As for former rep Eissler, I used to think the guy was a decent public servant and had the best interests of the citizens and taxpayers in mind. His appearance before the board yesterday made me grateful for the voters in his former district that said no more and tossed him out of office. They obviously knew more about him than I did. Now I know.
Trustee Kay Smith tried her best to get the board to see this contract for the waste of money it is. She reminded the board that they had already spent $82,000 on lobbyist Pat Strong to do essentially the same thing. At that point Mr. Eissler said that he was sure Pat Strong was a fine person but that he had 28 years experience, that he was the former chair of the public education committee, that the staffers that are there now worked for him and trusted him, and that he could sway their decisions.
Trustee Erica Lee asked Assistant Superintendent for Business Services Jesus Amezcua, CPA if the $269,500 had been budgeted for and if the HCDE had the money for it. Mr. Amezcua responded that they did have the money for the portion that covers the current fiscal year but that they would have to budget for it in the next fiscal year. Meaning that government budgets are a waste of time because no, this wasn’t budgeted, but hey, we have plenty of taxpayer money to spend so don’t worry about it. We have to keep our jobs.
I could go on but why? Either you agree that this is a waste of taxpayer money or you don’t.
You want to know how to put that question to a test? You know, whether or not it is a waste of taxpayer money?
Here’s how you do it. You tell Dr. John Sawyer to set up a Harris County Department of Education Employee Political Action Committee. And then you tell the employees to contribute enough money to pay Rob Eissler $12,250 per month. Convince them that it isn’t a waste of money.
Wanna bet on the outcome of that campaign?
For the record, the official vote:
For:
Democrat Debra Kerner
Democrat Howard Jefferson
Democrat Erica Lee
Democrat Dr. Diane Trautman
Against:
Republican Angie Chesnut
Republican Marvin Morris
Republican Kay Smith
You still think there isn’t a difference between Democrats and Republicans?
There is an election next year. Two spots are up, both currently held by Democrats. You can make a direct impact on this board by replacing the Democrats with Republicans.
Coalition for Public Responsibility PAC (CPR) is a newly formed organization supported by a core group of local political activists, concerned citizens, and local philanthropist. The mission of this political action committee is to provide a platform for activists in the Greater Houston area to endorse fiscally responsible public policies. Additionally, the committee promotes institutional integrity through voter education and development of responsible political leaders.
Going forward, one of the primary initiatives of the committee is to advocate for municipal fiscal reform. The committee believes that true civic leadership requires the support of effective and limited local government.
I would like to extend an exclusive invitation for Big Jolly Politics readers to join Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst and CPR leadership and supporters at Liberty Kitchen, 4224 San Felipe, on Thursday, November 21, 2013, from 4 – 6 p.m. I hope to see you then.
Lt. Col. (Ret.) Roy Morales and his whole grain cheese crackers.
Just when you thought politics in the City of Houston couldn’t get stranger, along comes Roy Morales. Believe me, if you know Roy Morales, you know there is no end to strange. Yesterday, he filed for a Temporary Restraining Order against Mayor Annise Parker and City Council to keep them from putting Michael Kubosh on the ballot.
Roy is claiming that Michael does not live in the City of Houston and his “proof” is that Michael registered a couple of cars at an address in Cypress and that “irreparable” harm will come to Roy if Michael is allowed on the ballot.
Yep, irreparable harm would certainly come because ol’ Roy will lose.
There is also an interesting angle on the lawyer that Roy used to file the suit. I’ll have more on that later this morning.
UPDATE
I have a copy of Mike Kubosh’s response to Roy’s TRO request. It is quite entertaining, as we would expect.
Before proceeding with this suit, this Court should ask the preliminary question of whether George M. Bishop of Chappell Hill, Texas, the attorney who drafted these papers and filed suit through his friend Frank Svetlik, is the same George Bishop disbarred from practicing law through State Bar and criminal enforcement proceedings.
See, e.g., Bishop v. State Bar of Tex., 791 F.2d 435 (5th Cir. 1986), a true copy of which is attached as Defendant’s Exhibit 1.
Note that a George M. Bishop was the husband of former Judge Caprice Cosper and served time in prison for tax evasion. Background from the Houston Press: Bishop’s Endgame and Bishop Is Back.
Defendant Mike Kubosh denies that he is currently a resident of Cypress, Harris County, Texas and avers, instead, that he is and has been a resident of the City of Houston at all times relevant to this lawsuit.
…
Plaintiff Morales is not entitled to a Temporary Restraining Order (“T.R.O.”) or other injunctive relief because he waived the right to challenge Defendant Mike Kubosh’s residency before City Council (Mayor Annise Parker and Council Members Helena Brown, Jerry Davis, Ellen Cohen, Wanda Adams, Dave Martin, Al Hoang, Oliver Pennington, Ed Gonzalez, James G. Rodriguez, Mike Laster, Larry Green, Stephen C. Costello, Andrew C. Burks, Jr., Melissa Noriaga, C.O. Bradford and Jack Christie) during the year prior to the November 5, 2013 election.
…
COUNTERCLAIMS
Plaintiff Morales seeks a Temporary Restraining Order (“T.R.O.”) that confronts Defendant Mike Kubosh with irreparable injury, that is, the unreasonable denial of the voter-conferred right to defeat Plaintiff Morales in the City Council runoff election scheduled to occur in December 2013, the deprivation of the right to appear on the ballot at the beginning of the runoff campaign, and the loss of all of the time, money, and energy Defendant Kubosh has already devoted to this case.
Heh, gotta love that last one – the unreasonable denial of the voter-conferred right to defeat Plaintiff Morales in the City Council runoff election. Hey, didn’t I say that already?
UPDATE 2
Yes indeed, that George M. Bishop is the same George M. Bishop that was married to and remains close to former Judge Caprice Cosper based on the address listed on the Morales suit. From the Washington County Appraisal District:
UPDATE 3
After a hearing that lasted less than 30 minutes, Judge Michael Landrum denied Roy’s request for a TRO.
