On a clear Saturday night over thirty people came out to Clays restaurant in far west Harris County to meet Carl Pittman. Lesa Trapp, precinct chair of 0618, organized the event. Some of the many folks in attendance where Bob Price and wife, Eric Weinmann, Bill Kneer, Burt Levin and wife, Charly Padanilam the ever lovely Kelly Horsley looking refreshed, after just returning from vacation, and many others. The only other candidate was Henry Dibrell, running for a position on the KISD board. Of course Carl was accompanied by his ever supportive wife, Kristi Pittman. Running for a public office is truly a monumental task and having spouse support is critical. She truly is a major asset to his campaign.
Mr. Pittman hopes to be the next Harris county sheriff. Born in Fulshear, Texas in 1963. He served in the Marine Corps from 1981 to 1985 and then joined the National City Police Department in southern California where he became an expert on gangs. He has worked for the Harris County Sherriff office since returning to Texas in 2001. Carl moved into Harris County from Fort Bend County in April 2010.
The budget for the Sheriff’s department is roughly four hundred million dollars. Five years ago it was two hundred and fifty million. At the same time the number of officers has not increased but over a hundred executive’s spots have been added. Carl plans on starting with a zero based budget an cut some of those executive spots and hire more hourly officers for the field. He also told the crowd that the Harris County jail is the largest in the state and one of the largest in the nation. The jail is home to over ten thousand inmates on any given day. Much of this codling of prisoners has been forced on us by the left wing Democrat judges that have been elected in the past.
Carl Pittman is in touch with Sheriff Joe Arpaio and recently traveled to meet with Sheriff Arpaio who showed Carl how he is controlling his budget. One of the things Carl believes could save money is changing the fact that inmates in Harris County are taken better care of than the ones in the state run prisons. As Arpaio says “why should a prisoner live better in jail than they do out of jail?” Carl also looked at the tent jails and the chain gangs Sheriff Arpaio has set up and plans to duplicate some of them in Harris County. On June fourth Sheriff Joe Arpaio is coming to Houston for a fundraiser for Carl Pittman. I know I’m ready to go. More details coming soon at http://carlforsheriff.com/about-carl.html. I suggest getting your tickets early as this will most likely be a sale out.
Like many people in our great country, Carl wasn’t involved in politics until recently. He first voted as a Republican in the 2010 primary in Fort Bend County. Carl clearly sees the money being spent by our government as not sustainable and believes if America falls there is no place left to go. Carl told me that he wants to give something back that will help make this a better nation for his children and grandchildren. Is Carl Pittman the man to win back the sheriff’s office? With nineteen months to go before election I for one will be taking somewhat of a wait and see position. However, I haven’t found anything that would make me not want to vote for him. Mr. Pittman certainly has all the qualities we are looking for in a sheriff. He has years of police experience, has run a small business, and seems to be forthcoming on any question he is asked. He has some great ideals for ways to cut the budget and raise the level of service to the public. My advice is to meet Carl and ask him yourself questions that are important to you. If Sheriff Joe Arpaio likes him, that’s a pretty strong endorsement for me. The Sheriff’s office without a doubt is one of the most important in the county. We truly need a person we can trust. Do yourself a favor and talk to Carl and form your own opinion.
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