Big Jolly Politics

politics in Harris County and Texas

TV media claims credit for news about Fort Bend Mayors Council reported weeks ago by BJP

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This is hilarious—she reported on folks in Fort Bend County fighting for property tax relief however it was her own Facebook comments presuming HER story prompted BJP to look into the Fort Bend County Mayor and Council Member Association that had me in stitches! On the other hand, this post is a metaphor for advocating the right to & necessity of a functioning free press in a healthy representative republic.

In a story titled “Fort Bend Mayors tell Lawmakers: No “Tax Relief” posted July 21st on her Facebook page, Andrea Watkins of Fox 26 reported on a strong lobby in Fort Bend County resisting efforts to reform the property tax code for homeowners. She then asked readers if they ever heard of the Fort Bend County Mayors and Council Members Association.

Why YESSSS, loyal BJP readers DO know the Association!

Their membership including the Fort Bend County Commissioners, the public issues they discuss and their policy of keeping notice of the meetings hidden from the taxpaying public were covered by BJP here on May 29th and here on June 25th. Through a series of open records requests the 2015 meeting dates of this Association saw daylight earlier this year. It wasn’t until the City of Sugar Land reversed course and posted public notice of the June 23rd meeting of the Fort Bend County Mayors and Council Members Association that more sunshine could be thrust upon the Associations meeting dates and times so the public could attend.

I couldn’t resist commenting though on the absence of the Fort Bend County Commissioners from her story.

Yvonne:               “Of course the TV media ignored the fact that all of Fort Bend County Commissioners sit on this secret organization.”

Andrea:                “It was not ignored. There’s only so much time in a story. I’m glad my report prompted you to look into it. The ISD’s are on the list too…I read these comments. One of yours on another page has given me the idea to look into whether the public can attend these Mayor’s council meetings.”

Yvonne:               “I’m glad my reporting on Big Jolly Politics prompted you to look into this. I’m glad the reporting gave you the idea to look into whether the public can attend these FBCMCA meetings. Here’s a screen shot of an official response to my proper open record request to be added to the distribution of these secret meetings.”

“…you must be a Mayor, City Councilmember or City Secretary in Fort Bend County. Therefore, the FBCMCA will be unable to fulfill your request”                                      

Make no mistake about this—I would LOVE to see Fox 26 run more Fort Bend stories, because the Fort Bend County Mayors and Council Members Association letterhead that both Andrea and I published in our respective stories do not identify the ISD’s as members of the Association. Here’s the letterhead I obtained through my PIR. FBCMCA RES No. 15-01 re SB 182

Hmmm??

Perhaps there’s another Fort Bend group partially comprised of governmental entities (including school districts) whose records are shielded from sunlight and is opposed to increases in the homestead exemption?

Stay tuned.

Are Fort Bend officials meeting in violation of Texas open meetings act?

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Are Fort Bend County mayors and councilmembers meeting in violation of the Texas Open Meetings Act? They meet regularly in various sites across Fort Bend County. Do they discuss, supervise and control public business while being supported in whole or in part with public funds? Oh, and unless you’re a mayor, city councilmember of city secretary in Fort Bend County, your attendance is not welcome. “They” are the Fort Bend County Mayor & Council Association.

What governmental bodies are members of the FBCMCA?

FBCMCA RES No. 15-01 re SB 182

According to publicly available documents, the Fort Bend County Mayor & Council Association members are the Fort Bend County cities of Arcola, Beasley, Fulshear, Katy, Kendleton, Meadows Place, Missouri City, Needville, Orchard, Pleak, Richmond, Rosenberg, Simonton, Stafford, Sugar Land, Town of Thompsons, Village of Fairchilds, Weston Lakes and Fort Bend County Judge & Commissioners.

Where & how frequently did the FBCMCA members meet last year?

An examination of records for the year 2015 revealed they planned to meet on eight occasions that year in the City Center at Quail Valley, the Meadows Place Community Center, the Kendleton Church of God Multipurpose Building, the Arcola Community Center, Constellation Field, the Stafford Center, the Weston Lakes Country Club, and the Fort Bend County Fairgrounds.

06 – Fort Bend County Mayors Council As…5th – Constellation Field_Redacted.pdf

What public business might they have discussed, supervised or controlled?

Everything from an update on emergency management from the Fort Bend County Office of Emergency Management to criminal and mental health issues, USDA rural development programs, passenger rail and the development of the former Texas Instruments property in Stafford, and a presentation on drones.

January 2015 FBCMCA

07 – FBCMCA MEETING_Redacted.pdf

There was also a nice soiree  at Constellation Field where members were invited to watch a game between the Sugar Land Skeeters and the Long Island Ducks plus a pre-Fort Bend County Fair social at the Fort Bend County Fairgrounds.

Are meetings of the FBCMA open to the public?

I made a request with Missouri City to be added to the distribution list so I might receive notifications of future meetings of the FBCMCA and received the written response below:

“you must be a Mayor, City Councilmember or City Secretary in Fort Bend County. Therefore, the FBCMCA will be unable to fulfill your request”

However an examination of the email distribution list for FBCMCA meeting notifications found the Fort Bend ISD Superintendent, members of the Greater Fort Bend Economic Development Council, State Rep. Alma Allen, State Senator Joan Huffman’s assistant, State Senator Lois Kohlhorst’s assistant, Congressman Pete Olson’s assistant and State Reps. Ron Reynolds, John Zerwas, Phil Stephenson, Rick Miller were invited to the pre-Fort Bend County Fair event and Dominga Salazar of the FBISD Superintendent’s office was invited to the Skeeters/ Ducks game at Constellation Field.

While we’re on the subject of secret meetings’ I came across this video.

Exit question:

How did Sugar Land mayoral candidate Joe Zimmerman know to testify before the Senate Finance Committee AGAINST Senate Bill 182 ? Yours truly submitted an open records request to the City of Sugar Land for this exact information and as has happened previously, the COSL is stonewalling.

Guess I’ve been placed on double-secret probation.

Oops, this could be awkward.

Seems that minutes of this Harris County Republican Party meeting reflect support FOR Senate Bill 182!

Michie files to run for Fort Bend County GOP Chairman

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From the Inbox:

NEWS RELEASE

 

CONTACT:

Valerie Bryan, Campaign Chairwoman

Bill for Fort Bend County GOP Chairman

503 FM 359 Suite 130 # 214, Richmond, TX 77406

[email protected] 281-238-0051 or 713-724-7888

MICHIE FILES TO RUN FOR FORT BEND COUNTY GOP CHAIRMAN

William “Bill” Michie, 14-year resident of Fort Bend County, has announced his candidacy for Fort Bend County Republican Party County Chairman. As a Precinct Chair for more than three years, Michie has been in a position to observe the operations of the party through several campaign cycles.

“Many of the Precinct Chairs who make up the Executive Committee have become increasingly dissatisfied and disillusioned with the current party leadership,” Michie said. “It is no secret in political circles that our party is in crisis because of leadership failures — in the areas of financial accountability, resource management at all levels, especially the underutilization of volunteers, and refusal to follow all the by-laws and procedures of the party.”

Michie added that Fort Bend County political activists have been looking for a potential candidate for several months in the interest of replacing the current county chairman. Valerie Bryan, the campaign chairwoman who has served the party for many years as a volunteer in various roles, said, “Bill has a unique set of qualifications that many of us believe will fit the party’s needs at this particular time in history. First of all, he is not entrenched in the old ways of politics; he brings a fresh perspective, which voters seem to want. Second, he has a strong track record in business – he understands the value of teamwork, personal accountability, trust, and resource development. Third, he respects other people and the skills and abilities they bring to a major operation. All of these qualities, and more, are characteristics of leadership that many of us have been missing in recent years.”

Debra Ross, fellow precinct chair and former Fort Bend County Republican Party Secretary, added, “Bill has a quiet strength that comes from his commitment to Christian principles. I know him to be a leader who considers himself a servant, a quality that is missing from current Party leadership. You can always count on Bill to follow through on his promises.”

Former Republican Party Vice-Chairman Mickey Mixon said, “The current Chairman takes the position of ‘It’s my way or the highway.’ Mike refuses to follow the rules, and when questioned, rather than discussing an issue, he just threatens to remove you from the meeting. He lacks the management skills needed to lead the Fort Bend County Republican Party. The EC has tried to work with the current Chairman, but this has proved impossible throughout his term. The only solution most of us see is to replace the Chairman with one who has a better grasp of leadership.”

Michie has resided in Fort Bend County for 14 years with his wife, Cindy, and their two children. He is a lifetime Republican, having voted in virtually every election. He was a delegate to the 2014 Republican Party of Texas State Convention. He has also served as an election judge. He retired from Dow Chemical, where he led numerous multidisciplinary teams in research and development as well as commercialization of new products. Michie holds Bachelor’s and Master of Science degrees from Drexel University and an MBA from Rutgers University.

“As County Chairman of Fort Bend County Republican Party, I will lead the Executive Committee in following all the party’s organizational rules, provide full and transparent financial accounting at every EC meeting, and develop the party’s resources to help elect strong Conservative candidates to all offices,” Michie said. “Unfortunately, these processes have been neglected by the current chairman. As a result, many dedicated and passionate volunteers have virtually disappeared from the party’s activities. I am confident that I can bring them back where they are needed the most to make sure our Party wins in 2016. Moreover, party funds have dwindled to the point that the party is virtually broke. These are the major problems that point to the seriousness of the situation in the Fort Bend County GOP. In order to quickly correct problems and re-orient our Party, it is absolutely necessary to elect a new chairman who believes LEADERSHIP MATTERS.”

 

Designated terror-financing group CAIR joins Fort Bend County officials to convince “Islamophobic” Fort Bend residents that they denounce violence or something

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The group was on a list of U.S. Muslim Brotherhood entities and unindicted co-conspirators in a Hamas-terror financing trial but that didn’t stop Fort Bend County officials and local law enforcement from joining CAIR in a press conference to denounce violence impacting the country.

From a November 2014 posting on the Clarion Project website:

“CAIR was labeled an unindicted co-conspirator in the trial of another U.S. Muslim Brotherhood entity named the Holy Land Foundation for financing Hamas. The Justice Department listed it as an entity of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood’s Palestine Committee; a secret body established to support Hamas. 

In a statement to the Clarion Project, Islamic Relief Worldwide said: On November 15, the United Arab Emirates designated over 80 groups as ‘terrorist organizations,’ including Islamic Relief. Islamic Relief is a purely humanitarian organization and categorically denies links with terrorism. We will be engaging with the UAE authorities to seek the removal of this wrongful decision.

 The Clarion Project has documented Islamic Relief USA’s history of extremist links. For example, Islamic Relief USA’s Director of Fund Development and Senior National Director, Azhar Azeez, is now the President of the Islamic Society of North America, a group that the U.S. Justice Department designated as an unindicted co-conspirator in a Hamas-financing trial along with CAIR.”

From the Fort Bend County press release publicizing the press conference:

Fort Bend County is considered the most diverse county in the United States. At 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 10 at the Maryam Islamic Center, 504 Sartartia Road, Sugar Land, Texas (New Territory), leaders from the Muslim community in Fort Bend County as well as the Greater Houston Area will join leaders in Fort Bend County in a press conference to denounce recent violence impacting our nation and world.”

You won’t find an exhaustive list of press conference attendees on the Fort Bend County press release however the folks over at the Maryam Islamic Center—the site of the press conference—documented the names of the guests on their Facebook page.

The list is here. Maryam Islamic Center

  • Judge Bob Hebert – Fort Bend County Judge
  • Sheriff Troy Nehls – Fort Bend County Sheriff
  • Trevor Nehls – Constable, Fort Bend County
  • Mustafa Carroll – Director, CAIR Houston
  • John Healey – Fort Bend County District Attorney
  • Doug Brinkley – Chief, Sugar Land Police Department
  • Mike Berezin – Chief, Missouri City Police Department
  • Ruben Davis – Constable, Fort Bend County
  • Mohammed Azeemuddin – President MAS Katy Center

Facepalm

County judge silent on Fort Bend EMS story correction

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At a time when the geographic area served by the Fort Bend County EMS is expected to shrink by 15 to 20{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986}, Fort Bend County Commissioners plan to release a proposed 32{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} budget increase for the Fort Bend County EMS. The debate taking place now though has nothing to do with ambulance service response times —-the new controversy has residents asking “Did Fort Bend County Judge Hebert put pressure on the Houston Chronicle to change a story”?

Last Sunday, reporter Jayme Fraser’s story titled “Fort Bend EMS asks for $3 million budget increase” appeared in both the paper and online edition of the Houston Chronicle. The article centered on Fort Bend County’s EMS response times and a proposed 32{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} increase to the Fort Bend EMS budget at a time when the area covered is expected to reduce in size by 15-20 percent. Fort Bend County Commissioner Andy Meyers was reported to be the most skeptical of the size of the increase but County Judge Hebert was reported as championing the $3 million dollar increase requested by new EMS Director Graig Temple.

What caught the attention of a few Fort Bend residents was the version of the online story which has since been scrubbed of the sentence highlighted in yellow.

Here’s how the story first appeared in the paper and online edition of the Chronicle (click on the photo to enlarge):

FBC EMS

“Some are skeptical of such an excessive increase, but County Judge Bob Hebert said he will champion Temple’s request.

When Hebert himself had a medical emergency recently, he said he waited more than 30 minutes for an ambulance to reach his home.’

You’d think one of the drive-bys would report on the Fort Bend County Judge waiting 30 minutes for an ambulance to arrive at his home for an emergency—inquiring minds wanted to know.

Here’s how it played out on social media (click on the photo to enlarge):

FBEMS facebook

 

Was the County Judge exaggerating about that 30 minute wait for EMS to arrive at his house? Would answers validating the Judge’s assertion of a 30 minute wait time for an ambulance at his home be forthcoming?

Hmmm-

A complete change of Judge Hebert’s quote is now on the web version of the Houston Chronicle (click on the photo to enlarge):

“Hebert first realized the county “might have a response problem” at a charity event a few months ago when it took about 30 minutes for an ambulance to arrive to treat a guest who had fainted nearby.

FBEMS Jayme

Instead of accepting responsibility for his attempted deception in putting forth a false scenario to Chronicle readers (possibly intended to draw support for the budget increase and gin up turnout for the upcoming ESD elections– gasp!) it looks like the Judge went straight to the top for a correction—a complete rewrite which has one county resident wondering if the Judge is still telling the truth to the community (click on the photo to enlarge):

Hebert quote change

With the rollout of Sugar Land’s new EMS units and upcoming ESD elections in the County that together will shrink the geographic coverage of Fort Bend EMS, Commissioner Meyers is right to be skeptical of a proposed 32{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} increase in the EMS budget. Public meetings on the proposed Fort Bend County budget are expected to be held in September.

Show up and tell Judge “Bob” Boss Hogg to rethink his campaign slogan.

Boss Hogg

Montgomery, Fort Bend, Harris Counties and The Alinsky Effect

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Three recent events revealed the desperate & ugly tactics of elected officials in Fort Bend, Montgomery & Harris County. For those with an under-appreciation of the Alinsky tactics used by the Political Left & The Republicans Who Love Them, allow me to share with you how Alinsky’s Rules For Radicals are being implemented by the Political Left and The Incumbent Republicans Who Love Them in the Texas counties of Montgomery, Harris and Fort Bend.

Saul Alinsky, as written in this 1969 thesis titled “There Is Only The Fight…” An Analysis of the Alinsky Model by Hillary D. Rodham, is the first  individual she gives special appreciation to in her acknowledgments. On page 12, Ms. Rodham writes “Alinsky argues that those who wish to change circumstances must develop a mass-based organization and be prepared for conflict.”  For those challenging an incumbent in 2013 and 2014, this article is written for you.

In 2011 Houston Mayor Parker and her ilk on the Political Left recognized the importance of suppressing the speech of mass-based organization and prepared for the conflict by ensuring sign violation tickets from the City of Houston were given to City Council candidates Clyde Bryan & Eric Dick.  As noted in this morning’s press conference outside City Hall, City Council member C.O. Bradford received the same sign violations in 2011 as Clyde & Eric. However, two years later the City of Houston continues its attempts to prosecute Clyde Bryan and Eric Dick for these sign violations while C.O. Bradford’s tickets were dismissed without the necessity of him making court appearances. Alinsky Rule #9 is at play here: make the challenger expend time, money & energy in an attempt to demoralize.

In Fort Bend County, the Missouri City Council approved rezoning a parcel of land at the foot of the Fort Bend Toll Road & Highway 6 from retail to multi-family during the July 1 city council meeting. Widespread email and Facebook communications among different Missouri City communities opposed to the rezoning, citing a “missed opportunity” for a Town Center, now fuel what is believed to be the politically-motivated compilation of an enemies list including residents names & their places of employment, in advance of the 2014 municipal elections and bond program. Alinsky Rule #4 “make the enemy live up to its own book of rules” can be extremely effective, because no one can live up to all their rules.

In Montgomery County, RUD (road utility district) defendants in a voter residency case prepared for conflict and relied on a Texas Secretary of State election law advisory opinion when they claimed to have lawfully established residence prior to voting in a Woodlands Road Utility District election in Republican Senator Tommy Williams State Senate District.* Senator Williams has decided NOT to run for Comptroller next year, one of the defendants was recently convicted, & the remaining defendants continue to face what they believe to be politically- motivated prosecutions. Rule #9 surfaces a second time: make the challenger (s) expend time, money & energy in an attempt to demoralize.

Two of Saul Alinsky’s many rules, as cited in Ms. Rodham’s thesis, are being utilized as new coalitions wishing to change circumstances develop their mass-based organizations.  In choosing to challenge The Political Left and The Republicans Who Love Them, be prepared for conflict.

 

*Ironically, Paul Kubosh explained both Clyde Bryan & Eric Dick relied on a letter that David Feldman, Houston City Attorney, issued them in the 2011 municipal election cycle.