|
|
|
- I want to say a few words about Wilma Perez who died last week after a long struggle with cancer. She fought mightily and she was courageous throughout her fight, but in the end, the disease won.
We will miss Wilma’s perpetual smile, her friendly disposition, and her kind words. She was a one-of-a-kind. She always had something positive and nice to say about people. She touched the lives of many students when she worked as secretary at the elementary school.
Every time I go to Pueblo Market, I can’t help but look for Wilma as I go in the door. It was always a pleasure to have Wilma as your cashier because she made you feel like you were the most important customer.
Her suffering has ended, and we know Wilma is in a better place. May she rest in peace and let’s not forget our prayers for Wilma, Rosie and Angie.
The election is over, and not a moment too soon. As county chair, I’ve learned the hard way how much work is involved for one person to serve in this position as a complete volunteer. There is no compensation, fame or glory or prestige attached to this job. Texas is the only state in the country that uses a county chair for county-wide elections.
There’s little to training available to learn the complicated Texas elections system. It requires a great deal of time, and there’s no reward in it other than knowing you are doing it as your civic duty.
During last week’s election, I visited all precincts, including Guadalupe National Park. I had to deliver the same message to all precincts regarding poll watchers and the county delegate convention. As Elton John said in one of his songs, “Don’t shoot me. I’m only the piano player.”
My thanks to Linda MacDonald for her help throughout the entire election process.
During my visit to all precincts, I had the opportunity to see democracy in action. I witnessed people from all walks of life coming in to the precinct office to cast a ballot. It was a beautiful thing to experience. The United States was formed as a rejection of the tyrannical method(s) put in place by the monarchy of Great Britain.
Although it’s not a perfect system, it’s worked for us for more than 200 years. Voting is the single most important privilege we were given as citizens of the U.S. More of us should take advantage of this unique right that our forefathers worked so hard to give us.
We don’t have to look very far to see how our democratic system is far superior to say, that of our neighbor to the south. Presidents tend to be hand-picked in Mexico, and for all intents and purposes, the Mexican “congress” is nothing but a façade for representation.
We have a lot to be thankful for, and if we don’t like how things are being run, we can fire the elected official by not voting for him or her. It really is that simple. But many of us still don’t care enough to vote. We complain about how this or that isn’t being done, or how this or that isn’t working, but when it comes to voicing our opinion at the ballot box, many of us don’t vote.
Larry and Dawn have given me permission to announce in my column that I am running for mayor. Thanks, Larry and Dawn.
The question I’m sure many of you are asking is “why?” There’s plenty of reasons. Let me explain. I worked for the City of Laredo for more than three years in the early 1990s. It was perhaps the most significant job in my 20 years as a public relations and communications professional.
Peter Vargas, the city manager, told me on day one, “You will learn every department in the city from the inside out. You will ride with the trash collectors. You will see how the wastewater crew cleans up sludge at the wastewater plant. You will understand how the city planners make decisions on code enforcement and zoning. You will see how difficult it is to collect taxes from delinquent property owners. You will see how our grant writers are able to get us millions of dollars in community development block grants.”
As the public information manager for the City of Laredo, I had to know instinctively how the city functioned on a day-to-day basis. For more than six months, I rode on trash trucks, smelled the stench at the wastewater plant, and did everything that the city manager asked me to do before I could sit in my comfortable office on the third floor of city hall.
It was a good thing he made me go through the trouble of learning every department. I had to provide accurate information to the media and to the public. I did this in a variety of ways. I wrote and produced a weekly TV program with city news highlights. I produced numerous videos regarding the many capital improvement projects we were doing. I served as the city member on the economic development foundation. I wrote a weekly column in the daily newspaper. I edited a weekly newsletter for the city council. I wrote speeches for the mayor and the city manager. And the list goes on.
I believe this is the time for new leadership in the mayor’s office. I bring a wealth of experience to the mayor’s office and to city hall. We have many challenges ahead of us, and we need someone who has firsthand experience on how municipal government works.
In the coming weeks, you will see my advertisements here explaining you why you should vote for me. As for my position as school board trustee, I am not planning to resign my seat. We have a lot of unfinished work at the school district.
If you have comments or suggestion for this column, please send them to robertsrants@windstream.net.
State Capital Highlights
By Ed Sterling, Texas Press Association
Primary result: Perry to face White in November general election
Gov. Rick Perry fought off two strong challengers in the March 2 Republican Party primary, positioning himself for an unprecedented third term as governor of Texas.
By drawing more than 50 percent of the vote, Perry avoided an April runoff with his closest challenger, U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, who received 30.3 percent. Newcomer Debra Medina of Wharton followed with 18.6 percent.
Combined voter turnout for the primaries was the highest since 1992, according to the Secretary of State’s office, with an estimated 2.1 million ballots cast.
In the Democratic primary, Houston Mayor Bill White took 76 percent of the vote to Houston businessman Farouk Shami’s nearly 13 percent, so it will be Perry versus White in the November general election.
Perry, already the longest-serving governor in Texas history, advanced from lieutenant governor to governor when George W. Bush left for the White House in January 2001. He was reelected in 2002 and 2006 and now looks forward to a record third full term, but White stands in his way.
Incumbent Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, running unopposed in the GOP primary, will face Democrat Linda Chavez-Thompson in
November.
Chavez-Thompson, a long-time labor activist, got 53 percent of the vote to former Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle’s 34 percent. Coming in third was Austin delicatessen owner Marc Katz with 12 percent.
Other key matchups in statewide races will include:
Incumbent Republican Attorney General Greg Abbott versus Dallas Democrat Barbara Ann Radnofsky, a Houston attorney who challenged Hutchison for her U.S. Senate seat in 2006.
Incumbent State Comptroller Susan Combs ran unopposed in the GOP primary and no one ran for the office of comptroller in the Democratic primary.
Incumbent Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, a Republican, will face Democrat Hector Uribe, a former state representative and senator from Zapata County.
Incumbent Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples, a Republican, will face Democrat Hank Gilbert. Gilbert shifted from
his gubernatorial campaign to run as agriculture commissioner last fall when Bill White announced for governor.
In the Democratic primary, Gilbert, an East Texas rancher, outdrew Hill Country humorist Richard S. “Kinky” Friedman, founder of Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch near Kerrville.
Incumbent Texas Railroad Commissioner Victor G. Carrillo lost to Midland accountant David Porter in the Republican primary. Porter will face Democrat Jeff Weems in November.
Six incumbent state representatives lost to challengers. For a complete listing of primary results, go to www.sos.state.tx.us.
Perry issues posthumous pardon
Gov. Perry on March 1 granted a posthumous pardon to Timothy Brian Cole, a Texan who died in state prison in 1999 while serving a 25-year sentence for a 1985 aggravated sexual assault he did not commit.
Perry said he pardoned Cole after receiving a unanimous recommendation to do so from the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles. More than a year earlier, a court ruled Cole was innocent after proof was confirmed through DNA testing.
Cole, who turned down an offer of parole in exchange for admitting guilt, maintained his innocence throughout his time in prison. In 1995, five years before Cole’s death, another suspect confessed to the crime. Cole died in prison of an asthma attack on Dec. 2, 1999, having served nearly 15 years of the wrongful sentence.
Independence Day site debuts
A Web site created by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and Brenham-based Blinn College, www.txindependence.org,
debuted on March 2, Texas Independence Day.
The site spotlights the convention held at Washington-on-the-Brazos in 1836 when 59 elected delegates met, signed the Texas Declaration of Independence from Mexico and created a new nation, The Republic of Texas.
DPS says stay away from border
The Texas Department of Public Safety on March 4 urged spring break travelers to avoid border cities in Mexico. DPS
Director Steve McCraw said there is an increase in drug cartel-related violence in those cities, adding that parents should not allow their children to visit there because their safety cannot be guaranteed.
Unemployment figure repeats
On March 3, the Texas Workforce Commission reported the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 8.2 percent in January, the same as in December 2009.