Section C – Houston Business Connections Newspaper

GROUND GAME ...FORT BEND COUNTY

“Bringing the County Government closer to the people is a top priority for my Administration.”

— County Judge K.P. George

Fort Bend County Judge K.P. George

THE MOST ETHNICALLY DIVERSE COUNTY IN AMERICA

PUBLISHED BY AUBREY R. TAYLOR COMMUNICATIONS©

FORT BEND COUNTY

Meet Fort Bend County Judge K.P. George and Other Leaders Inside

UPCOMING ELECTION

The Missouri City Council Election Will Take Place on Tuesday, November 5, 2019

GOVERNING BODY: Chris Preston, Council Member - At Large Position #2 (top far left), will be up for re-election on Tuesday, November 3, 2020; Reginald Pearson, Council Member - District A (top second from left), will be up for re-election on Tuesday, November 5, 2019; Anthony Maroulis, Council Member - District C (top third from left), will be up for re-election on Tuesday, November 5, 2019; Jeffrey L. Boney, Council Member - District B (top fourth from left) will be up for re-election on Tuesday, November 5, 2019; Vashaundra Edwards, Council Member - At Large Position #1 (bottom far left) will be up for re-election on Tuesday, November 3, 2020; Yolanda Ford, Mayor of Missouri City, Texas (bottom second from left), will be up for reelection on Tuesday, November 3 2020; and Floyd Emery, Council Member - District D (bottom third from left) will be up for re-election on Tuesday, November 5, 2019.

BURT’S RUNDOWN

Political Consultant Burt Levine says next year’s Fort Bend County races are coming into focus.

Businessman Manish Seth Set to Take on State Rep. Reynolds in 2020 MANISH SETH: “First and foremost, I am a family man. I have been married to my wife, Rumana, for over 20 years. We are blessed to have two wonderful daughters.” He is asking for the vote of every House District 27 voter on Tuesday, March 3, 2020.

2020 PRIMARY

Manish Seth and his family are depending on your vote, prayers, and support in Fort Bend County.

RE-ELECT FLOYD EMERY FOR MISSOURI CITY COUNCIL — DISTRICT D

“I’M ASKING FOR YOUR VOTE ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2019.”

Ensure Public Safety Protect Property & Family Values Attract New Businesses w w w EARLY VOTING BEGINS ON MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2019, AND ENDS ON FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2019

BURT’S RUNDOWN 02C

HOUSTON BUSINESS CONNECTIONS NEWSPAPER©

NONPARTISAN

OPEN-MINDED READERSHIP

INFORMATIVE

ENGAGING

W

Next Year’s Fort Bend County Races Coming Into Focus

By Burt Levine

While most Fort Bend folks focus on surviving the heat of Houston area summer, planning swimming creek or family beach trips some are plunging into the pool of the 2020 local races by filing treasurers for next year’s federal, state and county races or lighting fireworks of rumors.

The filing deadline for 2020 is Monday, December 9, 2019. The first day to file is Saturday, November 9, 2019.

However, before then, if anyone spends resources to run, a treasurer must be filed with the local political party if the race is in one county, and the state party if the seat for which they’re running crosses county lines.

In the race for Congressional District 9 incumbent U.S. Representative Al Green is expected to run for reelection. However, U.S. Representative Pete Olson will not be seeking re-election. High-Speed Solutions business owner Jon Menefee and Rev. Johnny Teague are both expected to run for United States Congress in 2020.

Sugar Land real estate broker Dianna Miller is running in the GOP Primary against Olson. Fort Bend Sheriff Troy Nehls continues to “explore” entering the primary versus Olson but must resign from his current post if he were to announce his intentions.

Sri Kulkarni forced Olson from 59.2 percent in 2016 to 51.36 percent in 2018. Kulkarni has announced for a rematch but first faces African American Democrat Attorneys Nyanza Davis Moore and Derrick Reed, who also serves as the first black Pearland City Council Member.

State Sen. Boris Miles is running for re-election and faces Republican William Booher. Not sure whether Sen. Miles will face a primary challenger or not, just yet.

Rep. Rick Miller is running for re-election and faces recently resigned Republican Chairman Jacey Jetton in the March 3, 2020 Primary. Miller last year was forced to 52.41 percent from 57.86 in 2016 by Sarah DeMerchant who is taking her third bat at Miller. In March she faces Rish Oberoi.

Rep. Ron Reynolds is running for re-election and faces Republican Manish Seth and Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee Dr. John Zerwas will face Dr. Eliz Markowitz.

Long-time Republican Tax Assessor Pasty Schultz retired and saw to it Commissioners Court appointed deputy Carrie Surratt who is running next year as a Democrat to keep the seat. Surratt will face HCC Trustee Neeta Sane and Carmen Turner in the Primary and then Phillip Andrews or Republican Pct. Chair James Pressler in the fall.

Democrats retired HPD Officer Eric Fagan wants to run for Sheriff, and Sam Hayes and Rafael Pruneda are running for Constable Pct. 1 hoping to face incumbent Republican Mike Beard.

LINDA HOWELL, FORT BEND COUNTY REPUBLICAN PARTY CHAIR WITH BURT LEVINE AND HIS WIFE SANDRA LEVINE County 400th District Court Judge Maggie Jaramillo will face Democrat Derek Obialo, 434th District Judge Jim Shoemake will face Democrat Christian Becerra, and 505th District Court Judge David Perwin will face Democrat Surrender Patel.

Jennifer Cantu who lost for State Rep. against Phil Stephenson last year wants to run against incumbent Republican Pct. 1 Commissioner Vincent Morales, but first will face NAACP leader Lynette Reddix, and Hope Martin will challenge incumbent GOP Pct. 3 Commissioner Andy Meyers, but first Meyers faces waterboard businesswoman Wendy Duncan in the Primary.

Linda Howell with Congressm an Dan Crenshaw and Jingjing Zhang Clemence .

JT Edwards, S REC Committe eman, SD11, and Lin da Howell.

Pct. 2 former interim Constable Gary Majors wants a re-match with successor Darryl Smith, but Gilberto Perez plans to push them both away for the seat Ruben Davis held for two decades.

Pct. 3 Constable Wayne Thompson will face Democrat Mohammed Nehad Abdulhameed, and Nabil Shike plans to face Pct. 4 Republican Trevor Nehls if Nehls isn’t running for sheriff if his twin brother vacates the county’s top cop post to run for Congress as he did for Sheriff in 2012.

County Attorney Roy Cordes is retiring from decades as a Democrat County Judge and then as Republican County Attorney. Hoping to succeed him are Democrats Sonia Rash and Bridgette Smith-Lawson.

Linda Howe ll with Ibifrisolam Max-alalib o.

Linda Howell wit h Dr. Robin L. Armstr ong

EARLY VOTING WILL BEGIN ON TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2020, AND END ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2020 A SPECIAL NOTE FROM BURT LEVINE: “Linda Howell thank you and Chuck for sharing your night before the Fourth of July with my wife Sandra, and I. And thanks so much for your keen friendship and mentorship in the media and at government public affairs and writing with me that goes back more than 25 years in Fort Bend County and beyond. I believe your selfless fidelity to the Fort Bend Republican Party is going to serve you well in your new position as Fort Bend County Chair.”

HOUSTON BUSINESS CONNECTIONS NEWSPAPER©

NONPARTISAN

A GREAT PUBLIC SERVANT

OPEN-MINDED READERSHIP

INFORMATIVE

ANNOUNCEMENT

ENGAGING

03C

CONGRESSMAN PETE OLSON WILL NOT SEEK RE-ELECTION IN 2020

AUBREY R. TAYLOR: “In case you haven’t heard, U.S. Congressman Pete Olson will not seek re-election in 2020. Congressman Olson was first election back in 2008 to represent the 22nd Congressional District of Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives. The 22nd Congressional District covers parts of Brazoria, Fort Bend and Harris counties. Congressman Pete Olson is currently serving his sixth term.”

THE STATED MISSION OF THE FORT BEND COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE

SHERIFF TROY E. NEHLS: “It is the mission of persons employed by the Sheriff's Office of Fort Bend County to protect the lives, property, and rights of all people in this County. In accomplishing this mission, Sheriff's Office employees shall be, at all times, courteous, impartial, and diligent. In the execution of their duties, they shall be guided by those constitutional and legal principles, which are the foundation of the United States of America and the State of Texas.”

ENDORSEMENT ANNOUNCEMENT

T

State Senator Borris Miles Endorses State Senator Royce West for U.S. Senate Seat

Texas State Senator Borris Miles, D-Houston, announced he is endorsing fellow Texas State Senator Royce West, DDallas, for the U.S. State Senate race this fall.

"I am so proud to support my friend Royce West as the next U.S. Senator for the state of Texas. I have known and worked with Royce for more than 20 years, during which

time I have been consistently impressed by his integrity, hard work, and commitment to helping others throughout the state of Texas. He has been a leader on several issues such as healthcare, criminal justice, education and economic development issues, just to name a few. I wholeheartedly endorse Royce and encourage your support of him for

U.S. Senate."

West has served the 23rd Senatorial District for 26 years and currently serves as the Vice Chair of the Senate Higher Education Committee and is a member of Senate committees on Administration, Education and Finance. He is also Managing Partner for West & Associates L.L.P. West announced his U.S.

Senate candidacy recently at the Dallas County Democratic Party headquarters. He will be challenging incumbent U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.

Other candidates in the Democratic primary include Houston City Council Member Amanda Edwards, Houston City Council Member Chris Bell, and former U.S. House candidate MJ Hegar.

TEXAS PRIMARIES: MARCH 3, 2020 STATE SENATOR ROYCE WEST

EARLY VOTING WILL BEGIN ON TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2020, AND END ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2020

T

Meet The Honorable Judge Juli A. Mathew

The Honorable Judge Juli A. Mathew was elected to County Court at Law 3 in 2018 after having been Associate Municipal Judge in Arcola, TX and a practicing attorney for 15 years with experience in mass tort, civil litigation, probate, and criminal matters in Fort Bend and surrounding counties including Harris, Montgomery, Galveston and Brazoria.

Judge Mathew, a Fort Bend resident of almost two decades, is a proud immigrant from Kerala, India, is bilingual in Malayalam and English, and is the first Asian American woman ever to be elected in Fort Bend County.

Judge Mathew grew up in Philadelphia and attended Penn State University before attending Delaware Law School for her Juris Doctorate. A few of her academic achievements include:

FORT BEND TEX

Alpha Class member of the Asian American service sorority Alpha Kappa Delta Phi Studied abroad at University of Leiden, The Netherlands about the Dutch Criminal Justice System President, Student Government Association at Penn State Abington Citation for Leadership from Pennsylvania House of Representatives Environmental Law Clinic & Trial Advocacy Program at Delaware Law School

In addition to her service to the community through various capacities, Judge Mathew is a wife and mother of three beautiful daughters. She is committed to serving every Fort Bend resident with understanding, fairness, and justice.

Office Address Fort Bend County Justice Center 1422 Eugene Heimann Circle, Courtroom 2D Richmond, TX. 77469

WWW.FORTBEND

Mailing Address County Court at Law No.3 301 Jackson Street, Room 101 Richmond, TX. 77469

Telephone 281-341-4429

D COUNTY K XAS

Meet Fort Bend County Judge K.P. George

KP George is proud to serve as the top Elected Official in Fort Bend County as the Presiding Officer of the Commissioner's Court and Director of the Office of Emergency Management. He is a former two term member of the Fort Bend ISD school board and a local business owner.

KP’s passion for giving back to his community stems from the challenges he faced facebook growing up in a tiny South Indian village. Getting an education meant walking barefoot to the local schoolhouse and doing homework by the light of a kerosene lamp in the family’s thatch-straw hut. After years of balancing school work with helping out on the family farm, KP achieved his first goal: coming to the land of opportunity and living the American Dream.

KP immigrated to the U.S. in 1993 on a work visa for a financial firm, and has since earned multiple financial certifications and licenses. As a Certified Financial Planner, KP co-owns and manages an independent financial planning practice in Sugar Land. KP and his wife Sheeba, an FBISD teacher, have raised their three children in Sugar Land.

The George family has been deeply involved in Fort Bend County. In 2013, KP helped established the Hightower High School Academies’ Booster Club, and served as its first president. He has also served in the Sugar Land Rotary Club, the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce, and local Indo-American groups.

He is a member of the FBISD Parents Advisory Team, as well as the State Elections Policy & Affairs Team for State Representative Rick Miller.

As devout Christians, KP and Sheeba are very thankful for the opportunities God has given them to live the American Dream. Now, KP wants to ensure our county does its best to help our diverse community achieve their dreams. Today, Fort Bend County is one of the fastest and best places to live in the United States.

Fort Bend County taxpayers have the right to efficient, modern, and highquality services and infrastructure.

DCOUNTYTX.GOV

06C

HOUSTON BUSINESS CONNECTIONS NEWSPAPER©

MEET THESE PUBLIC SERVANTS ONLINE AT: WWW.FORTBENDTX.GOV

F

NONPARTISAN

OPEN-MINDED READERSHIP

INFORMATIVE

ENGAGING

THE MOST ETHNICALLY DIVERSE COUNTY IN AMERICA

Fort Bend County strives to be the most family friendly community in Texas by providing a high quality, enriching and safe environment. Each department and elective office provides fast, friendly service to its customers and continually strives to be number one in efficiency and effectiveness. The Commissioners Court fulfills its leadership role by providing necessary resources to the offices and departments to accomplish their duties and goals by establishing budgets, policies and procedures to make the most efficient use of the resources and by actively pursuing quality businesses to locate in Fort Bend County.

The Gulf of Mexico is located only 50 miles from Fort Bend County and its close proximity helps to hold the summer and winter temperatures to moderate levels. Extremes in climatic changes are usually short in duration.

View current weather conditions.

Natural Resources

Fort Bend County has approximately 11 square miles of surface water in rivers, creeks and small lakes. The County is drained by the Brazos and San Bernard Rivers as well as Oyster Creek. The Brazos River formed a broad alluvial valley, up to ten miles wide in places. The

resulting fertile soils have been a major contributing factor to the agricultural industry in the County.

The three permanently floatable waterways in Fort Bend County are the Brazos River, the San Bernard River south of Farm to Market Road 442, and Oyster Creek south of State Highway 6. The San Bernard River south of Interstate Highway 10 is a seasonally floatable waterway, shared on the west with adjacent counties. Soils vary from the rich alluvial soils in the Brazos River Valley to sandy loam and clay on the prairies. Native trees include pecan, oak, ash and cottonwood, with some old bottomland forests remaining along waterways.

Mineral resources include oil, gas, and sulfur. Sand, clay, and gravel are commercially produced.

Location

Fort Bend County is located in the Houston metropolitan area of southeast Texas. It encompasses a total of 875.0 square miles (562,560 acres). The terrain varies from level to gently rolling with elevations from 46 to 127 feet above sea level, with an average elevation of 85 feet.

US 59 traverses the center of the County from northeast to southwest, while US 90A crosses from east to west.

State Highways (SH) 6, 36 and 99 provide important north-south routes. Neighboring counties are Austin, Brazoria, Harris, Waller and Wharton.

Climate

WWW.FORTBENDCOUNTYTX.GOV The growing season is 296 days, with an average annual rainfall of 45.3 inches. The average first freeze date in the fall is December 7, and the average last freeze date is February 14. Temperatures range from a mean minimum in January of 41º to a mean maximum in July of 93º.

MANISH SETH REPUBLICAN PARTY PRIMARY — TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2020

FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE HOUSE DISTRICT 27 MANISH SETH: “First and foremost, I am a family man. I have been married to my wife, Rumana, for over 20 years. We are blessed to have two wonderful daughters. My priority in life is to be the best husband and father to these three remarkable women God has so graciously put in my life.

My roots are in this Fort Bend community. I am a proud member and contributor to the community that has given me so much. I have served this community tirelessly by dedicating time to causes near and dear to my heart. As a Board Member & Treasurer on the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce, I worked closely with small businesses to ensure they had the most prudent growth strategies. I have also served on AccessHealth (Board Member), Cullinan Park Conservancy Board (Board Member), Ridge Point Orchestra Booster Association (Treasurer), and Fort Bend Republican Party (Treasurer). Most recently, I was appointed by Governor Greg Abbott to the One Call Commission Board, which has allowed me to serve at the State level.

I was raised in this area and was able to take the opportunities presented to me and capitalize on them. I plan to take my experiences and work to bring opportunities to District 27. I want to bring a perspective of knowing the area since childhood to our House seat, and to use my experiences in growing a business, hiring people, and working with others to build our District 27 House seat.”

TRUSTWORTHY COMMITTED DEDICATED QUALIFIED HONEST

www.seth4state.com

Political Ad Paid for by Manish Seth, Candidate for Texas House of Representatives District 27, Andrew Barbe. Treasurer

There are several areas I want to focus on:

Education: We have to work with the local schools to continue providing a long-term educational plan for our children. This includes providing activities to enhance learning after normal school hours. It also means finding ways to provide skills to help the next generation transition from high school and skills to help when they enter the workforce. But it’s not just the children; it’s also the teachers. Making sure our teachers are paid fairly and are given the necessary resources from the State.

Business: District 27 is rapidly changing, and as data shows, many new people are moving to our District. With the influx of people, the District needs to continue to promote business and provide a pro-business growth environment. Local businesses that provide jobs must become a priority. To attract businesses to our community, infrastructure planning must happen at the State level. From my experience working with start-ups to large companies, I believe I have the skills of a “Business Acumen” to take this to the State Legislature to advocate on behalf of our District.

Healthcare: As someone who deals with several different healthcare clients, and through my work with AccessHealth, I have seen first-hand the need for healthcare services in our District. I also have experience in working to make sure it comes in a cost-efficient manner. We must look at ways to make sure our State is taking care of Texans, all Texans. Whether it’s our children, the elderly, or our veterans, we must ensure healthcare is accessible to all.

Property Taxes: We live in a very desirable District. As the demand for property in our area increases, so does our property taxes. Property tax laws have changed, and I will monitor to make certain the changes are positive for District 27.

Floyd

www.floydemery.com 08C

HOUSTON BUSINESS CONNECTIONS NEWSPAPER©

NONPARTISAN

OPEN-MINDED READERSHIP

INFORMATIVE

ENGAGING

EMERY

MISSOURI CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT D Councilman Floyd Emery To Seek Re-election for Missouri City Council - District D Floyd Emery announced he would seek another term on the Missouri City Council representing District D in the upcoming November 05, 2019 City election.

Emery was first elected to that position in May of 2011 and has run opposed in all subsequent elections.

He contributes running unopposed in 3 election cycles to his ability to keep his platform promises and to connect with his constituents on issues important to them.

“I am seeking reelection on a platform heavy into Public Safety which includes the building of Fire Station 6; maintaining the scope of services provided by the Quail Valley Golf Course and City Centre while stressing its importance on home values in Quail Valley; continuing our economic development strategy where many nationally known businesses such as Niagara Water, Ben E. Keith, Comcast, Fed Ex, Best Buy have selected Missouri City as their business location bringing substantial capital investments and job opportunities to our city; transparency of our financial and operating records including City Council actions; a continuation of building and strengthening our alliances with our many HOA Boards and a commitment to maintain our current City Council/City Manager form of City Government.”

“Missouri City needs an experienced and dedicated Council member to address the critical ongoing issues of Mobility, Drainage, and Infrastructure demands. Upcoming issues such as FBISD Coordination, MUD study evaluation, Parks evaluation, Homestead exemption evaluation, and Animal Control

protocol are areas that also demand a seasoned Council member with a broad range of financial and operational experience.”

Emery asks “why to change your Council repre-

sentative when in the current councilmember you have experience, dependability, and commitment to the position, service-oriented to constituents needs and one with a full range of knowledge and experience in most of the issues now facing our City.” “ I am proud to be associated with a city council where during my tenure Missouri City has and continues to be recognized as one of the safest cities in Texas, one of the most diverse cities in the state, best city to live in and most affordable for homebuyers among many other awards and recognitions.”

“I am asking the constituents of District D to allow me to complete many of the initiatives I have outlined in my plans for Missouri City by reelecting me for another term on the City Council.”

Emery is a 40 year resident of Missouri City all in District D, married to Linda for 60 years with two grown sons both educated in the Ft. Bend school system.

In addition to the City, Council Emery continues to be active in community organizations as past president of QV Proud, an active member of the QV/Missouri City Exchange Club, co-chair of the Missouri City Police Officers Association annual fundraising golf tournament and heavy involvement in the Quail Valley First Tee program.

For more detailed information on his accomplishments and plans for the future, visit www.floydemery.com or follow him on his Facebook page.

RE-ELECT FLOYD EMERY FOR MISSOURI CITY COUNCIL — DISTRICT D

“I’M ASKING FOR YOUR VOTE ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2019.”

Ensure Public Safety Protect Property & Family Values Attract New Businesses w w w EARLY VOTING BEGINS ON MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2019, AND ENDS ON FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2019