Free Republic

The third time was the charm for Jerry Shults, who beat Pat Hallisey for League City mayor by almost 500 votes in Saturday’s runoff election. “I am extremely pleased,” said Shults, who lost his last bid for the office to Jeff Harrison in 2002. “We had a lot of people working hard to get out the vote.” The council candidates that Shults campaigned with, Tad Nelson and Mike Barber, also won their individual races. The three campaigned on a message of conservatism, painting their opponents as liberals aligned with developers and “special interest” groups. All of the candidates, though, were...

Dramatic differences emerge leading to lively exchanges Four candidates are running to shape the future of Friendswood. Running for Position 2 are Lonnie Moffitt and John LeCour. Contestants for Position 5 are Kitten Brizendine and Chris Peden. All candidates’ positions were stated at the well attended forum at Village on the Park Friday, April 15. Fifteen issues, raised by the audience, were addressed. The program provided concise, descriptive statements of their positions showing sharp differences between various candidates’ liberal and conservative positions. The issues soliciting the most divergent opinions were taxes, City-funded development, zero-based budgeting, and the candidates’ vision for...

A June 2004 meeting between Friendswood school officials and the chief appraiser of the Galveston County Central Appraisal District was to keep the school district from losing state funding because under-appraised homes in six Friendswood subdivisions, said FISD superintendent Trish Hanks. The meeting has become fodder for Houston talk radio station KSEV and its Lone Star Times web site, with allegations that the district tried to bring unwarranted influence to bear on the appraisal district to boost property values and therefore permit a "stealth" tax increase. In the arcane process of property appraisal for tax purposes, Hanks said the state...

Friendswood school district and appraisal district officials on Friday defended a meeting they had last year that resulted in higher property appraisals for residents in six subdivisions. Both Ken Wright, the appraisal district’s chief appraiser, and school Superintendent Trish Hanks said the meeting was to ensure the school district did not lose state funding because property in its boundaries had been under-appraised. Hanks, other officials and three school board members met with Wright last year, presenting him with records of home sales indicating the appraisal district had undervalued real estate in the school district. Hanks said school officials wanted to...

As President Bush "goes on tour," trying to sell his still ambiguous Social Security Reform plan to the American people in 60 different cities, the one idea that is clear is that the program, as we know, it should be reformed. If Social Security was one of its own recipients, it would already be retired and collecting, now at age 70. Come to think of it, retirement doesn't sound like a bad idea, either. It seems President Bush is not the only one who can be accused of ambiguity on this issue. Many members of Congress have differing opinions about...

FRIENDSWOOD — A group had a pep-rally of sorts at a Friendswood pizza parlor Tuesday to encourage support for Gov. Rick Perry’s proposal to limit increases in taxable property values to no more than 3 percent annually. The group released what it said were numbers showing government officials do not pay their fare share when it comes to property taxes. Edd Hendee, a radio talk show host and executive director of Citizens Lowering Our Unfair Taxes, released figures indicating that the property values of Friendswood Mayor Kimball Brizendine, City Manager Ron Cox, council members such as Mel Measels and Laura...

LEAGUE CITY — In what further may be a sign that the once dominant blue of the Democratic Party is starting to take on a stronger shade of Republican red in Galveston County, Oliver North is set to rally the conservative faithful this spring. North, the retired U.S. Marine officer best known for his involvement in the Iran-Contra investigations during the Ronald Reagan administration, has agreed to be the keynote speaker for the annual Lincoln Day Dinner in March. The Lincoln Day Dinner, named for President Abraham Lincoln, is a yearly event sponsored by local conservative groups. The Fox News...

Thank you for your help during this busy election cycle. It paid off in a big way! Galveston County Republicans not only picked up two more county-wide seats, but also helped get President George W. Bush reelected and increased the Republican majority in both the U.S. and State Senate and House of Representatives. It's was time to celebrate and we did! We had a grand 'ole celebration party on Friday, November 19, 2004 at the Wayne Johnson Community Center at Carbide Park. Carbide Park is located at 4102 Main Street (FM 519) in LaMarque, Texas. Was glad to see all...

On Nov. 2, I did something I’ve never done before and may never do again — I voted a straight Republican ticket. I wasn’t the only Galveston County voter to do so. In fact, for the first time in history, more Republicans voted a straight ticket than Democrats, nearly 30,000 of them. So, President Bush carried Galveston County by a wide margin. In two out of three countywide races, Republicans won. In the sheriff’s race, the popular incumbent Democrat Gean Leonard won a surprisingly close victory over a Republican who wasn’t widely known in the county. In the past, I’ve...

Today is the last day for early voting and the number of Galveston County residents who cast their ballots has already surpassed the previous presidential election. As of Wednesday, more than 48,400 people in the county had cast their vote, compared to the approximate 44,700 who voted early during the last presidential election in 2000. “It’s been busy,” said County Clerk Mary Ann Daigle. “We’ve already surpassed (early voting) in the last presidential election. People have been out voting and the lines have been heavy. Our phones have been ringing off the wall.” During the first eight days of early...

The media-hogging presidential race shouldn't get all the credit for generating unprecedented early voter turnout for the Nov. 2 general election. North Galveston County voters are key players in helping decide a contentious Congressional race, a county sheriff contest and a snippy, snippy battle for the post of tax assessor-collector. U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Sugar Land, rode off to Washington in 1984 during a general election that saw Ronald Reagan take no prisoners in his contest against Democrat Walter Mondale. DeLay was a young GOP businessman from Fort Bend County who was infused with the spirit of Reaganism, the promise...

Socialists Organizing in Galveston County, Texas I will admit it is a well conceived plan. Get the locals out to protest the presence of the Ku Klux Klan and do it under the feel good name of the United Concerned Neighbors of Galveston and Harris Counties. Build some good will and a coalition of gentle people. The next time the United Concerned Neighbors may protest a garbage dump. Hey, no one wants a dump in their backyard.And useful idiots are born. . .United Concerned Neighbors is run by Rona and David Michael Smith, well known to some of us...