MAYOR JOE ZIMMERMAN

Mayor Zimmerman Seeks Re-Election

Joe R. Zimmerman, Mayor of Sugar Land, filed for re-election in January, seeking a fourth and final term. Mayor Zimmerman was elected the tenth Mayor of Sugar Land in 2016, won re-election in 2018, and was unopposed in his 2020 re-election bid. He and his wife Nancy filed the official paperwork for his last term as Mayor due to term limits. “It is an honor to serve the citizens of Sugar Land. This city is our home, and I look forward to representing all of our residents in this fourth term,” said Mayor Zimmerman.

As Mayor, Zimmerman continues to keep Sugar Land the best place to live, work, play, shop, and raise a family. Under his leadership, Sugar Land has been ranked in the top five of the Best Small Cities to Live in America, recognized as the second safest midsize Cities in America, recipient of the “Leading the Way Award” - Top Ranking in Residential Satisfaction with City Services, and received Best Suburb honors. In addition, Zimmerman will continue to work on improvements to public safety, infrastructure (drainage, streets, water and wastewater), maintaining the transparency and financial strength of the city, economic development (attracting new businesses and continuing to help those affected by the pandemic) and redevelopment (invest-

ing in neighborhoods to protect homeowners’ investments and quality of life). He has worked with community partners to put health first through the pandemic while bolstering businesses and supporting the economy. Through Zimmerman’s terms as Mayor, he has worked with City Council and staff to address flooding from a number of events, including Hurricane Harvey, addressed service shortfalls in water and trash resulting from Winter Storm Uri, and partnered with Fort Bend County to provide locations for COVID testing and vaccinations. Sugar Mayor Joe R. Zimmerman. Land also welcomed the Houston Astros and Triple-A baseball and oversaw implementation of the ~$91M in G.O. voter-approved bonds reserved for drainage, public safety, and infrastructure projects. Zimmerman is looking forward to continuing to represent all of Sugar Land. He and his wife of almost 46 years, Nancy, have made Sugar Land their home since 1990 and are active members of Second Baptist Church. Their daughter, Allison, her husband Chris Wallace, granddaughter Emmy, and grandson Campbell live in Houston. The City’s General Election is May 7th, 2022. For more information, visit www.joezimmermanformayor.com.

By Patti Parish-Kaminski, Publisher

Roses are Red, Violets are Not Really Blue

Valentine’s Day month – the official day when we celebrate the ones we love. I have to confess I have mixed emotions about the entire concept of Valentine’s Day. Now I love a good Valentine gift – don’t get me wrong and certainly do not give Mr. Kaminski the idea that he can show up on said day with no goodies. I said I have mixed emotions; I did not say I was crazy.

Here’s the rub for me: I am fortunate to love a lot of people, and I convey my love to them frequently. It probably annoys some of my people, but it’s just in my DNA to express love. I’m just not real certain why we only devote one day a year to expressing our love to our people. Doesn’t seem equitable to me, but love has so many forms and incantations, it prompted me to really delve into the true meaning of the word “love.”

As a society, we are in love with love. We all want to be “in love” and “loved.” I believe it’s a natural state. We covet the concept, the feeling, and we use the word liberally to describe many things because the word “love” truly means different things to different folks. The dictionary says love is “intense emotional reaction to something.” Well, I have displayed intense emotional reactions to many things in my life – just ask Mr. Kaminski – and let’s just say the majority of them have not been about love.

The Bible tells us love is patient, love is kind, love always protects, trusts, hopes and perseveres. It says “Love never fails.” I like that. There are no guarantees in this life and here is God giving us a guarantee on love. That works for me.

I must confess, however, that love has led to the two most challenging jobs I have ever had in my life: wife and mother. Neither role is for the faint of heart. I’ve had friends over the years share with me how perfect their marriage, husbands and children were. Really? And yes, I felt obligated to tell them clearly that if all of those situations were perfect in their lives, something was wrong. Love is messy, love is work, love is hard; it is not perfection. If it were perfect and easy, I feel God would have mentioned that.

The things that we work the very hardest to achieve are always the most rewarding. Guess that’s why this wife and mother thing has worked out for me – years of constant, brutal, unrelenting effort – all in the name of love. I wouldn’t trade a moment of it.

See y’all next week - lovin’ on the porch!

On the porch at Valentine’s Day central – L C Floral Designs in Richmond. Gentlemen, holler at Lucas to make sure your Valentine’s Day is sweet! www.lcfloraldesignsshoppe.com