VOL 8 No. 9
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FORT BEND FAIR. BALANCED. INFORMATIVE. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2015
P. O.BOX 623, SUGAR LAND, TX 77487-0623
Official newspaper of Fort Bend County, Missouri City & Sugar Land
Black History Month
First Black county commissioner’s portrait unveiled
County Commissioner Grady Prestage, left, and County Judge Bob Hebert flank the portrait of first black county commissioner of Fort Bend County Thomas Taylor and at right, the great grandson of Taylor, Eurel Taylor, during the commissioners court meeting on Feb. 24. By SESHADRI KUMAR to participate in politics. The en- than 40 of Taylor’s relatives who Fort Bend County Pct. 2 Com- suing divide raged for more than were elated to witness another missioner Grady Prestage brought six decades. tribute to their loved one. alive a part of history during “On behalf of the Taylor famReflecting on the era, one of Black History Month celebration Taylor’s descendants noted: “ In ily, we are honored to have been last week, when he introduced the [Jaybird-Woodpecker War], in, and around, this County for Thomas Lane Taylor, the first they at least were honest enough more than 125 years,” said Sgt. black, Fort Bend County Com- to acknowledge that some black Eurel Tavlor, a great-grandson of missioner for Precinct 2, from men were run out of town, while Commissioner Taylor, who serves 1878-1882. others resisted. My fifth great- with the Fort Bend County SherA pioneer and a family man, grandfather on my father’s side, iff’s Office. Taylor summoned bravery and Tom Taylor, was one of the local “This means a lot to our famcourage to forge a political foun- black [landowners] who resisted ily to see our heritage continued dation for African-Americans ‘eviction’ from Fort Bend Coun- within this county, and the contriduring Reconstruction, Prestage ty.” However, under great duress, butions that we played a role in, recalled and as a tribute to his Commissioner Taylor eventu- and seeing that everyone received legacy, his portrait was dedicated ally moved his family to Wharton the equal rights that they deserved to the county. in Fort Bend County,” Taylor said. County. It will be prominently disIn testament to Taylor’s triAccording to historical replayed in the historic Fort Bend umphs, the Wharton County His- cords, on Sept. 6, about 300 County Courthouse, County torical Commission celebrated Jay Birds met in the district Judge Bob Hebert said. him and his family in 1986, Tex- courtroom and passed a resoA lifelong resident of the re- as’s sesquicentennial year. Taylor lution which declared that cergion, Taylor established roots as and his family “have lived in and tain African American elected an agriculturist and cattle raiser, around the community of Hunger- officials in Fort Bend County prospering and purchasing a ford for 100 years or more, and had to leave the county in homestead in Boone’s Bend in have contributed to the develop- ten hours. After the meeting, Wharton County. ment of this said community. It a group of about 300 armed In 2015, his grandsons, Chancy is hoped that this family will con- white men rode to the homes and Tom Taylor, still reside on tinue to reside in this area, as their of each of the African Ameritheir beloved grandfather’s land. presence influences and enriches can men listed in the resoluTaylor’s public service is ex- the history of the community.” tion to tell them the outcome traordinary as he became an At an inaugural Black History of the meeting. They told each elected official during a tumultu- Month Celebration in February, man that they had 10 hours to ous time following the Civil War. the City of Missouri City saluted leave the county. All of the men In Fort Bend County, the period Taylor’s successes by renaming a complied with the order of was marked by conflicts such as portion of Lexington Boulevard to the resolution except County the Jaybird-Woodpecker War in “Thomas Taylor Parkway”. The Commissioner Thomas Taylor. which two Democratic Party blocs four-lane roadway winds in front Before a task force could physvied for control. A heated debate of City Hall and intersects with ically remove him, Taylor and during the struggle was whether Texas Parkway, a major thorough- his family had left Kendleton. African-Americans, such as Tay- fare. City officials were joined at With this news things calmed lor, ought to have an opportunity the renaming ceremony by more down in the county.
Incumbents unopposed in Sugar Land
Contested polls in FBISD, Missouri City, Stafford
By BARBARA FULENWIDER For the first time in 16 years, Stafford Mayor Leonard Scarcella is running for re-election against an opponent. Councilman Robert Sorbet filed to run for mayor and is the first Scarcella opponent to do so since 1999 when Stafford Municipal School District and city council were at loggerheads. Sorbet has one more year left of his current term on council. The other Stafford council seats that will be filled currently belong to Councilmen Wen Guerra, A.J. Honore and Fred Woolridge. Woolridge is not running for re-election but the other two incumbents are along with hopefuls Ray Garcia, Virginia Rosas and Jacqueline Jean-Baptiste. Sorbet has been a councilman for four terms and was elected in 2008. He served as mayor pro tem from May 2012 to May 2013. He is currently chairman of the technology and salary committees and also serves on the Stafford Centre and insurance committees. He was a co-team leader supporting the $50 million bond referendum used to upgrade SMSD. He is a business owner in the electrical industry and he and his family have been residents of Stafford since 1996. His four children all attended SMSD. He has served as director and vice president of his home owners association in The Promenade. Scarcella, a Stafford native, is an attorney who has been mayor since 1969. He is an exceptional visionary leader who has achieved outstanding accomplishments for his city. Some of those include having attracted numerous major clean industry businesses; negated the town’s property tax, which made it one of few Texas cities
that does not have one, and he leads a city that has no indebtedness. He also successfully led the six-year battle to implement Stafford Municipal School District (SMSD), which is the state’s only municipal school district; brought the arts and cultural events to Stafford via the Stafford Centre; brought Houston Community College to Stafford and helped make it that entity’s largest student body; implemented zoning, and has greatly improved the looks and quality of the city’s thoroughfares and entrances. Stafford Councilman Wen Guerra is running for reelection on May 9. He has served on city council since 2002 when he was appointed to fill an unexpired term. Guerra served on the city’s planning commission prior to joining city council. As a councilman he served on the city’s home rule charter commission and was mayor pro tem from May 2005 to May 2006. Guerra, a building contractor, has lived in Stafford for 36 years. Arthur J. Honore is also seeking reelection. The incumbent was named in May 2014 to fill an unexpired term. He has been heavily involved in community activities for many years and has lived in Stafford since 1986. He is a business graduate, worked 15 years as a trust administrator for corporate equity and tax exempt bond projects, has been a business owner for more than 20 years and is currently an executive consultant for Energy Management and Environmental Lighting Projects. Hopefuls who are running for Stafford council seats include Jacqueline Jean-Baptiste, Virginia Rosas and Ray Garcia. Jean-Baptiste has been a Stafford resident for 19 years. She
is a director of regulatory quality assurance and has been extensively involved in the community. Virginia Rosas, currently on the SMSD board, is also running for council. She has lived in Stafford for 32 years and her profession is court coordinator. Ray Garcia is the third hopeful running for council. He has lived in Stafford for four years and is an accountant. Missouri City In Missouri City three of the four district council positions have each attracted two candidates. Candidates for District A are the incumbent, Yolanda Ford, who was first elected in 2013 and Bobby Marshal who lost to her in 2013. Ford is a 35-year resident of Missouri City who is an urban planner/land developer and a former Missouri City employee. She has an undergraduate degree in business from the University of Houston and a master’s degree in architecture from Prairie View A&M. Bobby Marshall, a former District A council member for two terms, is a business owner. He has lived in Missouri City almost 23 years and in Texas for 54 years. Don Smith is running for re-election against hopeful JaPaula Kemp. Smith was first elected to city council in 2001 and served until 2007. In 2010 council appointed him to fill the unexpired term for District B. A year later he ran for that council seat and won. He is retired from the U.S. Air Force and has lived in Missouri City for 35 years. His opponent, JaPaula Kemp, is an attorney, who is 46 years old and has lived in Missouri City for nine years and in Texas for almost 15 years. See POLLS, Page 3
Dulles High School Science Team advances to National Science Bowl
The Dulles High School Science Bowl Team recently won their regional competition for the 2015 National Science Bowl (NSB) and is advancing to the National Finals, which will be held in Washington, D.C. during April 30 – May 4. The five-member team includes Siddarth Guha (captain), Vishnu Iyer, Rik Nag, Rahul Nagvekar, Aman Patel and Sponsor Judy Matney. Now in its 25th year, the National Science Bowl brings together thousands of middle and high school students from across the country to compete in a fast-paced question-and-answer format where they solve technical problems and answer questions on various science disciplines, including biology, chemistry, earth and space science, physics and math. More than 240,000 students have participated in the event since its inception, with approximately 14,000 students competing each year. The top 16 high school teams and top eight middle school teams in the National Finals will win $1,000 for their schools’ science departments. Prizes for the top two high school teams for the 2015 NSB will be announced at a later date. Pictured (from left to right) are: Dr. Drew Poche, science teacher; Rahul Nagvekar, Aman Patel, Siddarth Guha (captain), Rik Nag, Vishnu Iyer, and Judy Matney, Sponsor.