VOL 7 No. 23
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FORT BEND FAIR. BALANCED. INFORMATIVE. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4, 2014
P. O.BOX 623, SUGAR LAND, TX 77487-0623
Official newspaper of Fort Bend County, Missouri City & Sugar Land
12 Eagle Scouts honored
WELCOMING COLOR . . . a love of flowers and color welcomes visitors to Margo and Michael Robinson’s garden at 3102 La Quinta. Using a backdrop of various palms, Euryops for its yellow, daisy-like flowers and red Brazilian Firecracker Plant plus a full spectrum of color including white, blue, pink, red, purple and a splash of orange, the Robinson’s complex circular driveway bed softens the drive as well as enlivens the view for passersby. Awarded a certificate of appreciation by the Quail Valley Garden Club and provided a variegated ficus by Flowers by Adela, the garden provides a great example of using perennials, foliage and annuals to make a statement in your garden. Be sure and drive by! http://traction.typepad.com/QVGC
Receiving Eagle Rank were: Front Row, Bilal Mawji, left, Vikki Ravipati, Andy Jacobs, Neil Jain, John Madden, Conor Jung; Back Row, Andrew Wong, left, Ryan Wey, Aidan Chambers, Ziyaad Khayrattee, Uddhav Marwaha, and Reed Hermes. The troop is chartered by On Monday, May 19, Boy are very proud of our Troop 731 the Exchange Club of Sugar Scouts Troop 731 honored 12 Eagle Scouts.” Historically, less than 4 per- Land, and is part of Thunder of its recent Eagle Scouts durcent of Boy Scouts have earned Wolf District, Sam Houston ing a Court of Honor. These scouts, pictured above, the prestigious Eagle rank. It Area Council, one of the largest earned the highest rank in Boy requires great effort, commit- scout councils in the U.S. The mission of the Boy ment, and determination to earn Scouts. Scoutmaster Eric Wey said, this rank, including providing Scouts of America is to prepare “It has been an honor to be leadership for a project for the young people to make ethical part of the Journey to Eagle for community, serving in leader- and moral choices over their each of these young men. Each ship positions in the troop, and lifetimes by instilling in them of these Boy Scouts has dem- completing at least 21 merit the values of the Scout Oath onstrated the unique abilities, badges, 12 of which are re- and Law. The vision is that The Boy talents, teamwork, leadership, quired. Since the troop was formed Scouts of America will prepare and determination required to achieve the Eagle Scout Rank. in 1991, more than 88 boys every eligible youth in America Their journey through Scouting have earned Eagle rank, and the to become a responsible, partichas equipped them with skills troop and boys continue to very ipating citizen and leader who necessary to be successful in active in the Fort Bend commu- is guided by the Scout Oath and Law. anything they choose to do. We nity.
Missouri City’s Mayor ProTem election in a limbo Kick Off Your Summer with Hope for Three. Join Hope for Three, autism advocates, as they pull out the lawn chairs and share in the joys of the Sugar Land Town Square Giving Spirits Concert, June 6, from 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. in the Town Square. Along with an evening of music and fellowship, Hope for Three will provide an informational table as well as opportunities to get involved and make a difference. The event is free and all are invited. Pictured left to right are Hope for Three Volunteers, Samantha Noronha and Faye James. For more information, visit www.hopeforthree.org or call 1-800-317-0787.
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By SESHADRI KUMAR The election of Missouri City Councilman Robin Elackatt as Mayor ProTem has hit a technical snag. City council will again consider the election of Mayor PoTem at its June 16 meeting. At the June 2 meeting, city council ratified certain actions taken on the May 19 city council agenda. But, the election of Mayor ProTem was not ratified. Ratification of the May 19 actions became necessary because of a snafu while swearing-in the newly elected councilman Chris Preston. Preston was sworn-in by Councilwoman Yolanda Ford on May 19. The city secretary and the city attorney subsequently realized that a councilmember is not authorized to administer the oath of office. It is normally done by the mayor, the city secretary, or a public notary. Elected officials are advised on how to get the oath administered. However, Yolanda administering the oath of office to Preston caught city officials by surprise. After ascertaining that Ford is not a public notary, City Secretary Maria Gonzalez administered the oath of office to Preston, again on Tuesday, May 20. Thus, Preston was officially not sworn in on May 19 as everyone thought and consequently, his votes on action items
were void. Councilman Jerry Wyatt said the intention of Ford administering the oath of office to Preston was good, but it was a mistake. The election of Robin Elackatt as Mayor ProTem was one of the items in which Preston voted. Since his vote was void, Elackatt’s election received only three votes, that of Floyd Emery, Ford and Elackatt himself. Because Elackatt did not get a majority of four votes, Wyatt said council should reconsider the Mayor Pro Tem election. As reported last week, Emery first made a motion nominating Elackatt and Ford seconded the motion on May 19.
When Owen asked if there were any other nominations, current Mayor ProTem Jerry Wyatt proposed Councilman Don Smith’s name. No one seconded the motion. Then, Smith nominated Wyatt and again, the motion died for want of a second. Finally, Elackatt nominated Emery for Mayor ProTem and this motion too failed as no one seconded it. In the meantime, Wyatt and Smith, moved away from the table. That left, only four council members, with the mayor. As Owen called for a vote on Emery’s motion, nominating Elackatt, the four members voted in favor.
Fort Bend County Judge Robert E. “Bob” Hebert on May 30 administered the oath of office of Justice of the Peace, Precinct 4 to Laura Richard. Laura Richard, the widow of former Justice of the Peace Jim Richard, was unanimously appointed by Commissioners Court to fill out the unexpired portion of his term, which runs through December 31 of this year.