VOL 12 No. 9
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FORT BEND FAIR. BALANCED. INFORMATIVE. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2019
P. O.BOX 623, SUGAR LAND, TX 77487-0623
Official newspaper of Fort Bend County & Missouri City
Tarrant County Republican Shahid Shafi joins featured guests at GOP Lincoln-Reagan Dinner
HUD Secretray Ben Carson
Dr. Shahid Shafi
U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw
By SESHADRI KUMAR Tarrant County Republican Party Vice chairman Shahid Shafi will be a special guest at the Fort Bend County Republican Party’s 2019 Lincon-Reagan Dinner to be held on March 1 at the Safari Texas Ranch, Fort Bend County GOP Chair Jacey Jetton said last week. U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson is the featured keynote speaker and U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw will be the guest speaker. Shahid Shafi, a trauma surgeon, is also a Southlake city council member. An attempt to oust him as vice-chairman because he is a Muslim failed at the Tarrant County GOP meeting on Jan. 10. The vote was 139 in support and 49 against. Shafi, a Muslim who was born in India and raised in Pakistan, studied medicine in the United States and became a naturalized citizen in 2009. “As an immigrant to this great country, I am honored and privileged to receive the support of my fellow Republicans,” he told reporters after the vote. “We need to learn to trust each other so we can create a more perfect union everyday.” Darl Easton, the county chairman who originally appointed Shafi, said in a written statement that the vote reaffirmed the
commitment by most Tarrant County Republicans “to our core values and moral compass, a demonstration of our allegiance to the Texas Republican Party Platform and the Constitutions of the United States and Texas, which strictly prohibit religious and racial discrimination of any kind.” Dr. Shafi in an open letter said: “The call to remove me from the party of Lincoln and Reagan because of my religion is wrong for several reasons. First, discrimination based upon religion is illegal, immoral, unethical, unAmerican, and against the foundations of our country and the principles of our party. Second, it plays right into the false narrative of racism and bigotry fomented against the Republican party. Third, it distracts from our core value of religious liberty. “Here are the facts. I have never had any association with the Muslim Brotherhood nor CAIR nor any terrorist organization. I believe that the laws of our nation are our Constitution and the laws passed by our elected legislatures — I have never promoted any form of Sharia Law. I fully support and believe in American Laws for American Courts. I support our Second Amendment rights unconditionally, and I believe in the sanctity of life from conception onwards. I
believe in small government, lower taxes, individual responsibility, religious freedom, school choice, energy independence, rule of law, and secure borders. For five years in a row, as a City Councilman, I have voted to reduce property taxes in Southlake. I also support Israel’s right to exist. “My faith in America was affirmed and I have served on the Southlake City Council since 2014. I have served in this role not as a Muslim but as an American. “I joined the Republican party soon after I became a naturalized citizen in 2009. Since then, I have served in local Republican clubs and on various committees at TCGOP....I have taught conservative candidates how to run for local offices, and have supported several conservative candidates in their races. Most recently, I started a new Republican Club in our town, Southlake. “I believe that much of the hate against Muslims is driven by a fear of terrorism. I understand these fears and I stand together with Americans of all faiths to protect our Nation. I am honored to be an American and a Republican.” Meanwhile Fort Bend County Republican Party has two Muslims as precinct chairs. They are Mahmud Dahri and Husam Eghneim.
By BARBARA FULENWIDER After two city council meetings that involved major discourse on the salaries, Stafford City Council decided to pay the mayor $120,000 and each councilmember $7,200 a year. The item was sixth on their Feb. 20 agenda and began with the city attorney, Art Pertile, reminding council that the mayor will receive pay that is no more than the chief executive officer of a city the same size as Stafford. Then Shanell Garcia, director of human resources, provided council members with the least and most amounts that eight cities of the same population as Stafford pay their chief executive officer. Pertile said, “There is a cap on the highest amount -- you cannot pay more than the chief executive of a city of comparable size.” Mayor Leonard Scarcella said he currently makes $10,800. Pertile said, “That’s less than a liveable wage. You can’t get over the cap or under
the minimum wage.” Scarcella, who twice voted against the amendment and put out a flyer urging voters not to approve the amendment to increase the mayor’s or council’s salaries, said council members have to abide by the amendment they voted on and that citizens approved. Councilman Cecil Willis said, “Are y’all aware that the closest population to Stafford is Angleton, which pays $18,862. Dickinson is close to our projected population and pays $120,000. Both of those numbers are very different than the formula we came up with.” Scarcella said, “I have lived with this for many years under the same current ordinance that goes back to 1991.” He said he thinks the salary of Dickinson would be on the low end of what the people voted for. “I think that since the salary of $120,000 would be about 1100% of what the current salary is, if it comports with the law, would be the amount to begin with.”
Scarcella went on to say that the job is 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and that his schedule starts at 7:30 a.m. and sometimes ends near midnight. “It is something the people have spoken on. Our legal counsel has told us why the salary has to be over a certain amount based on the wording that particular amendment (has in it) and was approved by voters in November. To increase more than 1,000%...that should be the limit of what the salary should be.” Willis said, “When we voted to put this on the ballot, I voted against it twice. This is not why you go into public service. I never knew anyone up here who was here for that (money). It was to serve people and not to make money. “This will be one of the toughest two or three decisions I’ve ever had to make, while on this council because it goes against public service. The $120,000 isn’t a number I’d See SALARY, Page 4
Stafford mayor’s salary hiked from $10,800 to $120,000
‘Border crisis real and serious, hits deep inside Texas’
Nueces County Sheriff J.C. Hooper, left, DeWitt County Sheriff Carl R. Bowen, Jackson County Sheriff Andy Louderback, U.S. Rep. Pete Olson (Tx-22) and Fort Bend County Pct. 3 Constable Wayne Thompson at a meeting hosted by the Fort Bend Republican Patriots Club in Sugar Land on Feb. 21 By SESHADRI KUMAR Rio Grande sector, Louderback to illegal immigrants, it will Sheriff Andy Louderback of said. All counties in and around hamper their operations,” Jackson County is President Houston are impacted by this according to Louderback. Donald Trump’s right hand man problem, he said. “We have never been antion the border security issues. All law enforcement agencies immigration. We are antiLouderback was seen sitting including the local sheriffs, criminals,” Louderback said. next to President Trump recently city police, Customs and “The wall is simply a portion at the White House as the Border Patrol, Immigration of what we’ve talked about for president answered questions and Customs Enforcement, decades,” said Louderback. “No about the government shutdown and Drug Enforcement Agency country exists that doesn’t have and the border wall. should work together to tackle a border that’s controlled.” Louderback was the featured the “American issue.” Louderback believes a wall speaker at the Fort Bend “It is not a political problem, in certain portions is necessary Republican Patriots Club on it is not a Republican or to help law enforcement have Feb. 21 in Sugar Land. He was Democratic problem; it is an greater control over the drugs accompanied by Nueces County American problem. The size and other types of crime coming Sheriff J. C. Hooper and DeWitt and scope of the problem is over the border. County Sheriff Carl R. Bowen. big in Texas and in the U.S.,” “We need physical barrier Congressman Pete Olson also according to Louderback. structures in certain places, we spoke at the meeting. The cartels own every plaza need technology and we need Louderback was loud and or the official entry points in the manpower,” said Louderback. clear in his message. The rise of U.S.-Mexico border and they The nature of immigrants the cartels across the border is are powerful and well equipped. trying to enter the border alarming and the “humanitarian The Customs and Border has drastically changed. It crisis” at the border is real, not a Patrol in the Rio Grande sector used to be that 90 percent of ‘manufactured’ crisis. has a budget of $17 billion . The immigrants crossing the border All the counties of Texas have cartels, on the other hand, on the were from Mexico. Now, 90 become “border counties” now other side of the border collect percent of those trying to cross because of the human trafficking a “tax” from illegal immigrants the border illegally are “Other and drugs that pass through the and drug traffickers totaling Than Mexicans,” from about U.S. 59/77 corridors from the $138 million a year, Louderback 40 countries such as Honduras border down to Houston. and Guatemala, and even said. The Houston area is No. Transnational criminal Bangladesh, Louderback said. 1 in the country for human elements are involved in human That is a big drain on border trafficking and the country’s trafficking. patrol resources as the officers biggest consignments of drugs “If we take care of the cartels are forced to feed, provide pass through the border in the who are providing sustenance See BORDER, Page 4
The Youth Services department at Fort Bend County Libraries’ University Branch Library invites children to treat their teddy bear to a special adventure -- “Teddy-Bear Camp at the Library!” during Spring Break, March 9-16. Children can bring their second-favorite teddy bear or toy and sign them up any day during the week for teddy-bear camp, but the earlier in the week they come, the more adventures their teddy bear will have! Registration opens at 10 a.m on Saturday, March 9, and continues through Friday, March 15, at 4:30 p.m. Campers should be backpack-sized or smaller. After all of their activities at Teddy-Bear Camp are over, the stuffed animals and toys will be ready to return home. On Saturday, March 16, anytime between 2:30 and 3:30 pm, children can pick up their teddy bears, enjoy a snack, and see how much fun everyone had during Teddy-Bear Camp at the Library! This activity is free and open to the public. For more information, call the University Branch Library at 281-633-5100. The University Branch Library is located at 14010 University Blvd in Sugar Land, on the UH campus.