Anderson appointed by Governor
Texas Governor Rick Perry has named Fort Bend County Human
Resources Director Tom Anderson to serve as the chairman of
the Texas Human Rights Commission.
Anderson, who has also been very active
in the Republican Party of Fort Bend County and is a
long-time Republican Precinct Chair, should be commended for
his involvement in the community.
Congratulations Tom on the appointment
and we hope your participation will further enhance Fort
Bend County’s image.
Elections and the release of public
information
I couldn’t help but suppress a giggle
when I received a list of early voters this past weekend. I
couldn’t help but notice that each voter’s date of birth was
posted on the list. Now, as everyone probably knows, County
Clerk Dianne Wilson has been hung out to dry by her
opponents who think she has committed the ultimate crime by
releasing public information to the public via the Internet.
I’ve already expressed my opinion of this matter, so there
is no need to go into that. When I pointed out the election
list disclosure to Wilson, she said it was just another case
of “a wayward county department” releasing public
information.
The small things have to be
approved too
Every week, week after week, Fort Bend
County Commissioners approve or deny requests from various
officials for improvements or purchases totaling thousands
upon thousands of dollars. But they also deal with a lot of
small things as well. Every department in the county has to
follow certain rules so the proper checks and balances can
be successful.
This week court members heard a request
to pay an invoice totaling $150 to Ellvina Loehr for cakes
provided without a purchase order for the Gus George Academy
20th Anniversary reception which was held two weeks ago.
So, while the court has to consider huge
requests for major expenditures, they also have to sweat the
small stuff as well.
By the way, congratulations to academy
personnel on a job well done through the years. I can
remember when we were all out dragging the sack, so to
speak, to get enough funds to host various classrooms so our
police personnel could go to a single class. Usually these
classes were held in a fire station and instructors came
from the various agencies throughout the county.
One year, way back in the late 1970’s, a
rag-tag bunch of local police and some of the media, myself
included, went all out trying to raise funds for the Fort
Bend County Law Enforcement Academy. Actually, the name was
all there was to the “academy” but the need for a real
stationary, permanent facility was there. So, we had a big
parade, sports tournaments, auctions and a variety of other
things for a full week. We raised some funds, but not enough
to build “the” academy.
Then, along comes the late Sheriff Gus
George. Gus was a terrific man who understood the needs of
the community, the workings of a law enforcement agency from
bottom to top and politics. He got things done because of
this unique mixture of experience and political savvy. When
he was elected sheriff, he also saw a need for a permanent
academy and he got the ball rolling. The Fort Bend County
Law Enforcement Academy was renamed in his honor while he
was still sheriff, an honor that he held near and dear to
his heart. Gus died while in office after a courageous
battle with cancer.
I still miss him and I hope that when the current academy
that bears his name is relocated and expanded, as is
currently being considered, the one thing that never changes
is the name. In my opinion we would probably still be out
there scraping together enough donations to hold a class
here and a class there had it not been for Gus.
