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12 | NEWS | Community Impact Newspaper • Northwest Houston Edition 2012 ELECTION COVERAGE Candidates for Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Election dates for 2012 - www.harrisvotes.com Jack Cagle, incumbent county commissioner for precinct 4, is a former attorney and judge with a triple major from Rice University. He also received almost 73 percent of the vote in the Republican primary. Cagle has served as commissioner since last October, following the resignation of Jerry Eversole. Will anything change now that you know who your contender is? Not really. The only change now is I have a Democratic opponent. However, the goal of doing a good job would exist even without a Democratic opponent. My grandfather always taught me that the best campaign you could ever do is to do a good job. we are a committed omm d to sserving ng oour community comm nit and ou our mili military ary Sean Hammerle Democratic candidate, Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Sean Hammerle, a native Texan, is the son of a mother and father who both retired after long careers as high school principals. He attended Louisiana State University, where he majored in political science and English literature. Hammerle has lived in Houston for almost 20 years and works in public service. Now that he has received 52 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary, Hammerle is ready to do what he has been doing practically all his life. “I want the work I do to make a difference,” Hammerle said. Will anything change in the next phase of the campaign, knowing you will be facing off against Jack Cagle? It’s going to be a little different, but mostly because there are now two parties What is your vision for Precinct 4? I’ve inherited a precinct that is exploding in growth. My vision is to continue to be prepared for this growth and to see that we have the infrastructure in place to allow communities and businesses to grow. Economic development is the best chance to succeed. How will you work to stop undesirable businesses that open in areas such as FM 1960? Laws have been passed at the legislature that gives some teeth for the county to be able to enact ordinances, to stop the massage parlors and tearooms that are bringing down property values and destroying the quality of life along the [FM] 1960 July 31: Primary Runoff election Oct. 22-Nov. 2: Early voting for general election looking for votes. My message has not changed though—I will bring a different perspective to Harris County. There’s a trend across the country of wanting something other than the same-old-same-old. What is your vision for Precinct 4? Increasing communication among businesses and organizations within the precinct. I have constantly had people say, ‘What does the commissioner do?’ So I think we can do a lot more to inform citizens about the effect commissioners have in the county. How will you work to stop undesirable businesses that open in areas such as FM 1960? I do think this is an area where Jack Cagle Republican candidate, Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner corridor. We’ve had six meetings with state reps, county attorney’s office, district attorney’s office, fire marshal’s office, and the sheriff’s department, all together. We’ve now got a proposed set of ordinances that we’re going to have a public hearing on in the next few weeks. What is the biggest challenge in governing over such a large unincorporated area? Making sure we have adequate resources to take care of the needs that are unique to residents. It requires thought, making plans, and ensuring staff is in place and at the top of their game. Nov. 6: General election Compiled by Kimberly Morgan increasing communication precinct-wide is necessary. If the chambers were able to talk to each other, and if I can bring all of these people to the table and ask, ‘How did you address it in your area?’ I think it would be helpful. Again, it’s just providing an outlet for people to communicate better. What is one of the biggest challenges governing such a large unincorporated area? The challenge overall is the budget itself. Nobody wants property taxes increased. I think we really need to take a look at other government agencies and see how they do it, and how we might be able to do it in Harris County. We want to be able to provide equitable services throughout the county. Celeebrating g our Freedom! Thank you y to our Soldiers! Crossing of America Recently presented Cy-Hope with a check for $30,000 to assist CFISD at risk and economically challenged students thru sponsorships of students in dual Wheelers for the Wounded credit programs, scholarships and mentoring. Proud to support local schools, food and toy drives, area teams, and member of the Cy-Fair Houston Chamber of Commerce. 832.912.2500 • WWW.NORTHWESTDODGE.COM • 19616 NORTHWEST FWY, HOUSTON
CitY ANd CouNtY Compiled by Marie Leonard Harris County Plan for Astrodome’s future still up in air Harris County Commissioners are no closer to deciding the fate of the Astrodome than they were before the June 26 capital improvements meeting. Last year, with money appropriated by commissioners court and other sources, the county’s sports and convention corporation engaged with consultants to further study the organization’s master plan, focusing on the future of the Astrodome, Reliant Center and Reliant Arena. The decision on how to proceed is now up to commissioners, who can choose to do nothing with the facility, tear it down and build a park area, or renovate Reliant Arena. The convention’s chairman, Edgar Colon, also said there is still an open door in regards to more suggestions for the facility. Nearly 2 million people live in Harris County, which has the largest unincorporated population in the country, according to a new budget management study presented to commissioners. “When you go back and see what happened over the last decade, we had tremendous growth in the unincorporated areas by about 600,000 people,” said Bill Jackson, county budget officer. “To put that 2012 Meetings Jersey Village City Council Jersey Village Civic Center, 16327 Lakeview drive, Jersey Village 713-466-2102 • www.jerseyvillage.info Aug. 20, 7 p.m. Meetings are the third Monday of the month. “We have a lot of people who want to keep the Astrodome, and some who want to tear down the Astrodome,” said Judge Ed Emmett. “In replacing the arena, the question I think everyone will have to answer sooner or later is why would you tear down the Astrodome and build something completely new versus converting the Astrodome into a replacement of the arena?” If commissioners move forward with a $656-million option to renovate Reliant Arena and turn the Astrodome into a multi-purpose facility, a bond election will be necessary to fund the debt service requirements. “I’m sure this will be one of the weightier decisions we have to make,” Emmett said. Potential Bond Election: If Harris County Commissioners decide to renovate the Astrodome, it is likely a bond election would be necessary to pay for the construction. Residents have approved several bonds in the past three decades, the largest of which went to road projects. Past Bond Elections: 2007 An $880 million bond failed in the November election. It would have helped pay for more parks, roads, an adult detention center, a forensic center, a family law center and a Port of Houston expansion. County’s population to exceed city of Houston’s by 2018 + 2001 Voters approved a $60 million bond for new county parks. 1997 A $7 million bond was approved by voters for new county parks. 1987 County residents approved a $635 million bond for improvements in the areas of the Port of Houston, flood control, road improvements, library facilities and parking. 1983 A $900 million bond was approved for the construction of the county’s toll road system, including the Hardy Toll Road and Beltway 8. in perspective, that’s the size of Seattle, Denver and Washington, D.C. The commissioners had to work to keep up with that demand and build the infrastructure to move forward.” Although about 2.1 million people live in the city of Houston—compared to 1.6 million in Harris County—but the county population is expected to surpass the city’s by 2018, according to the study. Harris County Population - Current and Projected City of Houston: 2.1 million Unincorporated areas: 1.6 million Other municipalities: 490,000 2016 2020 City of Houston: 2.2 million Unincorporated areas: 2 million Other municipalities: 500,000 source: harris County City of Houston: 2.2 million Unincorporated areas: 2.4 million Other municipalities: 500,000 Harris County Commissioners Court harris County Admin.Building, 1001 Preston Ave., houston 713-755-5000 • www.hctx.net July 24, Aug. 10, 10 a.m. Meetings are every other tuesday. source: harris County impactnews.com • July 2012 | NEWS | 13
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