The Montgomery County Political Affairs Advisory Leadership, chaired by Mario Arriaga, and the Fort Bend County Political Affairs Advisory Leadership, chaired by Jim Cockrill, were both busy this spring with local elections in their jurisdictions. For HAR’s recommended candidates, the May 8 election held some exciting victories as well as some disappointing heartaches.
In Fort Bend County, Sugar Land and Missouri City held municipal elections. The Fort Bend PAAL endorsed Mayor James Thompson and At-Large incumbents Thomas Abraham and Jacqueline Baly Chaumette. Our endorsements were extremely significant and none of the candidates drew opponents. As a result, Sugar Land did not hold council elections this year.
In Missouri City, active HAR member and REALTOR® Danny Nguyen sought election for City Council At-Large, Position 2. The Fort Bend PAAL endorsed and assisted his campaign with enthusiasm. Council Member Nguyen was victorious – defeating three opponents and garnering 55% of the vote. The overall voter turnout in Missouri City was 12.96%. We know that our support helped boost Danny to victory.
The Montgomery County PAAL made endorsements for The Woodlands Township Board of Directors and a targeted City Council seat in Conroe.
For The Woodlands Township, we endorsed incumbents Claude Hunter, Tom Campbell and Ed Robb. All three candidates sailed to victory. For Position 3, HAR’s recommended candidate HAR member Jay Mac Sanders lost in his first bid for public office. Lloyd Matthews was elected to the position. Voter turnout was 8.62%, a direct indication that our endorsements had an impact on the election.
In Conroe, the Montgomery County PAAL supported active REALTOR® Leo Hewett for election to an open seat on the City Council. Mr. Hewett was defeated by a mere 31 votes in the election in his first attempt for public office. The overall voter turnout for the election was 11.56%. Despite his loss, Leo Hewett’s candidacy was bolstered by our support.
All the HAR recommended candidates have expressed their sincere appreciation of HAR’s support.
The Montgomery County and Fort Bend County PAAL congratulates their newly elected municipal government officials and looks forward to working with them on matters of mutual interest.
