IT IS MY TIME.

IT IS MY TIME TO SERVE MY COMMUNITY IN A LARGER CAPACITY, AND I HAVE CHOSEN THE WARD 1 SEAT OF THE BEAUMONT CITY COUNCIL AS MY NEXT ENDEAVOR. 

BEAUMONT IS MY HOMETOWN.  I HAVE LIVED 42 OF MY 48 YEARS IN WARD 1.  I WANT TO SEE BEAUMONT GROW IN POPULATION, ECONOMIC DIVERSITY AND QUALITY OF LIFE.  I BELIEVE THAT MY COMMITMENT TO SERVICE, MY BUSINESS EXPERIENCE AND MY FOUNDATION OF HONESTY QUALIFY ME TO SERVE ON THE BEAUMONT CITY COUNCIL.

FOR THE PAST 23 YEARS, I HAVE MADE COMMUNITY SERVICE A PART OF MY LIFE: 

I HAVE BEEN A VOLUNTEER FOR THE UNITED WAY FOR OVER 20 YEARS.  IN MY TWO TERMS AS CAMPAIGN CHAIRMAN, WE RAISED OVER $5 MILLION DOLLARS FOR OUR 24 UNITED WAY AGENCIES.

I SERVED 21 YEARS ON THE LAMAR UNIVERSITY ALUMNI ASSOCIATION’S BOARD OF DIRECTORS.  IN 1989, I WAS AWARDED THE ALUMNI SERVICE AWARD.

I WAS AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF THE BEAUMONT ROTARY CLUB FOR 15 YEARS AND IN 1994, THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AWARDED ME THE ROTARY INTERNATIONAL PAUL HARRIS FELLOW.

OVER THE PAST 11 YEARS, I HAVE SERVED THE BEAUMONT AREA YOUTH.  I HAVE COACHED 19 SOCCER TEAMS AND 11 BASEBALL TEAMS.  WHEN WE COUNTED IT UP, I HAVE COACHED OVER 260 SOCCER PLAYERS AND 140 BASEBALL PLAYERS.  MY TEAMS MAY HAVE WON LOCAL AND STATE HONORS, BUT MY DREAM IS THAT THE BOYS HAVED LEARNED HOW TO WIN IN LIFE BY COMPETING FAIRLY, RESPECTING THE RULES AND PLAYING AS A TEAM. 

IN 2004, MY COMMUNITY SERVICE CONTRIBUTIONS WERE RECOGNIZED WHEN I WAS NAMED A RECIPIENT OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC SERVICE’S JEFFERSON AWARD.

FOR THE PAST 23 YEARS, I HAVE MANAGED MY GENERAL DENTISTRY PRACTICE:

MY EXPERIENCE AS A SELF-EMPLOYED HEATHCARE PROVIDER WILL GUIDE THE BUSINESS-RELATED DECISIONS THAT THE CITY COUNCIL MAKES.  AS A DENTIST, I RESTORE AND MAINTAIN MY PATIENTS’ ORAL HEALTH.  BUT, I AM ALSO A BUSINESS MAN. 

I HIRE.  I FIRE.  I SUPERVISE MY STAFF.  I MAKE MAJOR PURCHASE DECISIONS.  I MAINTAIN MY FACILITY.  I KEEP MY EXPENSES DOWN TO MAXIMIZE MY PROFIT.  I HAVE THE EXPERIENCE NECESSARY TO ASSURE THAT OUR CITY GOVERNMENT IS RUN LIKE A BUSINESS.

IN THE YEAR 2000, THE BEAUMONT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE NAMED ME THE “SMALL BUSINESS MAN OF THE YEAR” FOR MY EXEMPLARY BUSINESS PERFORMANCE.

FOR 48 YEARS, I HAVE TRIED TO BE HONEST:

IT IS HARD TO QUALIFY HONESTY.  YOU KNOW WHEN YOU ARE, AND YOU MUST TRUST THAT OTHERS SEE IT IN YOU. 

WHEN YOU ARE ON YOUR WALK, YOU TRY HARD EVERY DAY TO DO THE LORD’S WILL.  I WANT MY FRIENDS AND MY CONSTITUENTS TO KNOW THAT I AM TRYING HARD EVERY DAY.

THAT IS WHAT I HAVE DONE.   THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO DO:

I WANT TO BABYSIT MY GRANDCHILDREN.  THAT’S RIGHT!  I WANT MY BOYS TO RAISE THEIR FAMILIES IN BEAUMONT, AND LET JULIE AND I BABYSIT OUR GRANDCHILDREN.  I WANT YOU TO BE ABLE TO BABYSIT YOUR GRANDCHILDREN!

FOR THIS TO HAPPEN, BEAUMONT MUST BE ATTRACTIVE TO YOUNG PEOPLE… 

THERE MUST BE EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES TO KEEP OUR TALENTED CHILDREN IN BEAUMONT. 

THERE MUST BE PROGRESSIVE CITY LEADERSHIP TO ATTRACT NEW BUSINESS AND PROVIDE THE NECESSARY CITY SERVICES FOR GROWTH. 

THERE MUST BE GOOD SCHOOLS TO EDUCATE OUR YOUTH.  CITY, CHAMBER AND SCHOOL DISTRICT OFFICIALS MUST SEARCH FOR WAYS TO PROVIDE QUALITY PUBLIC EDUCATION. 

AND THERE MUST BE ENTERTAINMENT OPPORTUNITIES TO AMUSE, CHALLENGE AND ENLIGHTEN OUR YOUNG PEOPLE.

I WILL WORK HARD TO ASSURE THAT THE CITY OF BEAUMONT ADDRESSES THESE CHALLENGES, SO MY CHILDREN, AND YOUR CHILDREN, WILL CHOOSE BEAUMONT AS THEIR HOME.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BRAVING THESE ARCTIC CONDITIONS TO LISTEN TO MY HUMBLE DREAM.