From the inbox:
Miguel Leija
DEMOCRAT MIGUEL LEIJA JR. ANNOUNES CANDIDACY
For Harris County Commissioner Pct. 2
Houston, TX, March 6, 2017– Harris County is the most populous county in Texas and the third-most populous county in the United States with the fourth largest city in the United States. It is known for its sports, ports and people. Our county is a centrally located place so many have come to raise a family, build a business and spend the best years of their lives.
I’m Miguel Leija Jr. and I’m running for Harris County Commissioner Pct. 2 because I want Harris County to be known as a place of opportunity.
We are at a pivotal place; will we continue to choose to only react to problems and simply make the quick fix or will we be proactive and cast a positive vision for the future of our County and maximize our opportunities over the next 10 to 20 years.
I believe the choice is clear and the time is now and my agenda is clear and focused.
First, we must prioritize with our budget and leadership the most important objective of government and that is Public Safety. We must protect our citizens by creating policies that protect our community no matter their legal status. We will not be the county that tears families apart.
Second, if we are going to thrive and grow as a community we must commit to investing in our infrastructure and roads by anticipating growth; not merely reacting to it. We will study where the population growth is and us innovation ways to combat heavy traffic.
Third, county government should create a consistent and predictable business environment when it comes to taxes; keeping taxes low allows all business, small and large to create jobs and to grow and succeed. We also need to impose a higher tax on refineries and put more regulation on these types of companies that pollute our county.
Fourth, we must provide more community services through our community centers. We need to change how the community centers operate so we can accommodate new services.
- Afterschool meals for all children under 18 years old.
- Free Mental Health Counseling
- Free individual/Marriage Counseling
- Medicaid/SNAP application assistance
- Healthy Precinct 2 Program which will bring gym equipment to all community centers.
- Harris Health Financial Assistance application assistance
- Employment and Volunteer opportunities for Senior Citizens.
And fifth, we need to provide our county employees Paid Family Leave. We need to start any new employee and adjust current employees to a $15.00 minimum wage. Our county staff can’t live on a poverty level wage.
Those are the priorities we must set, if we are going to have a county government that is responsive to tax-payers and employees.
That’s why I have invested myself in this community. Because I believe this is the best place to live, work and play. There is so much that is good about Harris County and I believe that together, we can leave this community better for the generations to come. We will be hosting town halls around the precinct in the next few months so we can build out our platform around the citizen’s needs and not politician’s needs.
I look forward to meeting you as we knock on doors, visit community centers and get a chance to share and listen to your concerns, ideas and solutions. I hope to earn your support and vote in the months to come. I want to make sure you stay connected to our campaign, make sure to sign-up for updates via email, connect with us via social media and consider making a contribution to fuel this effort.
Leija’s website is here. I have not had a chance to speak with Mr. Leija yet, so all I know about him at this time is in this post. I see three possibilities going forward. One is that Leija raises some money, picks up some establishment support, and positions himself as a strong challenger to Commissioner Jack Morman in what may be the highest profile race in the county next year. Option two is that someone who already has establishment support and fundraising chops gets in at some point in the near-to-medium future, and takes the mantle of top challenger to Morman for him or herself. And three, neither Leija nor any other candidate gains traction against Morman, leaving us with a candidate on the ballot next year but without the resources to really compete. Let’s just say that I’d find door #3 to be unacceptable, and I daresay I would not be alone in that. I welcome Miguel Leija, Jr to the race, and I wish him all the best in his campaign.
Its good to see that Democrats are gearing up early enough for this race. Its also good to see new people running instead of the same old politicians who are power hungry.
Glad to see other candidates talking about paid family leave for city and county employees.
The most important way to protect the public is to make sure that undocumented immigrant criminals stay in the community to commit new crimes. OK, got it.
It also seems that we are going to enact new “sin taxes” on refineries and other companies that have high paid work forces, to punish them for poluting, even more than they are already being punished for polluting. And it seems that sin tax money will be used to fund raises for every county employee making under $ 15/hour. That’s awesome. If I was a county employee with a job that paid $ 15 an hour currently, I’d request a transfer to a job that required less skill and less effort, so I could make the same money, but have less stress and less responsibility.
I see no reason to give public employees a benefit private company employees can only dream about, nor do I see a reason to pay $15 per hour for work that is not worth that much. It would be far better if each of the County Commissioners paid attention to the portions of the County that are inside the City limits of Houston, and spent some of our taxes for our benefit.
@ Ross:
Relax, Leija’s “consistent and predictable business environment when it comes to taxes,” of jacking up taxes on refineries will pay for the overpaying of county employees, plus all that other welfare stuff he wants to give away. I’m sure that policy will attract plenty of new business to Harris County. I mean, what company would NOT want to be singled out for consistent and predictable sin taxation? After all, the extra heavy taxation would be going to a good cause.
Most County employees already make 15 a hour, we have paid leave for family. and for far most County Employees they work there ass off. When you talk about taxes, i pay high taxes too. the taxes the refineries pay are not what is paying all county salaries. As a 30 year employee, dumb ass people need to figure out how the county is run. We have benefits private companies have. Mr Daniels and Mr Ross ya’ll are clueless on County Policy. Oh did i mention that a lot of men working in these refineries have wives that work for the county.
We do need change for better not worse roads should be 1st ,2nd crime and illegal immigration, as for county taxes they are low, its when you put school taxes on they get high. nuisance abatement laws need strengthened. take care of flooding need to clean more ditches. Read the commissioner court minutes on line you will see where they need to cut.
Ross, I am curious how does one determine what the job is worth?
I remember an argument once;
One day, all the parts of the body were talking about who was most important.
THE BRAIN SAID – “Since I control everything and do all the thinking, I am the most important therefore I should be boss.”
THE FEET SAID – “Since I carry him everywhere he wants to go and get him in position to do what the brain wants, I am the most important.”
THE EYES SAID – “Since I must look out for all of you and tell you where the danger lurks, I an the most important body part.”
THE HANDS SAID – “Since I do all the work and earn all the money to keep the rest of you going, I am the most important.”
Of course, everyone got into the arguments and the heart, lungs, and ears all say the same thing.
Finally, the asshole spoke up and pointed that he was the most important even though the others didn’t know it. All the other laughed and laughed to think of an asshole being boss.
The asshole decided to prove the point and refused to function. Blocked up tight.
Soon the brain was feverish, the eyes crossed and ached, the feet were too weak to walk, the hands hung limply at the sides, and the heart and lungs struggled to keep going.
All pleaded with the asshole to relent and agreed that the asshole was the most important and so it happened.
All I stating Ross that the labor of the working man is not valued appropriately. If the U.S. ever stops allowing immigrants we will find out the importance.
Bill that means legal and other wise.
I can think of a lot of jobs that nobody gives a damn about until they stop getting done. Thanks for your humorous, yet biting illustration of that, Neither.
Most county employees are already making 15, we get paid leave,vacation,longevity pay. county employees work their ass off, if you do not think so come help cut a tree out of the road at 2 AM in the rain. Who is cleaning the street from debris after a hurricane and picking up all the shit from peoples yards? If i was commissioner i would pay all master operators at least 25 dollars a hour. When we are having to flag Traffic and some Dumb ASS thinks he owns the road. Who wants to pick up all the dead animals from idiots that let them run loose. yes i do think their are things that should be changed.
Ross,
San Antonio, Austin and dozens of US cities offer their public employees paid parental leave.
Unfortunately, houston leadership is too lazy to support working families.