May News & Committee Reports

Reminder - FWRW May Meeting is May 23!

RSVP for lunch to Joy Phelps-Nix, j.phelps@att.net, 817-423-4283 by noon on Monday, May 21. Lunch is $23 with a reservation ($25 without reservation). If you’re not  having lunch, no RVSP is necessary. (Those who RSVP but do not attend will be billed for their reservation cost.)

Valet parking WILL be available on the 23rd!

(For more information about the May program, click HERE or scroll to bottom of this page.)

Cyndy McCoy, President of Fort Worth Republican Women

 

President’s Message:

To read President McCoy’s May 2012 Message, look for it under Pages at the top of the column to the right, or click HERE.

 

 

 

 

 

A Special Thanks to Paula Miller -

… for providing refreshments and sponsoring the FWRW Board of Directors meeting in May! Paula is a long-time member of Fort Worth Republican Women and has served in a variety of leadership positions – from 2^nd VP for Programs to chairing the Hospitality, Telephone and Caring for America committees. In 2006, Paula was named as a FWRW honoree to the Texas Federation of Republican Women’s Tribute to Women.

 

 YEARBOOK UPDATE

FWRW 2012 Yearbooks will be available at the May meeting – RSVP today for the meeting and don’t forget to pick up your copy while you’re there! 

Electronic (pdf) versions of the Yearbook are available to all members in good standing.  To receive an electronic copy, email your request to Yearbook Chair Donna Thompson at donna-t@prodigy.net. 

Thanks to our Yearbook Sponsors (for complete listing of our Sponsors, click HERE)!

Jan Brefczynski

Jan Brefczynski has been a Republican as long as she can remember. Her primary involvement was voting and “talking politics” with her family and friends until she recently jumped into an extremely active role after retiring from a 40-year career in information systems management. Within months of joining Fort Worth Republican Women, she accepted a role on the Membership committee, coordinating all membership lists, sending renewal reminders, updating the list for events, and completing all required membership reports to the Texas Federation of Republican Women. Jan also assisted in the compilation of this year’s FWRW Yearbook. In addition, she attends the monthly meetings and board meetings while continuing to inform her associates on local elections and issues.

Pat Brown

Pat Brown feels blessed because she was born a Christian and a Republican. Pat was born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas. After working inLos Angeles for 30 years, she returned to retire in Fort Worth and became affiliated with Fort Worth Republican Women in 2002. She has voted in every election as a Republican since she became of legal age.  Pat is also known for her diligent participation in the Welcome Home a Hero program over the past six years.

Colleen Putnam

Colleen Putnam has to confess to being lost and actually distributing campaign materials for Jimmy Carter in 1977.  However, she got smart in 1981 when she voted for Ronald Reagan.  After several years, she became increasingly active in supporting local and national leaders. Then she made a call to Republican National Headquarters in Fort Worth and began volunteering one day a week. Colleen became involved with Fort Worth Republican Women in 2005. She enjoyed being around like-minded people who organized events to promote local and national candidates. Colleen was named to her first position with FWRW in 2007 as Legislative Reporter, where she learned a lot about what was going on in Austin and conveyed it to the membership via the monthly newsletter. In 2008-2012, she became Campaign Activities Chairman, and became Program Chairman in 2010.

Cyndy McCoy

Cyndy McCoy has voted Republican in every election since she was allowed to vote and even attended a Texas State Republican Convention in the early 1980s. Cyndy joined Fort Worth Republican Women in 2008 when she moved to Fort Worth from Atlanta, Georgia, and married Justice Bob McCoy, who serves on the 2^nd Court of Appeals. Her official involvement in the club reached another level when she was named Communications Chair in 2009. Two years later, in 2011, her duties were ramped up once again when she was voted into the position of Treasurer. She attended and volunteered at the TFRW State Convention last year in Fort Worth and has taken part in various leadership seminars sponsored by TFRW. Now in 2012, Cyndy is serving as President of FWRW, a position she will hold for the next two years, in addition to her teaching responsibilities at The Art Institute of Fort Worth.

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IMPORTANT POLL – PLEASE LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK:

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In Memorium: Barbara Williford (1932-2012)

Fort Worth Republican Woman Barbara Williford, 79 passed away Wednesday, May 9.  Barbara was born Dec. 7, 1932, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  A graduate of Texas Christian University, she served in the U.S. Air Force from 1951 - 1953.  Friends remember her as an avid sports fan who was passionate about all the local sports teams.  Barbara was a resident of Fort Worth for more than 50 years.  She retired from Alcon Laboratories in 1996 and spent much of her free time volunteering at the Tarrant Area Food Bank. Barbara was preceded in death by her husband, Allen H. Williford Jr.  Survivors include her sons, Hearne Williford and wife, Pam, Colby Williford and wife, Jamie, Tom Williford and wife, Bettina, and her daughter, Polly Johnson and husband, Randy, as well as eight grandchildren. Memorials -  in lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Tarrant Area Food Bank.

Read more here: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/dfw/obituary.aspx?n=barbara-williford&pid=157542450#storylink=cpy

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Links to tax brackets other than married filing jointly: http://www.bankrate.com/brm/itax/2001taxrates.asp and http://www.bankrate.com/finance/taxes/2011-tax-bracket-rates.aspx.

For other tax breaks set to expire, go to: http://tax.cchgroup.com/downloads/files/PDFs/legislation/sunsettax.pdf.

Gelasia is a member of Fort Worth Republican Women and a Certified Financial Planner with Steed Investments.

LINK TO RPT CONVENTION VOLUNTEER FORM: 

http://convention.texasgop.org/get-involved.

May 23, 2012 Program – Candidate Forum

Don’t forget – Meet the Judges Reception on Thursday, May 17th at Blue Mesa!  Click HERE for more info.

 

Fort Worth Club, 12th Floor

 11:00am – Social         11:30 – Program

 Valet Parking will be available!

RSVP Information:

Not Having Lunch? No RSVP is necessary.

Having Lunch? Lunch is $23 with a reservation ($25 w/o reservation).  (Make checks payable to “FWRW” – having checks already filled out speeds up the check-in process.)  RSVP for lunch to Joy Phelps-Nix, j.phelps@att.net, 817-423-4283 by noon on Monday, May 21.  Those who RSVP but do not attend will be billed for their reservation cost.  (Please do not RSVP using the Reply/Comment section below.)

Link to Location, Directions, Parking Info:

http://www.fortworthclub.com/default.aspx?p=DynamicModule&pageid=315213&ssid=205616&vnf=1

Meet the Judges Event – May 17, 2012

April News & Committee Reports

Reminder - FWRW April Meeting is April 25!

Special Note – FWRW 2012 Yearbooks will be distributed at the April meeting – RSVP today for the meeting and don’t forget to pick up your copy while you’re there!

RSVP for lunch to Joy Phelps-Nix, j.phelps@att.net, 817-423-4283 by noon on Monday, April 23. Lunch is $23 with a reservation ($25 without reservation). If you’re not  having lunch, no RVSP is necessary. (Those who RSVP but do not attend will be billed for their reservation cost.)

(For more information about the April program, click HERE or scroll to bottom of this page.)

 

Cyndy McCoy, President of Fort Worth Republican Women

 

President’s Message:

To read President McCoy’s April 2012 Message, look for it under Pages at the top of the column to the right, or click HERE.

 

 

 

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What is a TFRW Patron?  Learn more under Pages in the column to the right, or click HERE.

 

 

A Special Thanks to Justice Bob McCoy -

Justice Bob McCoy, Second Court of Appeals

… for providing refreshments and sponsoring the FWRW Board of Directors meeting in April! Justice McCoy serves the citizens of Tarrant County, as well as 11 other counties in north Texas, as a justice on the Second Court of Appeals.  An Associate Member of Fort Worth Republican Women, Justice McCoy has the additional distinction of being married to Fort Worth Republican Women President Cyndy McCoy.

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Texas Federation of Republican Women Announce 2012 Tribute to Women Luncheon with Special Honoree Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison

On June 8, 2012, in conjunction with the State Republican Convention, the TFRW will host its Tribute to Women Luncheon from noon until 2 o’clock p.m at the Omni Hotel in downtown Fort Worth. 

TFRW invites all Republican women to join in the celebration as we honor Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison for her outstanding service to Texas in the U.S. Senate.  TFRW has a wonderful tribute planned for the Senator and knows everyone will want to share in honoring such a special Texas Republican woman.

Fort Worth Republican Women will nominate four outstanding members to be recognized during this luncheon. In keeping with our long-standing tradition, many of our members will attend this event and sit together at a table, or several tables which will be reserved for our club. If you would like to be a part of the Fort Worth Republican Women group attending this special luncheon, contact Joy Phelps-Nix at (817) 423-4283 or at j.phelps@att.net  as soon as possible to have your name added to the list. Your check for $59.00 must be received by Joy no later than April 25th so that we can meet the TFRW reservation deadline. (Plan to bring your check with you to our meeting on the 25th!)

This TFRW Tribute to Women event is held every two years in conjunction with the Texas Republican Party Convention.  TFRW will also be honoring special ladies from local clubs throughout the state who have volunteered their time and efforts to TFRW and the Republican Party.  It is truly an honor to receive this award and to be recognized at this luncheon.  Honorees will have a photo taken with Senator Hutchison and TFRW President Carolyn Hodges as a reminder of this special day.

This year’s nominees for Fort Worth Republican Women will be formally announced at the April 25 FWRW meeting. Past honorees from Fort Worth Republican Women include:

Senator Betty Andujar, Betty Diano, June Garrison, Naomi Godfrey, State Representative Anna Mowery and Marjorie Nunn (1986)

Margaret Forehand, Naomi Godfrey and Marjorie Nunn (1988)

Elise Cole and Carol Hensley (1990)

Peggy McDuff and Vivian Millirons (1992)

Dee Brents, Paula Day, Barbara Gladish and Beth Rubin (1994)

Wanda Bell and Sherry Ward (1996)

Fran Chiles  and Judge Bonnie Sudderth (1998)

Joyce Brower, Debra Coffey and Barbara Williford  (2000)

Martha Durham,  Suzie Tonymon and Marilyn Van Hoozer, (2002)

Bobbye Brooks, Maxine Hawkins, Carolyn Jackson and Geneva Key (2004)

Beryl Dowd, Patty Emerson, Paula Miller and Linda Strassburger (2006)

Sharon Dale, Julie Johncox, Sydney Leonard and Mary Mae McDonald (2008)

Brooke Ulrickson Allen, Kaye Moreno and Joy Phelps-Nix (2010)

 

(Link to early voting locations:  Click HERE.)

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The Tarrant County Felony Alcohol Intervention Program

Judge Robb Catalano, Tarrant County Criminal District Court No. 3

– Judge Robb Catalano

The mission: To reduce injuries and deaths resulting from alcohol related motor vehicle crashes by requiring repeat DWI offenders to undergo a judicially supervised regimen of intensive supervision and treatment.

The need for this program arose from the never ending revolving door of the criminal justice system that would send a DWI offender to prison for a short term and release them back into the community with no treatment whatsoever.  Before long, they are back on the road driving drunk again.  After much research and experience on the bench, Judge Sharen Wilson decided to try something different.

This is not your typical probation as usual!  Judge Wilson piloted Tarrant County’s Felony Alcohol Intervention Program (FAIP) in 2006 with the idea of coordinating alcohol abuse intervention with judicial oversight, enhanced supervision and individual accountability.  Participants in FAIP are required to do jail time up front and then complete an individualized, cognitively-based treatment program specifically designed for DWI offenders.  Participants also receive a fine, court costs, community service hours and a driver’s license suspension.

A case manager monitors each participant, conducts home visits and requires random urinalysis to detect elicit drugs or alcohol.  The Court holds weekly compliance hearings to review the progress of each participant.  Incentives and sanctions are used as methods of motivation for the participant to excel in the program.  If a person does what is required of them, the program can be completed in four years.  On the other hand, if the participant can not follow the rules, they will be sentenced to seven years in prison.

FAIP has been called the best vehicle within the criminal justice system for expediting the time between arrest for DWI and entry into treatment.  It also reduces the costs of repeated crime and increases public safety by addressing repeated DWI as a substance abuse problem.  The program was so successful; it grew and grew until a second court was needed.

In 2011, Judge Wilson asked if I would help her run the program in my court as well.  I was both honored and excited to have the opportunity to take part in supervising such a unique and beneficial program.  It was a natural progression for me as I had previously worked with Judge Wilson in the FAIP program as a former assistant district attorney responsible for screening DWI cases for eligibility into the program. 

We now split the case load and are able to more adequately handle the challenges of such an intense treatment program.  237 people have started the program, 49 are in phase 5 after-care, and only 26 have had their probation revoked and gone to prison, which equals: 211 sober happy people! 

Earlier this year, my work with the FAIP program resulted in my appointment by Governor Rick Perry to serve on his Criminal Justice Advisory Council.  The Council will advise the Governor on the creation, staffing, operations and performance of specialty courts in Texas.  I thank Governor Perry for giving me the opportunity to serve the citizens of the State of Texas and look forward to bringing the experience and work ethic that Tarrant County is known for to the Council.  Along with seven other talented members of the Council, I will work to improve and enhance specialty courts throughout the state.

We are fortunate in Tarrant County to have Judges like Sharen Wilson who go above and beyond their normal duties to oversee such cutting edge criminal justice alternatives.  Not only does FAIP provide excellent treatment to those in need, it also provides the opportunity for reduced crime on our streets and a more safe community for us to enjoy.  I look forward to being a part of this outstanding program for many years to come.

 

 

Results of last month’s poll – Question: Who is your choice today for President of the United States of America in 2013?  Answers: Newt Gingrich (20%);  Ron Paul (0%);  Mitt Romney (60%); Rick Santorum (20%);  Barack Obama (0%).  (No surprise on that last one.)

April 25, 2012 Program – Candidate Forum

 

Fort Worth Club, 12th Floor

11:00am – Social         11:30 – Program

Look for Valet Parking at The Fort Worth Club (available only on “high-volume” days)

RSVP Information:

Not Having Lunch? No RSVP is necessary.

Having Lunch? Lunch is $23 with a reservation ($25 w/o reservation).  (Make checks payable to “FWRW” – having checks already filled out speeds up the check-in process.)  RSVP for lunch to Joy Phelps-Nix, j.phelps@att.net, 817-423-4283 by noon on Monday, April 23.  Those who RSVP but do not attend will be billed for their reservation cost.  (Please do not RSVP using the Reply/Comment section below.)

Link to Location, Directions, Parking Info:

http://www.fortworthclub.com/default.aspx?p=DynamicModule&pageid=315213&ssid=205616&vnf=1

March News & Committee Reports

Don’t forget to RSVP for the March 28 Meeting -

RSVP for lunch to Joy Phelps-Nix, j.phelps@att.net, 817-423-4283 by noon on Monday, March 26. Lunch is $23 with a reservation ($25 without reservation). If you’re not having lunch, no RVSP is necessary. (Those who RSVP but do not attend will be billed for their reservation cost.)

(For more information about the March program, click HERE or scroll to bottom of this page.)

Cyndy McCoy, President of Fort Worth Republican Women

 

President’s Message:

 

“We Finally Have a Primary Date”

 

To read President McCoy’s March 2012 Message, look for it under Pages at the top of the column to the right, or click HERE.

 

A Special Thanks to Justice Lee Gabriel -

 

… for providing refreshments and sponsoring the FWRW Board of Directors meeting in March! Justice Gabriel is the newest member of the Second Court of Appeals and serves the citizens of Tarrant County, as well as 11 other counties in north Texas as a justice on the Court.  She is also an active member of Fort Worth Republican Women, serving as Chair of the Legislative Committee.

Pat Brown

Fort Worth Republican Woman Pat Brown Featured on NBC Nightly News Segment – “Welcome Home a Hero”

FWRW member Pat Brown is no longer just a star of Fort Worth Republican Women – she’s a television star as well!  On March 14 at 5:30pm, NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams featured the volunteers who have greeted returning troops at the DFW airport for more than half a decade.  Among the group is our own dedicated volunteer Pat Brown. Way to go, Pat – we appreciate all you have done for the troops and what you do on behalf of Republican women.

If you didn’t have a chance to watch it when it originally aired, you can watch the segment now by clicking HERE. 

Joe Shannon, Tarrant County District Attorney

 

The Perversion of Adverse Possession

By Melody McDonald
Public Information Officer
Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office

On a Monday morning in November, Tarrant County’s top officials came together at the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office to address an urgent matter: A property scam had surfaced and homeowners were at risk.

In recent months, about 60 affidavits of adverse possession had been filed with the county clerk’s office and some individuals were using the document to try and stake claim to other people’s abandoned or vacant houses. So-called “squatters” were claiming that the law of adverse possession – and the document they filed for $16 at county clerk’s office – gave them the right to change the locks on a vacant house, put up a ‘no trespassing’ sign,  and move in.

In reality, the law of adverse possession was meant to settle land disputes in rural areas, not overtake houses. For example, if your neighbors built a fence on your ranch and put some cows on it and you knew about it and did nothing, then after a certain number of years your neighbors might be able to claim the property as their own. The theory is that by not disputing your neighbors “open” and “visible” use of your property, usually by suing them, then you had abandoned rights to your property.

But that wasn’t what was happening in Tarrant County. People were breaking into homes that had been foreclosed upon or whose owners were away on business or in the hospital.  To county officials it didn’t appear to be adverse possession – it looked like burglary.

During the emergency meeting, county officials – including District Attorney Shannon, County Judge Glen Whitley, County Administrator G.K. Maenius and County Clerk Mary Louise Garcia – acted fast.  Mr. Shannon, whose office provides legal advice to county officials, advised Garcia to stop accepting the documents. A press release was immediately prepared and sent to the public and the media about the scheme.

Garcia reached out to the Tarrant County Bar Association. Multiple real estate attorneys stepped up to provide pro bono work to help property owners who had been victimized. Police chiefs, constables and the Sheriff’s Department were encouraged to pursue criminal cases against these individuals.

In the following months, eight people were arrested and subsequently indicted on charges of theft and burglary in connection with their entry into private homes without the owner’s consent. A ninth person has been charged with misdemeanor criminal mischief stemming from allegations that he damaged and changed the locks on a house in effort to try and take possession. All are awaiting trials.

A video of Mr. Shannon explaining the law of adverse possession has been published on the District Attorney’s website to better inform the public. Mr. Shannon and Assistant District Attorney David Lobingier, who refers to the scam as “adverse burglary,” have been speaking to neighborhood groups about the law – what is legitimate and what is illegal.

“A burglary by any other name is still a burglary,” Shannon said. “An invasion of a person’s home is a serious matter. A goofy scam to excuse criminal behavior will be dealt with by this office, our courts and juries.”

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Speak Out

USCCB Bishops continue to urge not just Catholics, but all Americans, to contact their elected officials to voice their opposition to what they see as a violation of religious liberty mandated by President Obama and his Administration.  While the Bishops expressed their hope to work with the Obama Administration to ensure that the ”consciences and religious freedom” of Americans are not harmed by healthcare regulations, they also expressed disappointment that President Obama’s offer of compromise was not “meaningful”. 

In a letter to the Diocese of Fort Worth, Bishop Kevin Vann points out that Obama’s proposal left unchanged the original mandate, which basically will force all Catholic institutions such as schools, hospitals and charities to provide insurance coverage for medical care (such as contraceptives and abortifacients), which violates the tenets of their faith.  “This goes far beyond the issue of contraceptions and is first and foremost an issue of religious freedom.” 

For more information, go to the Diocese of Fort Worth’s website by clicking HERE.  To read the Bishops’ letter in full, click HERE.  Additional reading: Six More Things Everyone Should Know About the HHS Mandate, according to the USCCBlog.

First they came for the Communists,
and I didn’t speak up,
because I wasn’t a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn’t speak up,
because I wasn’t a Jew.
Then they came for the Catholics,
and I didn’t speak up,
because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me,
and by that time there was no one
left to speak up for me.

 

–Attributed to Martin Niemoller

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Campaign Activities Committee Report:  Campaign Chair Holly Bishop, would like to remind all members to please turn in any hours you have accumulated in the last 3 months so that she can report them to the Texas Federation of Republican Women. Contact her at (817) 423 – 8923 or by email at caroe3532@aol.com.  If you have any questions about which volunteer hours count, click HERE to access TFRW’s website guide. 

(Reporting volunteer hours is important so that we can measure the work contributed by women in supporting Republican efforts and candidates.)

 

 

Fort Worth Republican Women’s Straw Poll

Cast Your Vote Today!

Results of last month’s poll – Question: What do you think is the single most important issue facing America today? Answers: The Economy (68%);  Taxes (0%);  Health Care (11%);  Immigration (5%);  National Security/Terrorism (16%);  Other (0%).

March 28, 2012 Program – Texas GOP Rule Changes

Special Notice: On Wednesday, March 14, the NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams featured FWRW member Pat Brown in a segment entitled “Welcome Home a Hero”, which highlighted the volunteer efforts of Pat, along with other volunteers, in greeting the troops returning from overseas deployment each day at DFW airport. To see the segment, click HERE.

MARCH PROGRAM:

Look for Valet Parking at The Fort Worth Club (available only on “high-volume” days)

RSVP Information:

Not Having Lunch? No RSVP is necessary.

Having Lunch? Lunch is $23 with a reservation ($25 w/o reservation).  (Make checks payable to “FWRW” – having checks already filled out speeds up the check-in process.)  RSVP for lunch to Joy Phelps-Nix, j.phelps@att.net, 817-423-4283 by noon on Monday, March 26.  Those who RSVP but do not attend will be billed for their reservation cost.  (Please do not RSVP using the Reply/Comment section below.)

Link to Location, Directions, Parking Info:

http://www.fortworthclub.com/default.aspx?p=DynamicModule&pageid=315213&ssid=205616&vnf=1

February News & Committee Reports

Don’t forget to RSVP for the February 22 Meeting -

RSVP for lunch to Joy Phelps-Nix, j.phelps@att.net, 817-423-4283 by noon on Monday, February 20. Lunch is $23 with a reservation ($25 without reservation). If you’re not having lunch, no RVSP is necessary. (Those who RSVP but do not attend will be billed for their reservation cost.)

(For more information about the February program, click here or scroll to bottom of this page.)

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Cyndy McCoy, FWRW President

 

President’s Message:

“Let’s Wear Red in February”

To read President Cyndy McCoy’s February 2012 Message,

look for it under Pages in the margin to the right, or click here.

 

Justice Lee Ann Dauphinot, Second Court of Appeals

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A Special Thanks to Justice Lee Ann Dauphinot -

 

… for providing refreshments and sponsoring the FWRW Board of Directors meeting in February! Justice Dauphinot serves the citizens of Tarrant County, as well as 11 other counties in north Texas, as a Justice on the Second Court of Appeals.

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Salvato: There’s a Difference Between Vetting and Smearing

 

Frank Salvato is the Managing Editor and Publisher for New Media Journal, a division of BasicsProject.org.

Call it wishful thinking. Call it expecting the campaigns to honor what the American people have been demanding for several election cycles. Call it what you will, but I admit, I am one of the life-long Conservatives and Republicans who finds the attack ad blitz being perpetrated by our GOP presidential candidates against one another over-the-top and, quite frankly, embarrassing. It is one thing to illuminate an opponent’s past record, even his past behavior where it applies to his ability to execute elected office, but it is quite another to engage in the slash-and-burn, win-at-all-cost political tactics of the Progressive Left. We, as Conservatives and as Republicans are better than that…we have to be…

You may say that I’m a dreamer,
But I’m not the only one,
I hope today you will all join us,
Then the election can be won.

Excerpt from GOPUSA (January 27, 2012).  To read the entire editorial, click here.  Also click to see Mr. Salvato’s follow-up article: Another Reason Why Going Negative is a Bad Thing.

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Mary Louise Garcia, Tarrant County Clerk

 What the County Clerk Does For You

Editorial by Mary Louise Garcia

Few of Tarrant County’s 1.8 million citizens go through life without calling on the County Clerk for copies of birth certificates and marriage licenses, deeds to homes and other property as well as oil and gas lease records, death certificates, powers of attorney and a multitude of other personal and business documents.

In short, my job is to preserve and protect millions of documents vital to every citizen and business in 44 cities. We are also the office of record for the proceedings of 16 courts and serve citizens at offices in the downtown Courthouse and six sub-courthouses across the county. 

With Tarrant County’s rapidly rising population and its flourishing business community, the County Clerk’s 140 employees: 

• Record almost half a million new land and business documents every year.
• Oversee the collection of more than $24 million in fines and fees, making it the county’s second largest generator of fees.
• Manage over $17 million in funds for minors, guardianships and cash bonds.

Twenty-six cities, including Fort Worth, have turned over their record-keeping to our office for greater efficiency and less money. 

To step up efficiency since I took office New Year’s Day 2011, we have:  

• Cut our operational budget 3.5%, helping keep our county government one of the few anywhere living within its means: no debts, no deficits.  
• Extended office hours to 5 p.m. for greater customer convenience.
• Reduced the number of positions in our operations.
• Introduced technology that reduced waiting time for returning original documents to customers from two weeks to handing them back in a matter of minutes.
• Set up a feedback system on my Web site to encourage taxpayers to let us know how we can improve service.
• Completed (under budget) a project that, as of December 31, 2010, added over one million land records to the Web for public access.
• Kicked off a project to convert over five million film and microfiche files to digital images for simpler public access, reducing equipment and increasing efficiency.
• Established a backup emergency site in the Northwest Sub-Courthouse to serve the public during natural or man-made disasters.
• Stepped up promotion of our Property Fraud Alert program to help protect customers from property and mortgage fraud.

Click HERE to sign up for Property Fraud Alert.

• Expanded the availability of vital records at our sub-courthouses.

More innovations are under way, including a program to make more vital documents available to customers over the Internet—saving them time and gasoline.     

My recent appointments include Chair of the Tarrant County Business Disaster Recovery Committee, Co-Chair of the Tarrant County EGov Committee and Co-Chair of the Property Recording Industry Association (PRIA). 

We have plans to make more progress to deliver better, more efficient service for fewer taxpayer dollars.  I would be happy to hear from you at any time.  

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Navigating Our New Format…

Looking for regular featured information in our new online format?  It’s all still here!  Many of our regularly-featured items can be found in the margin to the right.  Just scroll around and you’ll find them, along with other new items as well, including helpful links and comments from FWRW members.  Some favorites can be found as follows:

Calendar of Events – Look below Pages in margin to the right.

President’s Column – Look under Pages in margin to the right.  Click & read!

NFRW Mamie Eisenhower Books of the Week – Look below Prior Posts in margin to the right (goodreads).  Click on each book cover for more information.

Officer and Committee Chair Contact Information – Look under Pages in margin to the right.  Click & read!  (Click on email address listed to send a message.)

Membership Form – Look under Pages in margin to the right. Click on Membership in FWRW and follow the link.  Complete the form online or print a pdf version of the form and mail your dues in today!

Feel free to leave a comment along the way. 

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Mamie Eisenhower Library Project Book of the Week

Write Your Own Review!

Have you read one of the NFRW Mamie Eisenhower Books of the Week (featured in goodreads box in margin to the right)?  If so, send us a review and we’ll include it for all our Fort Worth Republican Women subscribers to read!  You can send your review by leaving a comment below or by emailing your review to Judge Bonnie Sudderth, FWRW Newsletter Editor – bonnie@judgebonnie.com.   

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TEXAS RE-DISTRICTING UPDATE…

TEXAS PRIMARY ELECTION DATE MOVED AGAIN –

On Wednesday afternoon, February 15, the three-judge panel in San Antonio announced that the April 3 primary will be moved once more.  The likely primary date will be May 29, but don’t write that date on your calendar just yet.  In the meantime, one interim map has been agreed upon by all of the parties – the Texas Senate District map.  State House district interim maps and Congressional district interim maps remain to be drawn. 

Because of the nearness of a May 29 primary date to the Texas GOP convention, which begins the first week in June, special rules are likely to be implemented to govern the delegate selection process for the convention.  Unfortunately, this later primary date will also likely further marginalize Texas’ voice in selecting the 2012 Republican candidate for President.

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WHAT’S YOUR OPINION?  VOTE NOW:

February 22, 2012 Program – A Push for Meaningful Change to the Federal Safety Net

Valet Parking is now available at the Fort Worth Club!

RSVP Information:

Lunch is $23 with a reservation ($25 w/o reservation).  (Make checks payable to “FWRW” – having checks already filled out speeds up the check-in process.)

RSVP for lunch to Joy Phelps-Nix, j.phelps@att.net, 817-423-4283 by noon on Monday, February 20. If you’re not having lunch, no RVSP is necessary.  Those who RSVP but do not attend will be billed for their reservation cost.  (Please do not RSVP using the Reply/Comment section below.)

Link to Location, Directions, Parking Info:

http://www.fortworthclub.com/default.aspx?p=DynamicModule&pageid=315213&ssid=205616&vnf=1

January News & Committee Reports

Don’t forget to RSVP for the January 25 Meeting -

RSVP for lunch to Joy Phelps-Nix, j.phelps@att.net, 817-423-4283 by noon on Monday, January 23. Lunch is $23 with a reservation ($25 without reservation). If you’re not having lunch, no RVSP is necessary. (Those who RSVP but do not attend will be billed for their reservation cost.)

(For more information about the January program, see January Program announcement below.)

 

Judge Louis Sturns, 213th District Court, Tarrant County, Texas

 

 

 

A Special Thanks to Judge Louis Sturns -

 

… for providing refreshments and sponsoring the FWRW Board of Directors meeting in January! Judge Sturns serves the citizens of Tarrant County as Judge of 213th District Court.

 

 

 

It’s Membership Renewal Time!

 

2012 is here, and it’s time to renew your membership for next year. If you agree that 2012 will be one of the most important election years in our nation’s history, join other like-minded Republican women and renew your membership today. Working together, we can make a difference for the sake of our country and our community.  (Click here and mail in today!)

 

 

Government ID Needed to Buy Drain Cleaner in Illinois, But Not to Vote

Black Conservative Sees Hypocrisy in Legislative Opposition to Similar Safeguards for Electoral Process

Washington, D.C. – Project 21 spokesman Stacy Swimp is criticizing Illinois lawmakers for requiring people who purchase caustic substances such as drain cleaner to present government-issued ID after previously rejecting a similar ID requirement for polling places and allowing newly-proposed voter ID legislation to languish.

“The new law in Illinois tracking the sale of Drano was motivated by concern over a single incident. There are many instances of documented voter fraud all over the nation in just the past few years — and voter fraud in Illinois in 1960 may have thrown the presidential election,” said Project 21′s Swimp. “If people must provide a government-issued ID to unclog their drains, they certainly should do the same for the very important task of selecting their elected leaders”

(… to read more go to: http://www.texasinsider.org/?p=57246.)

 

“America Deserves Better”

“The fact that we are here today to debate raising America’s debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the U.S. government cannot pay its own bills… Leadership means that “the buck stops here.” Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. America deserves better.”  — Senator Barack Obama (March 16, 2006)

 

Judge Bonnie Sudderth, 352nd District Court, Tarrant County, Texas

 

When Will I Get to Vote???  The Basics of Where We Are with Redistricting and How We Got Here

Editorial by: Judge Bonnie Sudderth, FWRW 5th VP – Communications

 

I suppose it’s old news now that there’s no reason to show up at your neighborhood polling location on March 6. And most of us have heard that the new April 3 primary date should probably be written in our calendars only in pencil, and very lightly at that. While I certainly don’t understand all of the ins and outs of the byzantine mess we’ve found ourselves in (I’m not sure anyone does), here are the basic facts, in case you find yourself wondering “When will I get to vote this year?”

As a result of the Census of 2010, Texas gained four new congressional districts.  In January of 2011, the 82nd Texas Legislature went to work drawing up new congressional district boundaries to accommodate the four additional seats. After 140 days had passed, the regular session had ended, and the Legislature still hadn’t accomplished the task, a Special Session was called and Governor Perry added redistricting to the “to-do” list. About a month later, the Texas Legislature approved a new congressional map, as well as maps for state legislative districts. Under the Congressional map, the Republican party would have most likely gained three of the four new Congressional seats.

Unfortunately, pursuant to the Voting Rights Act, Texas doesn’t enjoy the unfettered power to draw its own Congressional maps that 35 other states in the Union enjoy. (This provision of the Voting Rights Act applies to only 16 states, and some only partially.) Instead, the Voting Rights Act requires federal oversight -  or “preclearance” – of our redistricting decisions. 

In the preclearance process, Texas must seek approval of its boundaries in one of two ways: (A) from the U.S. Justice Department, or (B) from a three-judge panel of federal judges in the District of Columbia. Because Texas leadership believed that the Justice Department, under the current administration, would likely be hostile to Texas, Texas chose Option B.

As anticipated, the Justice Department was hostile to Texas’ new maps, lodging an objection with the D.C. court, arguing that the map didn’t create enough minority districts. This objection turned the preclearance process into a full-fledged lawsuit, with all the inherent delays that litigation brings. Knowing that the lawsuit could potentially delay the scheduled 2012 primaries in Texas, the D.C. court then asked a three-judge panel in San Antonio to draw an interim map to be used for the 2012 election.

The map which was drawn by the San Antonio panel apportioned the four new seats equally between Republicans and Democrats – two seats for each. Attorney General Greg Abbott then appealed the new map to the U.S. Supreme Court, which scheduled argument in the case for January 9. Because of the delay that this appeal to the Supreme Court would cause, the Supreme Court went ahead and moved the Texas primary election from March 6 to April 3. 

The one-month delay was of little help, however, because without a final map in place, candidates couldn’t make decisions about which seat, if any, they would seek. The crux of the problem is the stubborn fact that the primary can’t occur until candidates know which map will be used and have an opportunity to make informed decisions based on it.

And few were surprised when, at the January 9 hearing, the U.S. Supreme Court acknowledged that the April 3 would likely need to be moved again. However, to the alarm of many Republicans, possible dates as late as July and August for the Texas primaries were tossed about, which if embraced by the high court would mean primary run-off elections in September or October (to be followed by a November general election).

In the meantime, the D.C. judges scheduled a final hearing in the preclearance lawsuit to begin on January 17 and be possibly concluded by January 26. Some expect the Supreme Court to wait for the preclearance ruling from the D.C. panel before announcing its decision in the San Antonio panel map appeal. If such a delay occurs, then the April 3 primary date will most certainly have to be moved to allow time for the reopening of a filing period and preparation for the election to occur within the time-frames mandated by state and federal election laws.

What appears clear, though, is that the D.C. panel is dissatisfied with the Legislatively-drawn maps; otherwise, it wouldn’t have scheduled a trial in the lawsuit. Likewise, it appears clear that the U.S. Supreme Court is dissatisfied with the judicially-drawn maps; otherwise, it wouldn’t have allowed the appeal to be heard. As there is no time for the Legislature to redraw the maps, it also seems clear that whatever map Texas ends up with in the 2012 election will be judicially drawn under the direction of the U.S. Supreme Court.

In the meantime, the Republican Party of Texas, who under the stewardship of Steve Munisteri, is finally out of debt, has been preparing for a State Convention which is scheduled to convene in Fort Worth on June 7. A summer primary would most certainly result in cancellation of that Convention, with associated cancellation penalties in addition to the forfeiture of monies already expended (more than half a million dollars to date). A summer primary would also result in a more expensive primary, since many polling locations in schools would not be available for free. Finding election workers during the summer months, as well as voter apathy, poses additional problems.

On January 12, Chairman Munisteri sent a letter to the Supreme Court on behalf of the Republican Party of Texas, pointing out the “legal, logistical and practical” problems that would “wreak havoc with the state’s electoral process and present insurmountable difficulties” if the primary election is moved beyond April 2012. Whether the court will take these factors into consideration in rendering its decision is unknown.

So, when will you get to vote this year???  Consult your Magic 8-ball and it may say “Cannot predict now. Ask again later.”