2010 Ector County Democratic Club Officers

Club elections were held on December 4^th for Club Officers for 2010. The following were voted into office:

Isidro Gonzales was selected for a 2^nd term as Club Secretary. Isidro is the current Precinct Chair for 406 and has attended candidate training and the Young Democrat State Convention this year.

Kyle Scarborough was selected as Club Treasurer to replace the outgoing Eddie Spence. Eddie and her husband Walter have been strong supporters of the club and the Democratic Party for decades. Eddie had been club treasurer for two years, her past post include County Chairperson.

Sue Mesa was selected to serve as Vice- President. She replaces former Vice-President Grant Watkins. Sue is a strong Democratic from Precinct 105. She is one of the people who have help to organize our booth at the fair for the last few years.

Selected to serve as club President for the 2^nd year is Daniel R. Ryan III. Daniel has worked during the last year to strengthen the club and the party at the local level.

Instillation for the new officers will be January 7^th.

Florencio “Flo” Ortega Polanco, beloved husband, father, grandfather, entered the heavenly gates on Saturday, November 28, 2009, at the Hospice House in Odessa at the age of 64.

He was born in Balmorhea, Texas, on December 2, 1944, to Camilo Polanco and Josefina Alvarez.

He graduated from Balmorhea High School in May of 1964. Florencio served four years in the U.S. Navy and had two tours of duty in the Vietnam War. After his honorable discharge, he moved to Pecos, Texas, where he worked as an accountant for Pecos Welding Supply and later for the Public Finance Co.

He married Naomi Garcia in Barstow, Texas, on June 26, 1971. They moved to Odessa in 1972. He graduated from UTPB in May 1976, receiving his Bachelor’s degree in Accounting.

After graduation, he began working for Doris Madden Accounting firm, which later became the Brunson and Associates Accounting firm. In 1985, he opened his own business, Polanco Bookkeeping and Tax Service. He was preceded in death by his father, Camilo Polanco.
He is survived by Naomi, his wife of 38 years; two sons, John Polanco and his wife Kristi of Tucson, Arizona, and Rick Polanco of White Lake, Michigan; two grandsons, Gabriel and Matthew Polanco of Tucson, Arizona; his mother, Josefina Alvarez of Pecos; his in-laws, Jose and Mary Lou Garcia of Barstow; his brothers and sisters, Ernie Polanco of Memphis, Tenn., Teresa Salcido of Pecos, Camilo Polanco of San Antonio, Marcelo Polanco of Lafayette, La., Adolfo Alvarez of Sonora, Mary Hernandez of San Antonio, Albert Alvarez of Carlsbad, New Mexico; Danny Alvarez of Odessa, Tony Alvarez of San Antonio, Abel Alvarez of Pecos, Betty Rodriguez of San Angelo and numerous nieces and nephews.

He will be greatly missed by those who knew and loved him. Online condolences may be made to sunsetmemorial@hotmail.com

Shami calls for change

 Odessa American

Likening himself to President Barack Obama, Farouk Shami on Wednesday asked a room full of Odessans to keep an open mind at the polls next November and cast their ballots for change in Texas. The Democratic gubernatorial candidate cast himself as a savvy businessman who can boost the state’s economy by bringing in new jobs.

 

“I’m not as black as him,” said Shami, a Palestinian immigrant and the CEO of a major hair care and spa products company based in Houston. “But I looked in the mirror and saw a person who could change the economy. I feel business people are the people who can bring jobs.” Shami said his plan is to put a factory in every poor community in the state to generate jobs.

 “I’m for the underdog and the underprivileged,” he said.

 

He also called for education reform, saying it’s unacceptable that Texas has the highest high school dropout rate in the country. At one point, Shami derided what he called the status quo in Austin and mocked Gov. Rick Perry. “Our governor has one good thing going for him and that’s good hair,” Shami said, drawing laughter from a crowd of about three dozen supporters and curious onlookers at the Holiday Inn on East 42nd Street. “And that’s because of my products.”

 

Berdell Collins, a consultant from Austin, said he heard Shami on the radio a few weeks ago and dropped by the meet-and-greet Wednesday to hear more. “ I’m curious as to why he thinks he can beat the more mainstream candidates,” Collins said, alluding to the likes of Perry and Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson. “But if Barack Obama can do it, maybe he can do it, too.”

 

Ronnie Earle runs for lieutenant governor

December 19th, 2009

By Wayne Slater, The Dallas Morning News

Ronnie Earle – the Democrat that Republicans love to hate – wants to be the next lieutenant governor. The former Travis County DA filed Friday. He says he’s running because the political process in Austin ought to be more open and inclusive. Earle was the man who indicted House Majority Leader Tom DeLay – the boogieman of Democrats everywhere.

That alone suggests he can energize the base. So far, Earle’s the only name filed for the March primary. Austin deli owner Marc Katz has said he’ll file for lieutenant governor, but hasn’t yet.

The incumbent is Republican David Dewhurst – who can spend millions of his own money to win reelection. But Earle says he’s not too worried about that: “The political process in Texas is so expensive; it has long excluded ordinary people. I find that offensive. That’s not the way Texas came into being and not the way Texas will continue to prosper. In a democracy, government has to be open to everybody and not just the wealthy.”

DeLay is under indictment on charges of conspiracy and money laundering in violation of Texas election laws. His trial is pending a series of procedural appeals by DeLay and his fellow defendants. As Travis County DA, Earle prosecuted both Republicans and Democrats.

He said he pursued cases involving abuse of power. When Democrats were in power, he prosecuted them. When Republicans came to power, they came under scrutiny, he said. Interestingly, Kay Bailey Hutchison was indicted by Earle in the early 1990s on charges she ran a political operation out of her state treasury office. She was acquitted after a judge ruled crucial evidence against Hutchison was not admissible at trial. Hutchison is running for the GOP nomination for governor - raising the possibility that both could be on the ballot next November if each wins their respective nominations.

Hank Gilbert, enters race to become Agriculture Commissioner.

Hank Gilbert, the Democratic rancher from Whitehouse, filed to run against Kinky Friedman in the race to become Agriculture Commissioner.
Gilbert said he will represent the small and mid-sized farm that have been locked out of decision-making in Austin by "big factory farmers and their high powered lobbyists."
The winner of the race is likely to face incumbent commissioner Todd Staples.
Both Gilbert and humorist/musician Friedman initially were plowing towards the governor's race, but when Houston Mayor Bill White jumped in, they both remembered they lived on ranches.
Gilbert ran for the Ag spot unsuccessfully in 2006. He's been active in opposing the Trans-Texas Corridor, and he said his experience in that area and having run statewide before gives him some of the experience the race will require.
"I am deeply involved in agribusiness in Texas, more than anyone in this race. I have the hands-on experience that my opponents lack-and the people of Texas need-in this position," he said.