FBN: Early Voting Started Monday (Get out and vote)-

Early Voting Starts Today For City Councils, School Boards, Bond Issue
by Bob Dunn, Apr 30, 2007, 06 53 am

Early voting for the May 12 elections starts today in Fort Bend County, where a constitutional amendment, $156 million mobility bond and several city council and school board seats are at stake.

Anyone eligible to vote in the election is eligible to vote early. Locations around the county open Monday morning. Check at the Fort Bend County Elections web site for schedules and locations. Voters may check here to find their voting precinct and a sample ballot.

Citizens have the opportunity to vote on a constitutional amendment, Proposition 1, that would give senior citizens and disabled people the same property tax reductions that other Texas property owners received a year ago. Wording in the proposition is somewhat confusing, but voting “yes” for the measure means voting in favor of reducing the property tax rate for seniors and the disabled.

The only other county-wide issue on the ballot is a mobility bond election over the issuance of $156 million in general obligation bonds for roads and bridges throughout the county. A complete listing of the infrastructure project that would be funded through the bond issue, if passed, is available here.

Voters living within the Fort Bend Independent School District can vote on a board of trustees race that pits incumbent Lisa Rickert against Bob Broxson for Position 3, and incumbent Ken Bryant against Ann Hopkins, Noel Pinnock and David Reitz for Position 7. Daniel Mendendez’s name also appears on on the ballot, however, he withdrew from the race and is no longer a candidate. . .

. . .In Arcola, three council seats are up for grabs in a five-way race between Rosie Rojas, Lizzie Pitts, Tom Hilton, James DeVoge and Greg Abarr.

. . .Missouri City: District A City Council incumbent Eunice Reiter faces Rodney Griffin; District B incumbent Don Smith faces Louis Hunter and Cynthia Lenton-Gary; and Barbara Gibson and Kevin Tunstall are challenging for District C.


Comments--These are the races impacting our area given the airport expansion project and other development issues (including school over-crowding).

MC Exclusive: Sign Wars Mark The Start Of Early Voting

It looks like the Missouri City and FBISD elections are in full swing. Much like last years races the sign wars have begun in earnest (click the title link above for background). For instance, just this past weekend in Brightwater, district C challenger Kevin Tunstall's signs were removed from homeowners yards in Brightwater by Gibson supporters, the Owen endorsed/backed candidate. Across town in the district A race it was reported that similar activity had taken place in the neighborhood of Eunice Reiter (the district A incumbent).

During the mayoral races last year signs were ravaged by supporters of the mayor. Click the title link to get that historical perspective from Fort Bend Now. Kevin Tunstall, the district C reform candidate stated that signs that had been requested by homeowners had been removed from their yards and replaced with Gibson signs (Gibson's campaign is being personally handled by the special interest backed mayor of MC). Tunstall said he was in the process of confirming and replacing the signs after talking to the victimized homeowners. "I can't believe supporters of my opponent would go on someones private property and actually, without permission, remove my signs and replace them with Ms. Gibsons. This is not only illegal it maybe criminal tresspass and certainly can be viewed as stealing, if not allowed by those individual homeowners." Tunstall said.

Kevin further urged Missouri City residents to get out and vote today (Monday). Early voting has started and with the return of the sign wars, apparently in full swing. Get out and vote and change this type of politics here in MC!