Nine File For Three FBISD Board of Trustee Seats

Awhile ago I mused to myself about who on Earth would ever want to serve on the Fort Bend ISD school board right about now? The state legislature is making noise about short-changing Texas’ school districts to the tune of billions of dollars. No good can come of that. Draconian decisions will have to be made on the order of whether it is better to cut off one’s left hand or right foot.

Or worse. They might have to decide that public education is something worth keeping around for awhile, but to do so they might just have to raise taxes.

In Texas, deciding to raise taxes is, well, akin to being hit by a 10 meter high tsunami: nothing good will come of it.

So, yeah, rock, meet hard place.

But much to my surprise, today, the filing deadline for the May 14^th 2011 BOT election, I come to find that nine brave souls have filed to fill three seats. And only two of them are incumbents.

As reported before, Jonita Reynolds filed for the East Side Position 5 that is being vacated by former “Gang of 4” board member Laurie Caldwell who has called it a day (and in my opinion, called that well). Unelectable is a word that might just describe the soon-to-be former board member. Additionally, we see that Patsy Taylor and Rodrigo Carreon, both of Fresno, have filed for this position. I know Rodrigo. He is a perennial candidate who has actually surpassed Harold Stassen in his bids to occupy a vast plethora of county and municipal positions, both paid and unpaid. Rodrigo actually has his own name engraved in a seat in the FBISD boardroom. OK, I exaggerated on that one. Let’s just say he knows the way to the boardroom.

Patsy Taylor. I don’t know about her.

David Menendez has drawn two opponents in his bid to be retained on the BOT for another two years on his At Large Position 4 seat. A bid that should see sure and certain failure. Menendez hasn’t a prayer. Bruce Albright, who ran in the 2009 election, and lost, has a website up and I am starting to see campaign signs for him up in the neighborhood. He probably has a good chance of knocking Menendez off the board. A third person, Kevin Daniels of Missouri City, an “English Lecturer” has also filed.

Kevin Daniels. I don’t know about him.

But the big surprise is that the West Side Position 1 seat, currently occupied by Susan Hohnbaum, a candidacy that was unopposed for much of the month-long filing period, also drew not one but two challengers: Kyle Brantley and Wade Watassek, both of Sugar Land. Brantley lists is occupation as “Marketing” and I assume by that he doesn’t mean what I just did earlier today when I went out to pick up some milk and eggs. Watassek says he is in “Risk Analysis” although the only Wade Watassek I could locate was married to a teacher in Fort Bend ISD. Same guy, I think.

Anyway, it looks like I will have to attend the Fort Bend Employees Federation Candidates Forum to be held at the JW Marriott in Sugar Land Town Square on March 31^st. My mind is made up on Position 5, and I think it has all but been decided in Position 4. Menendez is history and people seem to be flocking to Albright, who has a website now.

I guess I just need to figure out which of the two candidates in Position 1 is most likely to oust Hohnbaum out of the boardroom.

She just isn’t working out.

UPDATE (3/16/2011): FortBendNow is now saying that Fort Bend ISD improperly reported that Rodrigo Carreon was running for Position 5 against Jonita Reynolds and Patsy Taylor. Now we find that he is, instead, running for the At-Large seat against incumbent Menendez, Bruce Albright and Kevin Daniels. This is big news for Menendez who can now take advantage of the fact that Albright is putting his name out there - and also ran in the most recent BOT election, and Carreon has name recognition in local elections. They will most certainly split the anti-BOT vote.