The Texas House Democratic Caucus has named State Representative Robert Miklos  the House Democratic Freshman of the year.

Mr. Miklos represents Texas House District 101, which consists of the communities of Sunnyvale, Mesquite, and Balch Springs.

Congratulations to Representative Miklos on receiving this great honor.

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Democratic Gubernatorial  Candidate Mark Thompson has, within the last week, has made 3 local appearances.

Thompson, who announced his candidacy for Texas Governor on May 13th,  attended the  most recent monthly  meeting of the DACED in Balch Springs on May 27. There he gave a short stump speech, which was only his second one since announcing his gubernatorial run.

The following Friday evening (May 29) Mr. Thompson was at Buffalo Wild Wings in Mesquite, where the Texas Coalition of Black Democrats were holding a membership drive and mixer.

The next day (May 30) he was in attendance at the local weekly Democratic Social held at Panera Bread in Mesquite, with local Democratic activists and Candidates.

Currently, Mr. Thompson is the only Official Democratic Candidate for Texas Governor. Although, Tom Schieffer and Kinky Friedman have both said they also are considering running for Governor.

Mark Thompson previously made an unsuccessful run for Texas railroad Commissioner last year.
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On April 21st  the Sunnyvale Chamber of Commerce wil be hosting a Candidates forum for hopefuls running for Sunnyvale Town Hall and Mayor.  The forum will be held during the regular monthly meeting of the chamber membership.

The forum will be providing all participating candidates with an equal opportunity to present themselves to all in attendance.  Each candidate will have 3 minutes to speak about themselves and their campaign, then answer questions.

The forum will be at 7:00 AM, and run till 8:15 AM a the  Sunnyvale Town Hall, 127 N. Collins Road, Sunnyvale, Texas 75182.  
 

After all we have been discussing, I truly understand your point of view, but after writing on the subject of local politics for several years now , I have learned that no politician is ever truly satisfied with the final results, no matter how many corrections and revisions are made.

I stand behind the notes I take during my interviews, on which I build my articles. I have never had a problem admitting a mistake I have made, it serves me no purpose, or the communities' to have inaccurate information floating around, and when I do find a mistake I correct it as soon as possible.

I stand behind what I write, I have 9 years of writing experience in this subject, and I have always been known to be a person who strives for accuracy and fairness. I hope you leave this interview thinking nothing less.

Yesterday in the mail I received a mass mailer from Mesquite City
Councilman Dennis Tarpley's wife Beth Tarpley.

It was a paid Political Ad from Mesquite City Councilman Dennis Tarpley's Re-Election Campaign,  Mr. James Folks; Treasurer.

The letter which Mrs. Tarpley writes talks about her husband, their life together, their family, and says that the Councilman has a new vision for Mesquite, which she does not go into detail with.

Instead, the majority of the letter is dedicated to defending her husband from the recent travel scandal and investigation that came to light this year.

She writes that during the Bond trip, he did not know that the city was being billed
for his expenditures beyond the official city business during his trip to New York City.  That he believed that he was being entertained by his host at their expense.

Mrs. Tarpley says her husband is a man of Character and that he took responsibility when he found what was going on and reimbursed the city of Mesquite for any questionable expenses that occurred during his trip to New York City, and that within a few days after learning of the problem, the councilman submitted a plan for a new travel policy.

She closes the letter by citing her husband's business background,  sound
guidance, being a leader in economic development and public safety and his efforts in bringing new development and jobs to Mesquite.

She also reminds the reader that mesquite is one of the safest cities in Texas.

Councilman Dennis Tarpley is seeking Re-Election to Mesquite City council Place 6. He has the endorsement of both the Mesquite Police and Fire Associations.

He is being challenged by 2 opponents,  Fr. Mesquite City Councilwoman Carole Lochhead, and Mesquite Resident Brad Underwood.

Inauguration Celebration has NOT been canceled, there has just been an adjustment made on Rep. Miklos's  part.

Sorry for any confusion.

Let me say again, Inauguration Celebration for President Obama in Mesquite Jan. 20th has NOT been canceled.

Thank you.

Sergio Garcia
214-440-7561
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Next week, Thursday thru Saturday, the Friends of the Mesquite Public Library will be holding their fall book sale. It will be held at the Mesquite main Library 300 West Grubb Dr. in Mesquite.

On Thursday there will be the members-only sneak-a-peek sale 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM. The sale then opens to the public for the following two days, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM on Friday and 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM on Saturday. Friends memberships will be made available at the door.

Since I am a Friends member, I plan to be attend the Sale before the Balch Springs Chamber Gala Thursday evening. Hopefully, I will see you there as well, supporting the Mesquite Public Library.

To all my friends here in Mesquite, Balch Springs, Sunnyvale and the surrounding area.
 
As this year's  early-voting continues,  and election day itself  getting ever closer,  the citizens of Texas House District 101 who have yet to cast there votes, must not only make important decisions concerning President, Senator, Sheriff, and judges, But  also on who will be their next State Representative in Austin.
 
The two men vying for the position are Republican Mike Anderson, Fr. Mayor of Mesquite, and Democrat Robert Miklos, Fr. Chief Prosecutor for the City of Dallas.  Either man would certainly serve the citizens of our community very well, if we only had to deal with the happenings in our own district. But, that's not the way it works. the person we send to represent us, must deal with many statewide and nationally related issues as well.
 
And  when we take into account this difficult time of crisis that our state, nation
and fellow Americans face in the here and now, due to the failed leadership on all levels of government, who are we going to send as our representative? Do we send someone who will support the same practices, policies, and way of thinking that has put us all in this predicament in the first place? Or do we send someone who will represent the people in a fashion that is appropriate for our current situation?
 
Anderson  served on the Mesquite City council for 18 years, the last ten as Mayor. On the issues,  he believes that  small businesses in the district are hurting and jobs are being lost because the last Legislature expanded the business franchise tax, he favors basing the tax on net income rather than on higher gross income. Anderson also would work to make Texas a more attractive place for job growth through actions including lowering taxes and reducing outdated regulations, as well as by improving infrastructure and education. Anderson also supports the continued leadership of House Speaker Tom Craddick.
 
Miklos has served as the President of the Mesquite Bar association. He favors
increasing the small-business exemption to the margins tax, giving cuts to small businesses that provide health insurance for their employees, as well as making sure big businesses pay their fair share. His “Fair Deal, Fair Share”  plan directly addresses the trends that have adversely affected working families. He  thinks the state should work to  lower electricity and homeowner insurance rates and college tuition, and it should expand health insurance for children. Miklos opposes toll roads as well but, if they are built, the tolls should end once the projects are paid for.  
 
Republicans have been representing us, and leading us for years, and they have failed miserably.  The Republican policies and practices that have caused this failure are the same that Anderson embraces and will take with him to Austin if elected. Miklos, on the other hand, his plan provides a  vision that is progressive, and shows that he has an understanding of the difficulties faced by the public on a daily basis.
 
So, I believe that Robert Miklos is the person that should represent Texas House District 101 and it's citizens. He will bring  the voice and he will provide the leadership that the people of Mesquite, Balch Springs and Sunnyvale  deserve.
 
I urge everyone who has not yet voted, to vote for Robert Miklos for State Representative in Texas House District 101
 
Thank you.
 
Sergio Garcia

On August 19th the office of Congressman Jeb Hensarling will be holding a forum on Internet Safety and Security at 1:00 PM at the Mesquite Arts Center 1527 N. Galloway Ave. in Mesquite. The Public is invited to attend and learn how to equip themselves with the tools to protect themselves and their family from Identity theft and Online predators. Local law enforcement and government officials will be joining the discussion on  what  can be done to safeguard your identity and keep your family safe.

Please call 214-349-9996 or email  tx05forums@mail.house.gov
for more information.

Currently the Balch Springs Chamber of Commerce Foundation is accepting donations of computers  for the Balch Springs senior center. Four to six computers and a laser printer are needed to provide the seniors with a ‘mini computer lab’ inside the senior center at 2919 Balch Springs Road .

The Chamber will install basic programs and training software and work with senior adults – teaching them basic computer use, how to email family and friends, pay bills online, seek resources online, access online training, find part-time work, etc.

The Minimum requirements for donated product are:

Must have matching monitor, computer, keyboard and mouse, Minimum Pentium 4 Processor 512 mg RAM, 10 gb hard drive, Network card  and  be Windows 2000 or newer.

All donations are tax-deductible. Call 972-557-0988  and pick up of the donations is avaiable.