FB District Attorney Candidates To Debate At Cinco Ranch Library

January 7th, 2010  |  by John Pape, FortBendNow

FB Independent Release: Missouri City Resident, Richard Raymond Files For DA Position!

Attorney Richard Raymond joins the DA race

Richard Raymond, attorney and business owner, is running for Fort Bend County District Attorney in the Republican Party primary on March 2, 2010.

A lifelong Republican, Raymond has been proud to call Fort Bend County his home for over 23 years.

Raymond intends to bring accountability and distinction back to the Fort Bend County DA’s office.

Raymond, a loving father of three daughters and a dedicated husband, is active in his church and several clubs and civic groups across the county.

His legal, business and accounting experience will allow him to marshal the manpower of the DA’s office in the most effective manner possible on behalf of Fort Bend County taxpayers, Raymond said in a statement.

Raymond, age 51, graduated from Baylor University in Waco, Texas in 1985 with a BBA in Accounting and Management, and received a Jurist Doctorate degree from the University of Houston Law Center in 1989. Raymond is both a highly trained attorney and a Certified Public Accountant.

Raymond married his high school sweetheart, Melissa, 28 years ago. They have lived in Fort Bend County since 1986 and have raised three daughters here; Brandyn, 25, Lauryn, 20, and Lexi, 12.

Melissa is a Fort Bend ISD special education teacher at Holly Elementary School.

Raymond and family worship at Holy Cross Church and are long-time supporters of the Christian Children’s Fund.

Raymond is a member of the Texas State Bar Association, and licensed by all Texas State Courts as well as the United States District Court, Southern District of Texas; the United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit; and the United States Tax Courts. Raymond currently practices both civil and criminal law.

Raymond is a member of the Exchange Club of Sugar Land, and the Holy Cross Men’s Bible Study Group and is active in the Fort Bend County Republican Party.

Raymond is a practicing attorney and partner at Cohen & Raymond, Attorneys at Law, L.C., as well as the president of Gulf Scientific, Inc. Raymond also serves as an officer for Access Chemicals & Services, LLC.

Raymond says he will serve as a dedicated and conservative District Attorney, ensuring justice and accountability for all Fort Bend County residents.

Raymond is committed to saving the taxpayers’ money and achieving tough punishments for criminals.

Raymond said: “If elected, as your next District Attorney, I pledge to make Fort Bend County a better place for families to live, work and raise children. As District Attorney, you can be assured that Fort Bend County will not tolerate drug dealers and criminals. I believe in seeking long prison sentences and punishing criminals to the fullest extent of the law.”

Additionally, as an attorney, CPA and business man, Raymond seeks to restore fiscal conservatism and accountability to the District Attorney’s office.

“I will, within the budget, stop the waste of tax dollars, eliminate questionable prosecutions, frivolous investigations, and mismanagement. I will ensure the efforts and resources of the District Attorney’s office are re-dedicated to the business of convicting criminals.”

Raymond’s campaign is endorsed by Sheriff Milton Wright. Wright’s wife, Marian Wright, is serving as Raymond’s campaign treasurer.

Incumbent DA John Healey and Attorney Nina Schaffer have already announced their candidacy for the office of Fort Bend County DA.

Source: http://fbindependent.com/defa...

Just in from MCC:

A recent blog story has surfaced reports of  several complaints that were filed with the Universal Crime Report Agency (part of the FBI) involving apparent over reporting of the city population in order to qualify them for these CQ sponsored annual rankings. Follow the links below for more on this and visit the FBI-UCR crime report for more on the specifics of which subcategories Missouri City crime increased over the previous year. For example, in this years report, MC was higher than Sugar Land in 7 out of 10 subcategories and MC increased in the subcat for violent crime for murders by approximately 400% over the prior reporting period. The report also shared that SL has nearly twice as many patrol officers as MC and that they improved over last year moving from #17 to #11 on the list...Get more by clicking the title link above or following the UCR reports link below:

http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2008/

http://www.fortbendnow.com/2009/11/30/42469

City Council members met Monday night, Nov. 16, to discuss a wide-range of issues, including floodplains, gas rates, sidewalks and tennis.

Here are some actions taken at the meeting:

• Information presented on FEMA's Community Rating System program and the preliminary release of FEMA digital flood insurance rate maps that are currently being reviewed by City staff. Missouri City received a CRS score of 7 out of 10. The rating will eventually allow homeowners in a floodplain to receive a 15 percent reduced rate on flood insurance policies. The discounts could be realized by late 2010.
• Approved an agreement authorizing Fort Bend County to provide housing for City prisoners at a rate of $40 per day for each detainee held in the County jail.
• Approved a pact among Missouri City, Fort Bend County and the City of Rosenberg to continue to cooperate as the Fort Bend County Narcotics Task Force. This specialized force has been investigating illegal drugs in the County for many years.
• Approved on final reading the rezoning request by TexLa Hotel, LLC, for the development of a La Quinta Inn & Suites Hotel franchise, to be located off State Highway 6 and Williamsburg Lane. The ordinance was amended to add hotel amenities that include a swimming pool, hot tub, meeting room, business center, fitness center and guest laundry facility.
• Approved on final reading the rezoning request for the Missouri City-Fort Bend County Annex at the intersection of Texas Parkway and 3rd Street to allow for an additional judge's office and courtroom and for more office space.
• Denied on the first of two readings the request from CenterPoint Energy to increase natural gas rates in the City.
• Approved an engineering services agreement with AIA Engineers, Ltd., for $134,475, for the design of sidewalks and drainage improvements along Texas Parkway.
• Approved authorizing the $1.076 million purchase of approximately eight acres of land at the former site of the Quail Valley Tennis and Fitness Center. Acquisition and development will be partly financed through a $1 million matching grant from Texas Parks and Wildlife.
• Approved a resolution authorizing that the Texas Parkway and Cartwright Road Beautification Project be nominated for funding through the Texas Department of Transportation.
• Agreed to terminate a funding agreement with the Texas Department of Transportation for the construction of a biking and walking path along Oyster Creek because of the extensive and expensive construction guidelines required by the state. The trail remains part of the parks master plan. At the Nov. 2 special meeting of City Council, they approved reallocating these funds for sidewalk repairs.
• Approved the appointment of Ron Lee, David Reitz, Marshall Whichard and Sharon Jurica for two-year terms on the Board of Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ) 3. Ron Lee was appointed to a one-year term as chairman.
• Approved Lee M. Duggan III as a member of the Board of Directors of the Fort Bend County Central Appraisal District for a two-year term.