Mayor Sylvester Turner and Councilwoman Tarsha Jackson (above left) are all smiles right about now. It's definitely clear that Mayor Turner gained an ally back on December 21, 2020, when Tarsha Jackson was sworn-in as the new District B Houston City Councilwoman. But at the same time that Tarsha Jackson was being sworn-in, Gerry Wayne Monroe (5 Star General), took to his powerful social media platform crying foul. Why? Well, according to "5 Star", the address used on Tarsha Jackson's application (922 Sawgrass Ridge) is located in an annexed portion of Houston, and while Tarsha Jackson is afforded the opportunity to vote for her Houston City Council District B Member -- she, herself (Tarsha Jackson) may have not been eligible to run for Houston City Council District B. "Tarsha Jackson should have never been allowed onto the ballot to run for the Houston City Council District B race in the first place," says "5 Star." But you don't have to take "5 Star" at his word on this one. Listen up: I'm telling you -- the single-family homed dwelling valued at 188,115 by the Harris County Appraisal District that Tarsha Jackson used on her application is located in an annexed portion of the City of Houston. That being said, unless newly-minted Councilwoman Tarsha Jackson has another address or something -- she should not have been allowed to make her way onto the ballot in the Houston City Council District B race -- that's unless the City of Houston has another explanation, or something. Do you know Richard Bonton, one of the Black men who was recently indicted by Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg? Well, if my memory serves my right, his mom, Michelle Bonton got kicked off the ballot back in 2019 for living in an annexed portion of the City of Houston -- I am going to double-check that. However, while Michelle Bonton (a political outsider) was kicked off of the ballot back in 2019, it pains me dearly to report to you that Tarsha Jackson (a political insider) with very strong ties to "ESTABLISHMENT DEMOCRATS" was allowed to remain on the ballot in what some other local Black leaders are calling a blatant disregard for the law. So, I have posted: Sec. 43.130 of the Texas Local Government Code below for you to review.
Effect of Annexation on Voting Rights, Eligibility for Office, and Taxing Authority
(a) The qualified voters of an area annexed for limited purposes are entitled to vote in municipal elections regarding the election or recall of members of the governing body of the municipality, the election or recall of the controller, if the office of controller is an elective position of the municipality, and the amendment of the municipal charter. The voters may not vote in any bond election. On or after the 15th day but before the fifth day before the date of the first election held in which the residents of an area annexed for limited purposes are entitled to vote, the municipality shall publish notice in the form of a quarter-page advertisement in a newspaper of general circulation in the municipality notifying the residents that they are eligible to vote in the election and stating the location of all polling places for the residents.
(b) A resident of an area annexed for limited purposes is not eligible to be a candidate for or to be elected to a municipal office.
(c) The municipality may not impose a tax on any property in an area annexed for limited purposes or on any resident of the area for an activity occurring in the area. The municipality may impose reasonable charges, such as building inspection and permit fees, on residents or landowners for actions or procedures performed by the municipality in connection with the limited purposes for which the area is annexed.
Rupesh Koshy is Employed in the Planning & Development Department at the City of Houston
922 Sawgrass Ridge Ln Houston, TX 77073 falls within the limited purpose city limit of Houston through an agreement with Harris County MUD 36. The effective date is 11/13/2002, the Annexation Ordinance number is 2002-1069 and the Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) Ordinance No. is 2002-1068. The City Secretary’s office will be able to get you copies of both the Ordinances and usually the SPA ordinance will have a portion under the heading “Voting Rights in the City” that explains elections. Unfortunately, we do not have copies of both the Ordinances in the Planning and Development Dept.
This is the residence used by Tarsha Jackson on her application. However, according to section (b) of the Texas Local Government Code a resident of an area annexed for limited purposes is not eligible to be a candidate for or to be elected to a municipal office. However, I'm sure that the City of Houston is going to have a very good reason for why Tarsha Jackson was allowed to run for office when her voter registration card clearly states that the (922 Sawgrass Ridge) address she used on her application has (Houston LPA) on it -- which means that Tarsha Jackson lives in an (LIMITED PURPOSE ANNEXED) portion of the City of Houston.
Residency Questions Swirled Around Newly-Minted Councilwoman Tarsha Jackson As She Was Being Sworn-in
AUBREY R. TAYLOR REPORTS©
Back on Monday, December 21, 2022, Tarsha Jackson officially became the City of Houston’s District B Council Member. Yes, she’s finally being able to take the seat after more than a year. And whether you like Tarsha Jackson or not, you have to admit that’s she’s taken it all in stride. “Today was a great day! I was officially sworn in as a Houston City Council Member. I am so honored and blessed to have the opportunity to serve the residents of District B. And I’m looking forward to working with the great team of council members to do amazing things for our great city,” said Councilwoman Tarsha Jackson via her Facebook page after being sworn in. But will her victory be short lived? I don’t know, but if you ask Gerry Wayne Monroe, “5 Star General” and his co-hosts Demetra Kaye, and Donovan Saadiq, who spent the better part of an hour talking about Councilwoman Tarsha Jackson’s residency on “THE WAR ZONE” last week – Councilwoman Jackson might have an issue. Sure, she put a beat down on Cynthia Bailey to capture her victory back on Saturday, December 12, 2020, in the runoff election. Sure, just as I predicted, the District B runoff election between Tarsha and Cynthia was decided with “ABSENTEE BALLOTS” in this predominantly African American council district. In case you don’t remember, the Harris County Election Administrator mailed out 12,929 “ABSENTEE BALLOTS” for the Saturday, December 12, runoff elections. But get this, only 4,638 of the 12,929 “ABSENTEE BALLOTS” made their way back to the Harris County Election Administrator to be counted. That being said, do you realize that there are still, 8,291 “ABSENTEE BALLOTS” still out there floating around somewhere? Why did so many people decide to not bother to mail their “ABSENTEE BALLOTS” back to the Harris County Election Administrator to be counted?
Councilwoman Tarsha Jackson (green dress) on stage standing beside Mayor Sylvester Turner and a few other members of Houston City Council at her swearing-in ceremony.
Is Tarsha Jackson Eligible to Serve as the Houston City Council District B Councilwoman?
AUBREY R. TAYLOR REPORTS©
From what I can see, no person living at the residence used by Tarsha Jackson on her application is supposed to be able to run for Houston City Council, based on my understanding of Sec. 43.130 of the Texas Local Government Code as it is written. How can I say this? Well, according to section (b) of the Texas Local Government Code a resident of an area annexed for limited purposes is not eligible to be a candidate for or to be elected to a municipal office. Again, I'm sure that the City of Houston is going to have a very good reason for why Tarsha Jackson was allowed to run for office when her voter registration card clearly states that the (922 Sawgrass Ridge) address she used on her application has (Houston LPA) on it -- which means that Tarsha Jackson lives in an (LIMITED PURPOSE ANNEXED) portion of the City of Houston -- and should not have been allowed to run. Again, that is, unless there's something that I am missing here.
AUBREY R. TAYLOR COMMUNICATIONS
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THE BRAINS
I’m the President/CEO of Aubrey R. Taylor Communications, the publisher of Houston Business Connections Newspaper©. In case you don’t know, I have 30-years of experience in marketing, branding, investigative reporting, public relations, opposition research, and political consulting. I’ve assisted in branding Republican and Democratic candidates in statewide elections and local municipalities throughout the State of Texas. Over the years, I’ve also assisted in branding and marketing (through my various publications) such corporations and institutions as Shell Oil, The City of Houston, Texas A&M University, Texas Southern University, Prairie View A&M University, Chevron, Waste Management, Nationwide Insurance, Momentum Jaguar/BMW, Channel 11, Channel 13, State Farm Insurance, and Allstate Insurance to name a few.
EXPERIENCED REPORTER
I would have you to know that not everyone who has been accused of a crime or enters a guilty plea in connection with a crime is guilty of the crime they're accused of committing. Neither is everyone who goes to trial to fight charges that are leveled against them and get's convicted are guilty. Look, over the years, some very bad things have happened to people of color in our criminal justice system. So to this end, please understand, that during my career, I’ve gone into the Harris County Jail and Texas prisons on numerous occasions (on secret assignments) working in conjunction with the owner of one of the largest locally owned private security, and investigations firms. The man who was funding my investigations back then (who mysteriously died) also was the godfather of one of my sons, and the backer of one of my publications. That being said, I can straight-faced assure you that I’ve seen some of the injustices that are occurring in the Texas penal system up close and personal. While on the inside, I interviewed (face-to-face) some of the hardest criminals you can imagine for my research. I also discovered first-hand that many of the people who should be locked up are walking around free, and not all of those who are locked behind bars are guilty of the crimes that they, in some cases pleaded guilty to – for whatever reason. So, let me assure you that I know a criminal when I see one. And we have a handful of local elected officials who are straight-criminals and must be stopped!!!
PEOPLE OVER POLITICS
Based on my direct observations over the years, I can attest to the fact that our current criminal justice system is more about “HAVE’S AND HAVE NOT’S” to a greater degree than most people realize. That being said, sure, in some cases, the skin color of the person being accused of a crime plays a role in who gets indicted and eventually convicted of crimes and those who go free. However, at the end of the day, from observing the system from the inside, and out; having money, good legal representation and access to influential people are unfortunately key determining factors when it comes to who will spend the rest of their life walking around with an “X” on their back and who doesn’t. So, to this end, we must endeavor to change our criminal justice system and political landscape by “TAKING POLITICS OUT” of the way our judges are selected in the Lone Star State – that’s very important to me!
AUBREY R. TAYLOR COMMUNICATIONS
957 NASA PARKWAY #251
HOUSTON, TEXAS 77058-3039
PHONE: (832)212-8735
CELL: (281)788-3033
