In a stark turn of events, only the three Blacks on the HISD School Board voted to have the interim tag removed from Dr. Grenita Lathan's name. Kathy Blueford Daniels is the District II trustee. Patricia K. Allen is the District IV trustee. And Wanda Adams was the District IX trustee. Adams had to step down because the people elected her as the Harris County Justice of the Peace for Precinct 7, Place 1. Gerry Wayne Monroe has announced his plans to run for the Houston Independent School District IX seat on Tuesday, November 2, 2021. In case you don't know, HISD Trustees Elizabeth Santos, Daniela "Dani" Hernandez, Sue Deigaard, Holly Maria Flynn Vilaseca, Ann Sung, and Judith Cruz, all banded together to block Dr. Grenita Lathan from getting the job permanently.
Dr. Lathan Has Been Utterly Disrespected Says Gerry Wayne Monroe Who Plans to Run for the HISD School Board District IX on Tuesday, November 2, 2021
AUBREY R. TAYLOR©
It’s time for African Americans to become more intentional about our goals. And there’s no better time to start than on Tuesday, November 2, 2021, HISD School Board Elections by electing long-time activist and community leader Gerry Wayne Monroe in the race for HISD School Board for District IX. Why? Well, the problems at (HISD) Houston Independent School District, (HCC) Houston Community College, and the recent systematic skipping of local down-ballot Black judicial candidates in Harris County could be the signs of a major clash between the Black and Hispanic communities. Look, to be brutally honest, some of the things we are witnessing being done to African Americans are only being done because the people committing the acts believe that they have the support of the Blacks who matter as far as they are concerned from what I can see right now. That’s the only logical reason I can find at this moment – someone ore someone(s) somewhere is giving a green light on this stuff – and I believe I know exactly who it is. But I digress.
AUBREY R. TAYLOR COMMUNICATIONS
957 NASA PARKWAY #251
HOUSTON, TEXAS 77058-3039
PHONE: (832)212-8735
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Elizabeth Santos is the HISD Board Trustee for District I. She voted against removing the interim tag from Dr. Grenita Lathan’s name and giving her the permanent job as HISD Superintendent. In my opinion, the right candidate can beat Trustee Santos at the ballot box. Back in 2017, in case you don’t know, 78,479 registered voters were living in District I. However, only 9,784 voters cast a ballot in the race for Houston ISD, Trustee for District I.
Kathy Blueford-Daniels is the HISD Board Trustee for District II. She voted in favor of removing the interim tag from Dr. Grenita Lathan’s name and giving her the permanent job as HISD Superintendent. In my opinion, Trustee Kathy Blueford Daniels is doing a pretty good job but is only able to do so much with the numbers stacked against her. Trustee Kathy Blueford-Daniels defeated John Curtis Gibbs in a runoff election back in 2019 to win this seat. That being said, the turnout in races for this seat is typically low. For instance, back in 2019, in case you don’t know, 88,792 registered voters were living in District II, but only 18,550 voters cast a ballot in the race for Houston ISD, Trustee for District II.
Daniela “Dani” Hernandez is the HISD Board Trustee for District III. She voted against removing the interim tag from Dr. Grenita Lathan’s name and giving her the permanent job as HISD Superintendent. In my opinion, the right candidate can beat Trustee Hernandez at the ballot box. Back in 2019, in case you don’t know, 57,063 registered voters were living in District III. However, only 8,916 voters cast a ballot in the race for Houston ISD, Trustee for District III.
Patricia K. Allen is the HISD Board Trustee for District IV. She voted in favor of removing the interim tag from Dr. Grenita Lathan’s name and giving her the permanent job as HISD Superintendent. I don’t know, Trustee Patricia K. Allen, but from what I can see from a distance she appears to be trying to stand up for all HISD students. Trustee Allen defeated Matt Barns in a runoff election back in 2019 to win this seat. That being said, the turnout in races for this seat is typically extremely low. For instance, back in 2019, in case you don’t know, 106,384 registered voters were living in District IV, but only 24,904 voters cast a ballot in the race for Houston ISD, Trustee for District IV.
Sue Deigaard is the HISD Board Trustee for District V. She voted against removing the interim tag from Dr. Grenita Lathan’s name and giving her the permanent job as HISD Superintendent. At one time, I liked Trustee Deigaard. But her recent actions are cause for concern. Anyways, she could be very tough to beat at the ballot box.
Holly Maria Flynn Vilaseca is the HISD Board Trustee for District VI. She voted against removing the interim tag from Dr. Grenita Lathan’s name and giving her the permanent job as HISD Superintendent. Trustee Holly Maria Flynn Vilaseca isn’t as strong of a candidate as she thinks she is in her mind. For instance, back in 2017, in case you don’t know, she only garnered 50.42% of the vote. Also, back then, there were 73,575 registered voters living in District VI. However, only 7,399 voters cast a ballot in the race for Houston ISD, Trustee for District VI.
Anne Sung is the HISD Board Trustee for District VII. She voted against removing the interim tag from Dr. Grenita Lathan’s name and giving her the permanent job as HISD Superintendent. I had high hopes for Ann Sung, back when she got elected to the HISD Board of Trustees. But just like in the case of Trustee Deigaard, her recent actions have me kind of looking at her sideways right now. Anyways, in my opinion, she’s one of those candidates who would be hard to beat at the ballot box.
Judith Cruz is the HISD Board Trustee for District VIII. She voted against removing the interim tag from Dr. Grenita Lathan’s name and giving her the permanent job as HISD Superintendent. In my opinion, the right candidate can beat Trustee Cruz at the ballot box. Back in 2019, in case you don’t know, 80,414 registered voters were living in District VIII. However, only 16,698 voters cast a ballot in the race for Houston ISD, Trustee for District VIII.
Wanda Adams stepped down last week as the HISD Board Trustee for District IX to prepare herself to serve as the Justice of the Peace for Precinct 7, Place 1. She voted in favor of removing the interim tag from Dr. Grenita Lathan’s name and giving her the permanent job as HISD Superintendent. I think that Justice of the Peace – Elect Wanda Adams is going to do an excellent job in her new position. She unseated Judge Jeremy Brown in the 2020 Democratic Party primary to win this seat. That being said, the turnout in races for District IV is typically all that great. For instance, back in 2017, in case you don’t know, 84,185 registered voters were living in District IX, but only 8,622 voters cast a ballot in the race for Houston ISD, Trustee for District IX.
AUBREY R. TAYLOR COMMUNICATIONS
957 NASA PARKWAY #251
HOUSTON, TEXAS 77058-3039
PHONE: (832)212-8735
CELL: (281)788-3033
Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis, affectionally known as the "PUPPET MASTER" because of his penchant for making things happen in Harris County, Texas politics doesn't appear to have his hands in this HISD Board Trustee fiasco at this time. But why hasn't he or other powerful Black elected officials tried to do anything about what's happening whereas Dr. Grenita Lathan is concerned?
WHO GAVE THE GREENLIGHT?
The silence from local Black leaders like Commissioner Rodney Ellis and others is deafening if you ask me. But look, long story short, a lot of this crap is being done, because I believe these people have gotten the proverbial “GREEN LIGHT” from Blacks whose opinion matters the most to them. But don’t take my word for it, all you have to do is open your eyes. And you don’t have to look much further than the HISD Board of Trustees voting against naming Dr. Grenita Lathan the lone finalist for the job of superintendent late last week to see what I’m talking about. Now, I have never even met Dr. Grenita Lathan, but I’ve watched her from afar, and for the most part, she’s doing a very good job – under the circumstances! She’s served as the interim superintendent for the Houston Independent School District since 2018 and is guiding the district through one of the worst pandemics in the history of the free world. So, why isn’t she good enough to be the permanent HISD superintendent? Well, I could be wrong, but I think it’s because the powers-that-be has someone else in mind. And believe me, some Black folks could be complicit in this somewhere – we just have to wait for this fiasco to play out and then figure out was behind the scenes pulling strings. But as for now, after rejecting Dr. Genita Lathan, last week, the HISD Board is going to conduct a nationwide search for a permanent person to fill the position. In case you don’t know, Dr. Grenita Lathan has publicly stated, “Just as my focus has been for the past five years in HISD, my goal remains the same: to continue to achieve academic excellence in the district and support each and every student, parent, and staff member to the best of our team's abilities."
AUBREY R. TAYLOR COMMUNICATIONS
957 NASA PARKWAY #251
HOUSTON, TEXAS 77058-3039
PHONE: (832)212-8735
CELL: (281)788-3033
Gerry Wayne Monroe plans to run for the Houston Community College Board Trustee for District IX seat on Tuesday, November 2, 2021. In case you don't know, early voting will be on, Monday, October 18, 2021, and end on Friday, October 29, 2021.
MONROE IS RUNNING AGAIN
As it stands right now, Gerry Wayne Monroe has declared that he’s going to run for the Houston Community College Board Trustee for District IX seat on Tuesday, November 2, 2020. Gerry Wayne Monroe has only run for public office once in his life. In case you don’t remember, he ran for the HISD District IX seat back in November of 2017 in a race that involved two African American women – Wanda Adams who just retired last week from the HISD District IX seat to begin her new role as the Harris County Justice of the Peace for Precinct 7, Place 1 was the top vote-getter back in 2017. Dr. Karla Brown put on a respectable showing to finish second. And Gerry Wayne Monroe finished in a distant third, behind Adams and Brown. For the record, Wanda Adams finished with 911 absentee ballots, Karla Brown finished with 217 absentee ballots, and Gerry Wayne Monroe finished with 74 absentee ballots. So, in essence, the race was essentially over for Gerry Wayne Monroe after the absentee ballot phase. As Gerry Wayne Monroe, the self-proclaimed “THE 5 STAR GENERAL”, says, “I got dog-walked with those damn absentee ballots.” Dr. Karla Brown didn’t fare much better in the “ABSENTEE BALLOT” phase of the game either. But at the end of the day, Adams rolled to a commanding victory in the “EARLY VOTING” phase and “THE ELECTION DAY” turnout as well. Ultimately Adams went on to beat back her two rivals without a runoff by receiving 5,575 votes, for 68.43% of the vote. As a refresher, Dr. Karla Brown received 1,973 votes for 24.22% of the vote. As for Monroe, in his first foray into politics, he learned a valuable lesson, as he was only received 599 votes, for 7.35% of the vote back in 2017.
It would be awesome to see Gerry Wayne Monroe run for the Houston Community College Board Trustee for District IX seat unopposed on Tuesday, November 2, 2021. That would really shake things up! In case you don't know, early voting will be on, Monday, October 18, 2021, and end on Friday, October 29, 2021.
MONROE IS VERY FRUSTRATED
Over the weekend I spoke with Gerry Monroe about what happened to Dr. Grenita Lathan last week. “I’m a frustrated parent, constituent, and former candidate for the Houston Independent School Board Trustee for District IX,” said Gerry Wayne Monroe. “So, I’ve decided that I’m going to run for the HISD Board Trustee for District IX because of what I saw happen at the last board meeting to Dr. Grenita Lathan,” he says. “For those who don’t know, what transpired – once again, the trustees showed without a shadow of a doubt that segregation is still alive and well as it relates to the decision-making process of the Houston Independent School District,” he went on to say.
“Four years ago I decided to run for school board trustee and I tried to tell people everything that was about to go down,” he explains. “I told everybody who would listen that the state of Texas would come in and attack our school district,” he went on to say. “Was I right or what?” he asked. “TEA wants to take over HISD and I tried to warn the people.” According to Gerry Wayne Monroe, he told people about the corruption related to the procurement department. “Things are now beginning to come to light,” he says. “The removal of the COO, Brian Busby, due to corruption should not have surprised anyone,” explains Monroe. “I also expressed my concerns with HISD being behind as it pertained to African American children and the recourses being allocated to help them. I also screamed and yelled about the lack of quality teachers in African American schools in general.” But according to Gerry Wayne Monroe, it’s almost like he was speaking with a prophetic tongue or something, as most of what he proclaimed would happen, has indeed happened.
SERIOUS HELP IS NEEDED
“What I am saying right now, is that we have two African American trustees sitting on the HISD Board of Trustees. We have Patricia Allen and Kathy Blueford Daniels,” he explains. “These Black women are sitting in a room with people who don’t respect them – who don’t have a real connection to the issues that they’re voting on if you ask me,” he says. “These women need help! The Houston Independent School District lacks a male presence as it relates to the Board of trustees,” proclaims Monroe. “If a person like me walks into that board-room I guarantee you that some of those board members will change their approach and way of thinking because they know at that moment on games will be played.” He went on to say, “For the last 4 years there’s been nobody representing us, and our interests when you look at it,” he says.
A FEW ACCOMPLISHMENTS
According to Gerry Wayne Monroe, he was instrumental in establishing the “ENTERTAINMENT ENTREPREUERIAL ACADEMY” at Jack Yates Senior High School. In case you don’t know, this particular academy teaches children how to run their own entertainment company.
Gerry Wayne Monroe has also worked diligently with the Houston Police Department and the Houston Independent School District with the “BRIDGE THE GAP” program – which eases the relationships between school-age kids and members of law enforcement. But according to Monroe, “One of my most prized accomplishments is was being able to remove ineffective leadership from certain schools who were not doing what they needed to be doing to help our children.” He went on to say, “I’m active every single day in this school district. I’m active in so many different ways that I’m sure that you won’t have to go too far to find people who will tell you, “There’s no better choice than Gerry Wayne Monroe to sit on the HISD School Board.”
You can click here to view Houston Independent School District IX Map. And remember, Gerry Wayne Monroe has already announced his intentions to seek the District IX seat on Tuesday, November 2, 2021.
POTENTIAL PROBLEMS
“I do not doubt that the Houston Federation of Teachers Union will more than likely be opposed to me seeking the HISD District IX seat,” explains Monroe. “I’ve battled them in the past in regards to employees being wrongfully removed. Employees who were members of their union. And another major issue they may have is the fact that they can’t control me,” he says. “You have to remember, they may even put someone in the District IX race who they can control – someone who will fight for their better interests,” he went on to say. “And in case you haven’t noticed, all of the HISD Trustees with their high-powered degrees from the Yales and the Harvards of the world, make racist decisions,” he went on to say. “Hell, these people are putting their ethnicity first when they make decisions in regards to the Houston Independent School District from what I can see. Nobody seems to be putting African American kids first in my opinion.” However, according to Gerry Wayne Monroe, under his watch, African American kids will be much more than an after-thought. I will publish more excerpts from my interview with Gerry Wayne Monroe next week. So stay tuned!
AUBREY R. TAYLOR COMMUNICATIONS
957 NASA PARKWAY #251
HOUSTON, TEXAS 77058-3039
PHONE: (832)212-8735
CELL: (281)788-3033
AUBREY R. TAYLOR COMMUNICATIONS
957 NASA PARKWAY #251
HOUSTON, TEXAS 77058-3039
PHONE: (832)212-8735
CELL: (281)788-3033
THE BADASS
Charles (BADASS) Marler worked for the FBI for 16 years learning all facets of the Bureau’s complex operations from evidence collection, radio communications, aviation surveillance, and Forward-Looking Infra-Red (FLIR). Charles was an Investigative Specialist for 12 years as a member of the Special Surveillance Group and conducted, organized, and completed thousands of surveillances on Drugs (as FLIR operator), Intelligence and Terrorism targets. He participated in joint training operations with the DIA, DEA, JCTA, and CIA. Charles was an instructor and evaluator numerous times for the FBI’s surveillance training programs.
Charles managed several FLIR System Operators while coordinating one of the FBI’s prominent FLIR programs. He provided case guidance, became an expert in the operation and maintenance of FLIR equipment, and personally trained or provided training for his operators. Under Charles's leadership and guidance, the FLIR program conducted numerous successful operations against espionage subjects, suspected terrorism subjects, drug shipments, violent crime, and kidnap searches.
Since 2008, Charles has been a co-owner of a private investigative firm based in Houston and has worked as a Private Investigator in Texas for the past four years which specializes in covert physical surveillance operations. As a P.I. he has performed criminal investigations and conducted surveillance operations involving workman’s compensation, child custody, drug use, theft, and the elusive but frequent cheating spouse.
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
