Our April meeting features Progress Texas Advocacy Manager Diana Gómez. She’ll share the latest good, bad and ugly from the Texas Legislature.
Diana leads issue management efforts at Progress Texas with a focus on abortion rights and voting rights work. She not only represents the organization in coalitions, but also provides communications counsel and message development to amplify progressive voices in the media. With a background in teaching and immigration legal work, she started working in politics as a congressional staffer for Representative Lloyd Doggett.
Then we’ll hear from local candidates including: Jacqueline Reagan for Keller ISD
Our meetings are open to all. Please invite friends or family via our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Miss a meeting? Watch videos of recent meetings to hear from candidates: Dan Cogan for Bedford City Council (incumbent) Amyn Gilani for Colleyville City Council Nick Kaufman for Grapevine Mayor Elisha Rurka for Southlake City Council John Biggan for Hurst City Council Kristie Hanhardt for Fort Worth City Council Sergio Harris for GCISD
While the FBI investigates our corrupt Texas attorney general, Democratic candidate Joe Jaworski is working to sweep Ken Paxton out of office and restore ethics and integrity. He’ll tell us how he plans to unseat Paxton and how we can help.
Then, we’ve heard from two of Tarrant County’s representatives this session, now we look to the Texas Senate with Sen. Beverly Powell for our Texas Legislature update on the power/leadership failure, public education, and redistricting. Sen. Powell serves on the Education, Health and Human Services, State Affairs, and Water, Agriculture, and Rural Committees.
And finally, we’ll hear from local candidates in contested races, sharing their priorities and taking your questions. Confirmed candidates include:
Our board member Kathleen Thompson submitted her Texas power/leadership failure comments to the Texas House State Affairs Committee. Her comments want to be joined by yours! submit here!
I appreciate this written testimony, but it should be virtual. I’d like you to see and hear this from me.
Our family lost power early Monday, February 15. What was a dream snowy Valentine’s Day weekend with our children turned into a nightmare. We never had “rolling blackouts.” Power was just shut off—for days.
Temperatures dropped outside and inside. We bundled up with coats and hats, put two pairs of socks on tiny feet, two pairs of pants, a shirt and sweater and jacket for our youngest. My husband made meals in the gas fireplace. We tried to make the best of it, happy that we had warm food. Not everyone did.
Eventually 3 degrees outside meant 38 inside. Our older children huddled under blankets and we held our young daughters’ hands. Her hands and feet turned bright red and painful.
We eventually sent children to grandparents who had power and water. News stations reported “rolling blackouts,” so we kept expecting power and heat. Had we known it would be days, not hours, we would all have left earlier. How can families make good decisions without accurate information?
I live in Tarrant County, but watched Dallas’ Democratic leader because my Republican officials were MIA.
Even though he reached out to me on LinkedIn and he followed me on Twitter, I cannot now see the Tweets of my state representative Capriglione. He didn’t like that I Tweeted that he restricted—rather than expanded—access to voting, so he blocked me. (Incognito browser shows he had four Tweets only.) He can’t block that I can see his voting history and priorities plainly. How unfortunate for all Texans that he and others spend limited time fighting local control, healthcare access, and environmental protection.
Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley tweeted all of three times during the crisis (once on Facebook), February 14-21.
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins was constantly in contact (in English and Spanish), tweeting 181 times (I counted) February 14- 21: food and water distribution, warming centers, power outages by zip code, boil notices, disaster relief scams, COVID vaccination site status, electricity plans and rates, uninsured and underinsured loss claims with FEMA, county disaster assistance, school closings, federal disaster declaration and what that means…
I saw our governor lie on TV. I saw the former governor say the loss of lives and homes was worth it to be free of federal oversight. I saw my junior US senator cross the border.
If state lawmakers like mine spent time investing in infrastructure rather than legislating chicken sandwiches and bathrooms, lives and property would not have been lost. What happened was a power AND leadership failure. Do not repeat it.
Texas families were not warned 10 days ago about what would happen last week, but Texas “leaders” were warned 10 years ago. You were warned against underinvestment and neglect, warned to winterize and reserve power. You didn’t listen to experts then. Listen to experts and Texas families now.
Rep. Chris Turner, House Democratic Caucus chair, joins us Thursday for our Texas Legislature update. Chris is a proven leader who gave information, resources, and constituent services during the power/Texas leadership failure, while Republican officials lied and hid. He’ll share with us plans for accountability and legislative committee assignment news.
Then we’ll hear from local candidates asking for your vote!
Committee assignments have been made for the 87th Texas Legislature. We’ll share the good news on Democratic committee chairs, the bad news on redistricting and elections, and how you can advocate for progress this spring.
Plus, electing good government at the local level means health guidelines are followed, streets are safe, and businesses thrive—or not.
Many local races are now contested and we’ll hear from candidates announcing their campaigns. They’ll share their priorities and take your questions.
Confirmed candidates include:
Dan Cogan for Bedford City Council (incumbent) Amyn Gilani for Colleyville City Council Nick Kaufman for Grapevine Mayor Elisha Rurka for Southlake City Council
