NWARW Newsletter December 2011

8/3/2019 NWARW Newsletter December 2011

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Inside This Issue

Upcoming Dates to Remember

Roland Sledge at Dec. 5 Meeting

Donate to SafePlace in December

Letter from the President

Update on Redistricting

NWARW Officers 2012

Seeking Committee Chairs for

2012

Coming in January

Upcoming Dates to Remember

Dec. 5 - NWARW Regular Meeting, 2012

Officer Installation

Dec. 9 - NWARW Executive Cmte.

Meeting at Melinda Field’s home

Dec. 13 - Travis County Republican

Party Christmas Party and Exec. Cmte.

Meeting

Dec. 15 - Candidate Filing Period Ends

Dec. 25 - Christmas!

January 9, 2012 - First NWARW

Regular Meeting of the Year!



Roland Sledge, Candidate for Texas RailroadCommission, to address NWARW in December

Continuing our series of visits from candidates for the Texas Railroad Commission,

Roland Sledge will address the NW Austin Republican Women in December.

Roland Sledge is a Republican candidate for the Texas Railroad Commission seatbeing vacated by Commissioner Elizabeth Ames Jones.

Sledge has 35 years of experience as an oil and gas attorney, including: Attorney for The Federal Power Commission (currently referred to as

FERC) Assistant to the Chairman of the Power Commission Assistant General Counsel, American Gas Association General Counsel of Torch Energy Advisors, Inc. Vice President, Legal, VAALCO Energy, Inc.

After serving at the Federal Power Commission and American Gas Association,Sledge entered the private sector in Houston and began a 19-year career asGeneral Counsel of Torch Energy Advisors. As General Counsel, Sledge managedthe purchase of over $3 billion of oil and gas assets and interests in over 8,000onshore and offshore wells, 1,200 of which were operated by Torch.

Sledge currently serves as Vice President, Legal, for VAALCO Energy, Inc., a NYSEHouston-based company engaged in acquisition, exploration, development, and

production of crude and natural gas including acreage in Gabon, Angola, WestAfrica and Texas. Sledge will bring his extensive industry experience to theRailroad Commission to combat the Obama Administration’s continued attempts tousurp the authority of the RRC through the EPA and its ever growing myriad of job-killing regulations, rules and laws. Sledge has no desire to seek higher office,and if elected, will end his oil and gas career as a Railroad Commissioner.

A sixth-generation Texan, Sledge came by his conservative beliefs very early inlife. In 1962, Sledge’s father, along with other Houston conservatives, persuaded alarge group of conservative Houston Democrats to join the Republican Party,helping lay the foundation for a viable Republican Party in the state. His fatherwas a close friend and fundraiser to conservative icon U.S. Senator John Tower,raised over $500,000 for Republican Presidential Nominee Barry Goldwater in1964, and served as an alternate delegate from Texas to the Republican NationalConvention.

Sledge served in the Texas Air National Guard and United States Army Reserves,graduated from The University of Texas at Austin School of Law in 1972. He andhis wife, Elizabeth, live in Houston and attend St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, wherehe has been a member since 1951.



Caring for America: Donate to SafePlace at DecemberMeetings

Every year, NW Austin Republican Women

collects new and gently used toys for

SafePlace, a center in Austin dedicated to

helping victims of sexual and domesticviolence. We do this in conjunction with

Purple Santa, a project of the local chapter

of the Military Order of the Purple Heart.

We will be taking collections at our November 7 and December 5 meetings. Please

see the corrected list below for donation suggestions.

CHRISTMAS 2011 WISH LIST:

Below is a list of suggested holiday items you can donate. Please leave gifts

unwrapped. The donation of wrapping paper and tape are greatly appreciated!Also, please include batteries with gifts that need them.

***Please no toyguns/Knives/Swords***

Gift cards to department storesSports equipment/balls

Purses/wallets, Date books/plannersScience/craft kits/play dough/clay

Nightgowns/robesNon-violent action figures

Gift Cards for groceriesNew toddler manipulative (blocks,etc)

New clothes in seasonNew dolls (various ethnicities)

Jewelry/watchesNew clothes in season

Perfume/bath and body productsNew DVDs

Gift certificates (i.e., pedicures,dinners, etc.)

Gift cards

CamerasNew toy cars/trucks

CDs and DVDsBooks

DVD playersNon-violent video games

MP3 playersBoard games

Stereos/CD playersBatteries- AA, AAA, C, 9V

Books - fiction a non-fictionArt supplies of all kinds

Gifts for Teens, Women/MenGifts for Children



LetterfromthePresident

Christmas has hit at my house full-force; our tree is up and twinkling with lights, the stockings arehung, and my kitchen counter is almost daily splattered with flecks of dough from making cookies.

isn’t hard to feel how blessed we are, and to want to share it with others. There are a lot of ways

help those who are less fortunate this Christmas season; one big way would be to bring an item or

two for the Purple Santa drive at our Monday, December 5 meeting (see the note in this newslette

If you miss that chance, I’d like to recommend taking a look at the For the City Network’s list of

charitable organizations and specific needs - they range from sponsoring foster families, volunteer

at holiday parties, helping the homeless, and so many other opportunities. You can check that out

online: http://forthecity.org/connect

In November, I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the Texas Federation of Republican Womeconvention in Fort Worth, with fellow NW Austin Republican Women Susan Friedrich, Joyce Melugin

Kathie Holliman, and Cassie Daniel. We heard from a lot of candidates, met a lot of great women,

and indulged in some Republican shopping. The best thing, though, was getting to hear what othe

clubs are up to around our great state. I came back with a lot of ideas for growing our club in 201

and all of us came back freshly motivated and excited for the upcoming election year.

If you haven’t yet had a chance to get involved at the statewide level for TFRW, you’ll have a great

chance this coming February. Go ahead and “save the date” for February 4, 2012, for TFRW’s

Leadership Day in Austin. The theme is “Leadership Skills Survival Camp,” and this will be an

excellent opportunity to find out how to put your personal skills to use in helping to grow the

Republican Party. It’s also a chance to get to know women from outside our club who are involvedRepublican Women’s clubs around our state. I hope some of you will consider attending, whetheryou’re new to our club or you’ve been around for awhile.

I will not be able to join you for our January meeting, but I hope you’ll plan to be there. Monday,

January 9, our club will welcome Gregory Parker; Mr. Parker is currently serving as county

commissioner in Comal County, and he has announced plans to run for the Railroad Commission.

We’re learning so much about the oil and gas industry in Texas, and Mr. Parker offers yet another

perspective. He’s written a book, “Global Warming...Really?” I hope you’ll plan on coming in Janu

to hear from this candidate, and bring a friend or two (or more!).

MicheleSamuelsonNWARWPresident,2011-2012TFRWSD14DistrictDirector,2012-2013



Update on Redistricting, from the Republican Party of Texas - Statement from Chairman Steve

Munisteri

"We believe it is an important principle of the Republican Party that the judicial branch of government shouldnot use its authority to legislate, rather than undertake its constitutional duty of applying and interpreting theaw."

"It is clear to me that two of the three judges on the San Antonio federal panel have attempted to usurp theegitimate authority of the Legislature to create redistricting maps by deciding to replace the constitutionalegislative duty with their own political agenda. The federal panel has created districts as they see fit, ratherthan the elected representatives of the people. This action becomes clearer when you look at the redrawn mapand observe radically altered boundary lines for districts which were devoid of any controversy to all politicalobservers, prior to the actions of the federal panel. Also, the presumably main argument offered by liberalDemocrat groups' arguments who brought the suit, was that their challenge to the redistricting map was toprotect the rights of Hispanics. This argument has been undermined by the fact that the federal panel alteredthe legislative-drawn district lines so radically, that it has discouraged a Republican Hispanic, Aaron Pena to

choose retirement rather than run for re-election."

"The Court also seems to fail to take into account the fact that more Hispanics have been elected statewide onthe Republican ticket than on the Democratic ticket. In the 2010 election, the RPT helped elect five newRepublicans of Hispanic descent to the State House, two new Republicans of African-American descent to theState House, and two new Republicans of Hispanic descent to the U.S. Congress. If you add the two newRepublican Hispanic Congressmen to the number of already existing Democratic incumbents of Hispanicdescent, and combined the further anticipated wins by Hispanics under the legislatively-drawn map - this woulyield a Congressional delegation whose percentage of Hispanic Congressmen would approximate the percentagof eligible voters of Hispanic descent in Texas."

"The bottom line is that it appears to us as if political considerations overrode legal considerations, with themaps handed down by the two judges in San Antonio. The Republican Party of Texas will not stand by idly andallow this to occur. Consequently, the Party is advocating a three-prong strategy to either prevent this injusticfrom occurring, or to undo the damage done by the court through legitimate legislative means."

"First, the Party strongly supports Attorney General Abbott's motion for a stay filed with the U.S. SupremeCourt. We are particularly grateful to the Attorney General for tailoring the relief sought in such a way, so as tpreserve the original primary date for officeholders and races not affected by the contested redistricting maps.This will allow the RPT to select its delegates and alternates to the Republican State Convention in a timelyfashion, and will also allow the Party to comply with the Texas Election Code, which requires us to have a StatConvention in June or July."

"Second, the Party supports the Attorney General's efforts to obtain a favorable final ruling from the WashingtD.C. federal panel. As a safeguard and backup strategy, I will be asking the State Republican Executive

Committee (which meets this weekend in Austin on Saturday, December 2nd) to pass a resolution authorizingthe State Chairman to request that each of our legislative candidates pledge to support a new redistricting effo

n the next session of the legislature, in the event that the maps drawn by the Legislature are not enacted by

the courts. The resolution will also request the SREC to grant the State Chairman the authority on behalf ofth

Party, to request in such an event, that the Speaker, Lieutenant Governor and Governor,all support the effort

to lead a new redistricting effort in the 83rd Legislative Session. If granted the authority by the SREC, I will alnstruct the RPT political staff to begin preparing a legislative lobbying blitz to push for redistricting at the nextsession."

"Finally, if the legislative maps are not upheld prior to the next election, the Party will redirect resources towaswing districts under the court panel's maps, so that we minimize the damage of the Court's map and increaseour chances of having a Legislature favorable to appropriate redistricting in 2013."



NWARW Officers 2012

Michele Samuelson, PresidentCassie Daniel, Vice President

Jennifer Stratton, 1st VP/MembershipJoyce Melugin, 2nd VP/Programs

Rhonda Murphy, Recording SecretaryCherri Spradling, Corresponding SecretarySusan Friedrich, Treasurer/PAC Treasurer

NWARW Committee Chairmen 2012

Chris Sale, ChaplainCassie Daniel, Fundraising

Murlene Johnston, LegislativeElaine Lehmann, Hospitality

Carolyn Isbell, HistorianCarol Gontko, Telephone

We are still seeking chairmen for Awards,Campaign Activities, By-Laws, Outreach,

and Caring for America

InterestedinjoiningtheNorthwestAustinRepublican

Women?WomenANDmenarewelcome!

Duesare:$24forActiveMembership

$12forAssociateMembership$36forSupportingMembership

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tableatoneofourmeetings,orby

sendingacheckpayableto

NWARWPAC

C/OSusanFriedrich,10504Painted

ValleyCove,Austin,TX78759-5524

Documents

NWARW Newsletter December 2011