Officials climb on GOP 'wave' (Texas)
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Posted on 04/10/2005 5:07:54 PM PDT by SwinneySwitch
Four longtime officeholders in Chambers County bolt Democrats, join regional trend
ANAHUAC - Chambers County has joined other fast-growing suburban counties where Republicans are no longer swimming against the tide to win a county office.
In fact, Republican contenders for Chambers County offices, which officials said started as a small "wave" in the late '90s, turned into a tidal wave within the past month as four more longtime Democratic officeholders defected to the other side.
The four are among the county's more powerful elected officials: the county judge, district clerk, county attorney and county treasurer.
They are responding to an influx of conservative families from the Houston area to new subdivisions in the county, a trend that has also been experienced in Montgomery, Fort Bend and Waller counties.
A majority of those who migrate to the suburban counties for cheaper housing, safer neighborhoods and better schools tend to be predominantly white conservatives, said Richard Murray, director of the University of Houston's Center for Political Policy.
"These former rural counties are being suburbanized," he said.
Yet longtime Chambers County residents remember how elections were dominated by Democrats for decades long after this rice-farming county was formed in 1858. During those years, winners were usually decided in the Democratic primaries, often because no Republicans bothered to run.
Democratic control wanes
However, Democratic control began to ebb when Precinct 3 Commissioner W.E. "Buddy" Irby switched party affiliations in 1999. Irby, a former longstanding Democratic supporter, gave the GOP its first beachhead in Chambers County.
He was joined in the 2000 election by two more Democrats turned Republicans, Precinct 6 Constable Robert Barrow and Precinct 4 Commissioner Bill Wallace. A Republican candidate also beat the Democratic contender for sheriff that year.
The latest four to jump ship are: County Judge Jimmy Sylvia, who has held an elected office for 12 years; District Clerk Bobby Scherer, who has held his seat for 33 years; County Attorney Cheryl Lieck, who has been on the job for five years; and County Treasurer Carren Sparks, who has been in office since 1993.
In Fort Bend County, Democrats held every political office until U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay of Sugar Land was elected to the Texas House in 1978.
Young conservative families then began moving into the county in droves, which led some officeholders to begin switching parties — until by 2001 all but three of the 32 elected offices were held by Republicans.
Not a single Democrat signed up to run for Montgomery County's local offices in 2004 — except the county's Democratic chairman, Raymond McNeel.
Abandoned party
The transformation in Waller County became apparent last year when two veteran Democrats abandoned their party. Sheriff Randy Smith, who has been in office 16 years, and Tax Assessor-Collector Ellen Shelburne, who has won four consecutive terms, were both re-elected as Republicans.
"It's happening everywhere across the state," said Sarah McLallen, the Texas Republican Party spokeswoman in Austin. "We're seen as the party of conservative values now."
From 1992 to 2004, she said, 197 Democrats holding county offices in Texas switched to the Republican Party.
"I'm severely disappointed," said Chambers County Democratic Chairman Guy Robert Jackson, mayor of the county seat, Anahuac. "But I still consider the defectors as friends."
At the same time, Jackson said if he finds a Democrat to run against them, he will support that candidate.
"Up until recently, we had all the countywide positions," he said.
But he acknowledges he can see a trend starting as more conservatives are moving from Houston into new subdivisions on the county's west side.
Murray, the political analyst, said the demographics eventually could shift the other direction in some of the suburban counties such as Fort Bend, where more minority families have recently relocated. "In the last presidential race, the Democratic vote had increased from 39 percent to 42 percent," he said.
Changing demographics
But in rural counties such as Chambers, politicians think they can no longer tread water and wait.
"The demographics are changing, and the Republicans are on the ascent now and Democrats on the decline. You can't ignore it if you want to stay in office," said Scherer, the district clerk, after switching parties.
All four officeholders paid a courtesy call to Jackson before changing parties.
"(Jackson) told me that he could call me a traitor and runaway and all that, but he didn't. He disagreed with our decision but knew we had to do what we had to do," Scherer said.
For years, the district clerk said friends had called him a "closet Republican" while he had insisted that he was a "conservative Democrat."
"But now, the term 'conservative' seems to be more at home in the Republican Party," he said, although he thinks neither party has all the answers.
Sylvia, the county judge, also points to the demographics.
"The west side of the county has grown like crazy, and it's a big Republican influx. Half the population now lives there. Our county carried President Bush by 75 percent."
He said he sees little difference between a Southern Democrat and a Republican.
"I am more aligned with the Republican philosophy of morals, values and conservatism," he said.
2002 election scare
Despite years of experience in office and no scandals, Sparks, the county treasurer, got a scare in the 2002 election when she came close to losing to a Republican newcomer, Sylvia said.
Sparks issued this statement about her switch: "My conservative nature is more in tune with the Republican Party. ... Without change we become stagnant and change has definitely come to Chambers County."
Lieck, the county attorney, said many new residents do not know the officeholders and cast their ballots only on whether there is an " 'R' or 'D' by their name."
"As a prosecutor, I cannot afford to be associated with liberals like Howard Dean (former presidential candidate recently named chairman of the Democratic National Committee). ... I don't like the way the Democrats are going nationally," she said. "I'm no dummy. I can see the wave."
cindy.horswell@chron.com
The key issue: were they DINOs before or RINOs now?
Texas GOP Wave!
Oooh! OOOOH! PICK ME! I KNOW!
Both.
These are the folks who simply prefer to stay in power. If they believed half the happy horseshit the Rats spout, they'da been booted out a long time back. If they believed in half the causes the GOP professes to support, they'd have switched already.
The key issue: were they DINOs before or RINOs now?
_________________________________________
Exactly and the answer is that they probably are members of the political class who only care about staying in office and doling out favors to keep the perks of office.
More good news.
Officials climb on GOP 'wave' (Texas)
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I live a bit north of Chambers in Liberty County. Most of us around here have little respect for their elected officials -- It's well known you can't get anything done without being in one of their hip pockets.
They need an infusion of new blood-- either Democrat or Republican. If these politicians were honest and hardworking, no one would care what party they were in.
People around here were trying to throw them *out*-- their little trick may buy them time, but eventually the newcomers they spoke of will figure out what's going on and give them the boot.
I do recall this, also. :)
"I'm severely disappointed," said Chambers County Democratic Chairman Guy Robert Jackson, mayor of the county seat, Anahuac. "
Awwwww! Where have we heard that before?
I agree with you.
It sounds like a few more Bloombergs from New York in the making.
Severely disappointed? Is that the same as 'deeply saddened?'
And why do you think he hates Tom Delay?
That is exactly what they are. They will say whatever it takes to keep power.
That will probably happen on the second Tuesday in the week--LOL!.
From the caller-Times today:
In Waller County, two veteran Democrats left their party. Sheriff Randy Smith, in office 16 years, and Tax Assessor-Collector Ellen Shelburne, winner of four consecutive terms, were both re-elected as Republicans.
"It's happening everywhere across the state," said Sarah McLallen, the Texas Republican Party spokeswoman in Austin. "We're seen as the party of conservative values now."
From 1992 to 2004, 197 Democrats holding county offices in Texas switched to the Republican Party, she said.
As I see it, this is one of the main reasons Dems are leaving the Democrat Party. Howard Dean is just too far left and they are hearing the death rattle of the Democrat party with him at the helm.
Thank you so much for the ping....I am actually not a Texan and, unfortunately, was born and (unfortunately) reside in The Most Corrupt State (Washington) but I have been 'keeping an eye' on Texas particularly closely over the past few years because it seems that whenever Texas in mentioned in FR, it's always about something good happening there. Everyone that I've ever met in person as well as online who is from Texas has been VERY nice and polite, VERY gracioius and VERY hospitable. It seems that most folks from Texas are quite sane and well-balanced (Unlike those here in Washington - Freepers excepted of course) and I have decided that I simply MUST visit Texas one day...it seems to be quite a delightful place filled with wonderful people.
Getting an unsolicited "Texas Ping" from you is like icing on the cake....it makes me feel almost like an 'honorary Texan' :-)
Thank you so much and best wishes to you and yours :-)
I wish that were true, but I suspect it is opportunism busting out! They can see that being a Dim is not the best way to be elected so they SAY they are republicans in hopes they can fool people into voting for them. That's how RINO's are created.
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