Page 19 - The Indian EYE 092526

NORTH AMERICAN Newsline SEPTEMBER 25, 2026 | The Indian Eye 19

Randhir Sahni, founder of IAPAC-PAC, wel- Daniel Wong Rob Giesecke Orlando Sanchez
comes attendees and introduces the three
Republican candidates for County Judge. criticized increases in spending and through certificates of obligation ed earlier access to care, particularly
property taxes and argued that coun- without an election. for chronic conditions that become
ty resources should focus on core re- Sanchez said artificial intelli- more serious and costly when treat-
erty-tax rate, establishing term limits sponsibilities, including public safety, gence and other technologies could ment is delayed.
for commissioners and ending spend- courts, flood control, roads and ac- help streamline county operations The candidates returned to expe-
ing he considered wasteful. He told cess to health care. and improve service delivery. He cit- rience and collaboration in their clos-
attendees that all three were accom- On public safety, Sanchez called ed expedited permitting as one area ing remarks. Giesecke emphasized
plished. for faster resolution of serious crimi- where processes could be modern- that a county judge must work with
“I’m the guy that will actually nal cases and greater oversight of the ized while maintaining county over- numerous independently elected of-
make promises, go into office and pretrial system. sight. He also pointed to transparen- ficials and said effective county lead-
make those promises happen,” he Wong described Fort Bend cy initiatives from his tenure as Harris ership requires building relationships
said. County’s fiscal challenge as a spend- County treasurer, when county finan- and finding areas of agreement. San-
Wong, an engineer and entre- ing problem rather than a revenue cial transactions were made search- chez pointed to his experience across
preneur, spoke about arriving in the problem. As population and com- able online. city and county government, the pri-
United States as a teenager and learn- mercial activity increase, he said, rev- Infrastructure generated some of vate sector and emergency response,
ing English in part through American enues also grow, making it important the forum’s most detailed discussion, while Wong emphasized his engineer-
movies and football. He went on to for county government to keep ex- particularly as all three counties con- ing, business and county-government
earn bachelor’s, master’s and doctor- penditures within available resources. front continued population growth. experience.
al degrees in civil engineering from He identified law enforcement, Giesecke noted that Brazoria Although Harris, Brazoria and
the University of Houston before emergency management, infrastruc- County has roughly doubled in popu- Fort Bend counties differ in size and
building an engineering company ture and economic development as lation since the 1990s and could grow circumstances, the discussion high-
with offices across Texas. essential priorities. Fort Bend, he substantially again in the coming de- lighted challenges that increasingly
His public service has included said, should compete aggressively for cades. He pointed to congestion along cross county lines: accommodating
Sugar Land City Council and state business investment while seeking Texas 288, expansion of the Brazoria population growth, financing infra-
boards overseeing professional engi- state and federal support for major County toll road and coordination structure, maintaining public safety,
neering and higher education. Wong infrastructure projects. among the county’s seven drainage controlling government costs and co-
also discussed his experience serving Government efficiency and trans- districts as challenges requiring long- ordinating among jurisdictions.
as Fort Bend County judge during parency also emerged as significant term planning. In closing, Shiv Kandavelu, pres-
2026, saying the position had given issues. The candidates were asked He also emphasized coopera- ident of IAPAC-PAC, delivered the
him direct insight into county oper- whether they would support a review tion among county officials, mayors, vote of thanks, expressing appreci-
ations and finances. He pointed to of outdated or duplicative county sys- drainage districts and other agencies, ation to the candidates for partici-
a recently adopted reduction in the tems, greater use of automation and particularly during hurricanes and pating and recognizing the Eternal
county tax rate as evidence of his ap- artificial intelligence where appropri- other emergencies. Gandhi Museum Houston, the host
proach to fiscal management. ate, and public measurement of gov- Wong described a similar chal- committee and volunteers who sup-
When the discussion turned to ernment performance and savings. lenge in Fort Bend County, where ported the program.
priorities, all three candidates placed Wong said he had begun meeting continued residential and commer- The forum was part of the PAC’s
county finances near the top of their with major Fort Bend County depart- cial growth will require substantial continuing effort to provide opportu-
lists, although their approaches re- ment directors to better understand investment in roads and related in- nities for the Indian American com-
flected the different circumstances of their operations and identify areas frastructure. The central question, he munity to hear directly from candi-
their counties. for improvement. He said county em- said, is how to finance that expansion dates and public officials and engage
Giesecke said Brazoria County ployees should approach residents as while keeping taxes low. He said he on issues affecting Greater Houston
benefits from a comparatively low the people government exists to serve would work with state and federal of- and Texas.
tax rate and pledged to preserve that and supported continued review of ficials to pursue outside funding for About IAPAC-PAC: The Indian
position while adequately funding law county operations. major projects. American Political Action Commit-
enforcement, courts and the criminal Giesecke called for a top-to- Sanchez focused in part on Har- tee of Greater Houston (IAPAC-
justice system. Infrastructure plan- bottom examination of Brazoria ris County toll-road revenue, arguing PAC) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit
ning, he said, would also be critical as County government and emphasized that more of it should be directed organization dedicated to strength-
the county continues to grow. transparency in spending and de- toward expanding transportation ca- ening the voice and representation of
Sanchez said bringing Har- cision-making. He also said major pacity. He also identified flood con- the Indian American community in
ris County finances under control bond proposals should be presented trol as a continuing priority. the civic and public affairs of Greater
would be an immediate priority. He directly to voters rather than financed On health care, Sanchez advocat- Houston and Texas.

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