Fellow Precinct Chairs,  

 Thank you to those attending our March 14th CEC meeting.  Precinct 3 was well represented by nearly 50% of attendance. The following is a recap of my observations for those who could not attend.    

Our meeting started 20 minutes late. The significance of this will become evident by the end of this message.   

Guest Speakers against Proposition A were very informative and well received which led to acceptance without objection to the Resolution “Total Rejection, Condemnation, and Priority of Action to defeat currently titled ‘Justice Policy’”.  

The Resolution Supporting Legislation for Accurate, Transparent, Accountable Elections in Texas” was also adopted and passed without objection.  

The next Resolution was a motion to “author an ethics clause or clauses, as necessary, for the RPBC rules dealing with lobbyists, political consultants, and present/past elected officials requiring full disclosure of their activities as they relate to committee assignments and potential conflicts of interest...”   

The last Resolution “Bexar County GOP Resolution Against Predatory Gambling in Texas", took just over one hour.  But before it began, the Chair was called to “Orders of the Day” to stay on agenda.  This would prove to be only the beginning of mishaps for the remaining time of the meeting.  
Once the motion was called for a vote, the Chairman modified the rules to allow a separate motion to be included as a “dueling” motion.  The problem with this action was that the resolution presented (pro-HJR97) was not “germane” to the original motion.  The subjects were entirely different.  The Pro-HJR97 legislation proposes a constitutional amendment for gambling that requires a vote on the ballot.    

This change by the Chairman was against the rules of debate which are governed by our bylaws and the Robert Rules of Order.   Also noted was that resolution in question was provided only two days before the meeting which is outside rules for acceptance to the standing agenda sent to the CEC.   
Nonetheless, the vast majority PCs voted down the attempt to substitute the "Resolution for HJR97 in support of casino legislation for the original motion.  With parliamentary incoherence, the resolution against predatory gambling was then motioned and stalled to death with the assistance of the Chair.  The result was the "Resolution Against Predatory Gambling" was debated twice and when it came to vote, a member of the pro-HJR 97 casino supporters motioned to adjourn at 9:00 p.m.  A motion to extend the time for 20 minutes (to make up for late start) was not supported by the chair and the motion was rejected. 

 I want to end this recap on a high note.  The arguments against Predatory gambling were very strong, well-researched, as presented by fellow Precinct 3 chairs. Those speeches are attached here along with the personal testimonies from Texas residents who truly care about the future of our State. 

The PCs sponsoring the Resolution attempted to follow the normal rules of debate to allow a member vote on it. I personally feel that the membership was robbed of a vote AGAINST gambling by parliamentary missteps. No other Resolutions endured this fate. Feel free to reach out to myself and presenters if you have any questions or would like additional information.    

-Mary Ellen Snell PC # 3194 - Introduced a motion to adopt "Resolution Against Predatory Gambling", MaryEllenSnell@gmail.com, 205-527-8908 
-Jeff Clay, PC # 3163 - Provided references to our Republican Party Platform and Constitution which are AGAINST "games of chance" being legalized. Jdclay@aol.com, 210-2402979 
-Yvonne Krzywonski PC # 3012 – Provided references to Fraud, Money-Laundering, and social ills associated with Casinos in communities, yvonne3012@proton.me, 210-913-1581.  
 

We expect the vote to conclude this Resolution at our next CEC meeting, May 9.   Rosario Zarb-Cousin, CISA

Precinct Chair 3173, 

Precinct 3 Management Committee Chair Woman

210-289-8557