Solemn Swearing: City Council & Richard Schechter

If you're into this sorta thing, the Houston City Council gets sworn in on Tuesday. The location is a bit different than normal. This time its at 10 a.m. at the Houston Police Department memorial, located on Memorial Drive at Sawyer, near downtown Houston. Open to the public. So be there if ya want. It's usually a big deal for the new folks, even though all the members of council get sworn in.

If you really want to take in a swearing in that might not get as much headlines, but could be a great place to be, try the Houston Community College Board swearing in of Richard Schechter on January 8, 3pm on the West Loop Campus. This is Richard's first swearing-in as an elected. But furthermore, Richard is promising to work on making HCC more open, transparent, and accountable to the public as it continues to grow and play a huge role in more and more neighborhoods.

Already, we've seen some issues with HCC growth into Alief being met with some resistance as well as a broader concern about multiple layers of property tax systems and the rising rates thereof. Considering that few people make it a habit to know either their HCC or HISD board member, these are quickly becoming important boards that affect us more and more with each passing year. A little openness would certainly go a long way, and it's good to see Richard willing to fight for that.