August 9, 2017

Today, Bill Sargent of Galveston County announced his candidacy for U.S. Congress (District TX-14).  Sargent, who is a Republican, said he is running because what we are seeing from the Congress is a lot of rhetoric with very little effective action.  “We need people in Washington who will get the job done,” Sargent said.  “Introducing bills that don’t go anywhere or fall short of accomplishing what we need won’t cut it!”

Bill (Sarge) has extensive experience in the area of legislative leadership, both at the federal and state levels.  He worked for two Congressmen and a U.S. Senator before spending twenty-one years handling legislation for the U.S. Department of Commerce in Washington.  He has also been active in Austin, working with the state legislature to pass all of Galveston County’s election-related legislation in the 2017 regular session and a substantial number of bills in the 2015 session.

In his announcement Sargent laid out a number of issues he wants to tackle, such as getting the coastal barrier system (or Ike Dike) funded and built.  “We’ve studied this enough, it’s time to give the Army Corps of Engineers the money to get the job done and then tell them to go and do it,” Sargent said.

Another issue is helping the recreational red snapper fishermen.  “We need to turn the management of this fishery over to the five Gulf Coast states, expand the recreational fishing season, and increase the bag limits,” Sargent said, “but all of this will depend on getting accurate data, something the National Marine Fisheries Service seems unable to do.”

Here is what others are saying about Sarge:

“Sarge worked for me for many years at the Department of Commerce in Washington, DC.  During that time I never knew him to walk away from a challenge.  He is laser-focused on improving the things around him.  He has the ability to cut through superfluous details and get to the heart of the matter.  During the time we worked together we had a saying in the office, ‘If you want something done just mention it to Sarge.’  He was our ‘go-to guy,’ that’s just who he is!”
(Jack Floyd, Former Division Director, Bureau of Industry and Security, U.S. Department of Commerce)

“Why is Bill a good choice?  In short, it is about Leadership; it is about Integrity. Bill’s experience is broad. It includes a couple of decades of service in Washington, working in the legislative process. He learned the absolute necessity of fostering working relationships within both the House and Senate in passing legislation. He has operated a small business. Most recently, he successfully took on the challenge of improving the election process in Galveston County and the State of Texas.”
(Mark Mansius, Former Congressional candidate and columnist)

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