Fort Bend County Commissioners, Meyers and Morales, to consider measure to strip County Attorney, Bridgette Smith-Lawson of staff, funding, and resources

Op-Ed By: Sharwin Boney

Commissioners Andy Meyers and Vincent Morales, along with unelected Interim County Judge Daniel Wong, are considering a proposal to use YOUR tax dollars to create a separate legal division, one that could potentially strip the elected County Attorney’s Office of staff, funding, and resources.

Let’s be clear: using taxpayer dollars to create a separate legal operation to perform work entrusted by voters to the County Attorney’s Office is shameful.

Elections matter. Votes matter. The will of the people matters.

Bridgette Smith-Lawson was elected by the voters of Fort Bend County to serve as County Attorney. Whether you agree with her or not, the voters made their decision at the ballot box.

If this proposal is approved, it sends a disturbing message: when voters elect someone certain county leaders do not want, they can simply take away the resources and authority necessary for that person to do the job.

That is bigger than one elected official.
That is bigger than one political party.
That is about whether your vote actually means something after Election Day.

We should not allow taxpayer dollars to be used to circumvent the will of the voters.

We need elected officials and judges who respect the will of the voters, uphold the law, and understand that public office is not a weapon to be used against political opponents or those with whom we disagree.

If we allow elected offices to be weakened or stripped of their resources simply because those in power disagree with the person elected to lead them, we are setting a dangerous precedent.

And dangerous precedents have a way of spreading far beyond Fort Bend County.

You voted. You chose. You matter.

And this is another moment for us to STAND UP.