Conversation with Stafford City Council Member Ken Mathew
By Praveena Lakhsmanan
Last updated: June 12, 2009

HOUSTON: Ken Mathew- the soft spoken, dynamic, Indian- American Council Member at the Stafford City Council has been committed to serving and helping the community in many different ways for years now.

Mathew was re-elected to the Stafford City Council in 2008. Give him an outlet; with the mood of optimism and self-confidence, Mathew is primed to spin yarns about all sorts of topics: growing up, his passion for community service, family, about Stafford and goals for the city and much more. In an interview with Indo American News, Mathew discusses all this and more.

Mathew, has been a Stafford resident for the past 26-27 years. He has held several posts at the grassroots level and has a passion for public service. He arrived in the United States 32 years ago and lived in Detroit for eight years. He earned an MBA from the University of Detroit, and a bachelor of commerce from the University of Bombay. He lives with his wife Leelamma and daughters Marina and Susan, both pursuing medical studies.

Excerpts from the interview :
What do you have to say about the city of Stafford?How does it stand apart from other U.S. cities?

The city of Stafford is very different and special. In 1820 Stephen F. Austin accepted the Spanish offer to settle in “Spanish Texas”. William J. Stafford was one of Austin’s “Old 300” families who made the migration west. William J Stafford chose to settle here, what is now known as the City of Stafford. Sugarcane became the cash crop of the area replacing the cotton. The area subsequently grew from a sugarcane plantation to a major industrial, retail center.

With the vision of establishing a public school with a private school education the city proceeded to secede from Fort Bend ISD. Finally in 1981 the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans allowed the city to establish the only Municipal School district in Texas.

Stafford takes pride in having the only Municipal School District providing private education in a public school. It is the only major city in Texas to have no property tax. The city is nationally acclaimed for its visionary leadership and prudent fiscal management, even without the income from property tax the credit rating of AA is an envy of many entities. The city does not take money from its people rather it puts their money back into their pockets. In addition, a couple of months ago the city has been awarded the best city to retire and last year it was rated by Fortune Magazine as the 36th best city (among some 40,000 cities) to live and start a new business.

What are the plans for thr city?

With the partnership of Tex Dot, Fort Bend County and Stafford Economic Development Council (SEDC) the combined entities have already spent over $100 million to improve and expand the Hwy 90. In addition to that the city has earmarked about $3 million for beautification. The city would like to see the undesirable businesses, unless they comply with the new ordinances, to leave. Although the crime rates are lower than the neighboring cities the city would strive further to reduce that rate. The city is very proud of its diversity and in order to preserve that the Fort Bend Ethnic Festival was sponsored by the city since its beginning 2 years ago.

Are there any pl ans for expansion of the city?

Stafford has become a land -starved city. Because of no-property tax businesses want to move here, but there is practically no land available. We are thinking of annexing the ETJs.

What is your message to the community?

Our greatest asset is our children. Continue the way we rear our children - providing education with spiritual values rooted in the teachings of our revered sages. Their excellence in school brings acceptance from the locals. Assimilate without loosing the values of the 9000 year- old culture. Value the power of suffrage. Make a difference by exercising this power all the time not only when Indian Americans are in the fray. Make sure to talk to immediate neighbors - at least one on the left and the one on the right.

How did your interest in community service /development develop?

I got it from my father. He is a known and respected community person even today although in frail health. I started at the young age of 20, as the General Secretary of the Andheri- Jogeshwari branch of the Youth Congress of Bombay Pradesh Congress. I was the first Keralite to hold the position. There has been no looking back since then.

The conviction for a clean community devoid of corruption and self- enrichment gave me the energy to go for public service and has been the motivating factor till date. Before me I always see Swami Vivekananda, Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Teresa. I also see a rare politician, the current Indian Defense Minister A.K. Antony, a living example of what a public servant ought to be.

What are your interests and hobbies?

What do you do in your spare time? I like reading. I want to know the teachings of Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism and Islam. My belief is that there is a common thread between all the religions. That common thread is the Love. My wife is one of the reasons I can spare time away from the family. She does practically everything at home and also works full time. There is no spare time now and I would love to have some. Now in my spare time I like to be in touch with my constituents.

What is the one experience/ chall enge you faced, that you would like to share with the community?

Job discrimination that I faced in this country in the 80s is the one that comes to my mind. After completing my MBA I moved to Houston and I got a job that was not commensurate with my managerial qualifications. I needed a job and I accepted it. I proved my ability at the job.

It took 3 changes at the departmental heads to give me the position, even though I was the most qualified and experienced. During that time I did not become disruptive but worked towards winning over the management with ability and attitude. I followed the principle of Mahatma Gandhi “I will suffer your discrimination but I will not give up my goal. I will always keep the positive attitude.” It was a slow process to overcome such a challenge, but things eventually worked out. This was solely due to the positive attitude and the support and encouragement of near and dear ones.