Datta-Barua Seeks Vacant Humble ISD Board Position 6
Datta-Barua (in sunshades) next to his wife and with his supporters at the IHOP in Kingwood.
By Jawahar Malhotra
HUMBLE: After his failed attempt to fill the open Position 5 on the Humble ISD Board in the May 6 election, Dr. Lohit Datta-Barua was disheartened by the experience, even though he came in second in the seven-person race. Barua had received 1,186 ballots or 23.63% of the vote to the winner Martina Dixon’s 2,368 or 47.18% of the total 5,019 ballots cast.
“I made new friends, … but I also got a taste of the ugly side of politics,” said Barua shortly after the election. During the campaign, the dark-skinned and obviously Indian looking retired engineer complained about being called names, a baby killer and a Muslim. “It became a highly partisan race and the Harris County Republican Party even had a robocall stating that I was funded by out of state liberals.” Barua continued. “The fact is what little funds I had raised were strictly from my relatives and close friends.”
Dr. Lohit Datta-Barua speaks to his supporters at a breakfast meeting last Saturday, July 22 in Kingwood.
For the past 35 years, the Datta-Barua and wife Manju have made their home in the Kingwood/Atascocita area where their two daughters Seebany and Indrany grew up and went to school. The Datta-Baruas worked in Houston – she at Reliant Energy and he in private E&C companies with projects all around the globe. They experienced first-hand the discrepancies in the Humble ISD where they lived and the differences between the schools in the district that encompasses Kingwood, Humble, Atascocita, Summerwood, Fallcreek and neighboring areas with an enrollment of over 40,000 students. Having volunteered at area schools for years and now with more time on his hands after retiring, Lohit decided to toss his hat into the ring and run for the vacant Position 5 on the HumbleISD Board.
This past Saturday, July 22, Barua met with some of his loyal supporters at an IHOP in Kingwood and thanked them all for their support. It was then that he announced that another HumbleISD Board Trustee Heath Rushing had resigned and Position 6 would now be filled by an appointment by the Board. His supporters urged Barua to submit his application for consideration, and he did so just this week. The Board will interview all the candidates on August 1 and then make their selection.
The Humble ISD has a demographic mix that is typical of Harris County with Asians making the third largest ethnic group at 7.2%. However, the current Humble ISD Board does not adequately represent the diverse population of the area with no Asian among its members. Indo American News has reached out to the Humble ISD Board and the District Superintendent and urged them to appoint Datta-Barua and rectify this shortcoming. At press time, we heard back from Angela Conrad, the Board President, that Datta-Barua would be considered for this opportunity.