IAPAC Reception for Mealer, GOP Candidate for Harris County Judge

HOUSTON: On September 30, 2022, the Indian American Political Action Committee (IAPAC) of Greater Houston hosted Alexandra Mealer, candidate for Harris County Judge at the India House.

Randhir Sahni, co-chair of the event, opened the evening with remarks about the history of IAPAC and introduced the key speaker, former Judge Ed Emmett. Emmett a very well- respected former Harris County Judge is also a good friend of the Indian American community.

Emmett described Mealer’s qualification for the candidacy for the top job in Harris County, focusing in on her formal education at Harvard and her military experience thus her ability to handle crisis. He went on to add that he was glad Mealer was not running against him for the same position. Emmett brought his experience to bear and stressed that the County Judge position should focus on local services and issues within the Judge’s jurisdiction.

Mealer spoke candidly about the restructuring that has taken place within the County and pointed out that taxpayers are footing the bill more and receiving less in return in the past 4 years. She pointed her priorities, promised to prioritize public safety by fixing the anemic funding of the criminal justice system and to “protect the most vulnerable.” She spoke passionately about the high crime rate in Harris County, stating, “violent repeat offenders, in possession of firearms, are being let out on minimal value bond. She further added that current law in place prevent criminals from getting back on the street, are not being enforced. When in office, she intends to bring about needed change.

Following her speech, Mealer. answered questions from the audience. When asked about how she would work through the challenges that Commissioners Court is facing today, Mealer showed her knowledge of the history of Court workings and how previous Commissioners Courts rarely cast along party-line. She

used the example of members of the Court like Ed Emmett and El Franco Lee who upheld the tradition of making decisions that were reasonable and in the interest of the public and said she would work to mirror that tradition.

She recognized Sartaj Bal, an Indian American candidate for Harris County Criminal Court Law #9, who is running on the premises of reinstating tougher punishments for repeat offenders.

State Senator Paul Bettencourt spoke next showing his support for Mealer. Bettencourt engaged the audience with his energy and brought the focus back to safety in Harris County.

Deepak Agarwal, co-chair of the event, thanked Judge Ed Emmett, Senator Paul Bettencourt, Alexandra Mealer and the IAPAC volunteers who worked tirelessly to make this a successful event.