The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 95, No. 41, Ed. 1 Sunday, March 8, 2015 Page: 4 of 32
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4A The Baytown Sun
Viewpoints
Sunday
March 8, 2015
guest view Nothing like a good history mystery
DON
MURRAY
Charter review
panel needs you
l am writing this because our city needs your help. Our
city charter is currently being reviewed by a committee of
citizens appointed by city council. The committee needs
suggestions regarding possible charter changes. There
will be two public comment meetings on March 24 at
City Hall. One will be at 3 p.ni. and the other at 7 p.m.
In 1948, the city we now know as Baytown w as formed
by the combination of three then existing smaller towns -
Pelly. Goose Creek and Baytown. Over these sixty-seven
years, our city has evolved in culture; geography, popu-
lation, economies and all the other ways cities across the
country have grown.
Our city charter has not evolved as has our city. As
time has passed, society technology, business practices,
state law and .other changes have taken place. This has
resulted in making many components
of the charter obsolete. Only four times
in the sixty-seven years have changes
been made. These involved only twen-
ty-four of the one hundred forty charter
sections. Each of the tour times, as is
required by the charter, a vote of the cit-
izens was held to approve the changes.
In many ways it is good that it is dif-
ficult to change the charter. However,
there are other reasons why this process
can become a laborious burden. This has resulted in sig-
nificant portions of the charter remaining obsolete and
difficult to operate w ithin. If fact, the city cannot comply
with many pans of the charter without violating newer
and over-riding state laws.
In 2014, the Baytown City Council appointed a group
of seven citizens and charged them with the task of re-
viewing the charter. The members of the committee are:
Gilbert Hinojosa, Cliff Clements. Randy Dickey. Pi-Yi
Mayo. Vivian Hemphill, Donna Winfrey-Varner and me,
Don Murray, Since early 2014, the committee has met
monthly to define the issues and prioritize their impor-
tance, After many more meetings, their findings will be
presented to the City Council on May 28. The council will
then determine what charter changes will be put on the
ballot for citizen consideration on Nov. 3.
Citizen input is a critical resource the committee needs.
We need comments on any and all subjects related to the
charter. In particular we want comments on several key
items. They are: 1) Should the mayor and council mem-
bers be paid? If so, how much? They are currently not
paid. 2) Should the city charter be changed to remove ar-
eas that are obsolete or inconsistent with state law?, 3)
Should voters in city elections be required to be regis-
tered voters in the city of Baytown? 4) Should the city
charter be changed to make it easier for the citizens to
understand? Make the language simpler rather than so le-
galistic? 5) Should there be term limits on the mayor and
council members?
The committee w ill conduct two public comment meet-
ings on Tuesday. March 24. One will be at 3 p.m. and one
at 7 p.m. in the City Council Chambers in City Hall, 2401
Market St. There will be opportunities for citizen input
in both oral and written communications. (In addition,
the city website, www.baytown.org has a Charter Review
Committee page that allows the public to submit their
comments via an online form. The committee can also
receive public comments via email at charter review®
bay town.oral
The city staff is the other major resource to the com-
mittee. Their knowledge is invaluable. We thank them for
their hard work and their willingness to w ork into the eve-
nings to assist the committee.
Further background on the issue is in order. The city
charter is to Baytown much like what the Texas Consti-
tution is to the state of Texas and the U.S. Constitution
is to the United States. The charter is not a group of city
laws. It is a framework which the City Council and the
city administration must work within while governing
and managing of the city. Changes to the city charter must
be approved by the citizens as does the State Constitution.
T here are, however, several major di(Terences between
. the city charter and the Texas Constitution. The most
important of these is that the state legislature frequently
changes the state law s. 1 hese state laws take precedence
over the city charter. 1 his has lead to numerous portions
of our sixty-seven-year-old charter to be outdated. In
numerous, cases the charter is in direct violation of the
newer state laws In these cases, the charter components
become.use less and are not complied with and must give
preference to the state law. The only way this conflict
can be corrected is for the city to change the charter to
be consistent with state law or to make the charter more
generic so that changes in state law will not cause con-
flicts. Another issue is that the state law restricts chang-
ing city charters to no more frequently than every two
years. Overall this combination of restrictions has made
the Baytown (harter a document that is not what we-can
be proud of.
With this background, 1 hope the readers will take steps'
in helping the committee. 1 encourage citizens to attend
one of the meetings (or provide suggestions via the above
mentioned electronic media procedures.)
D. C. (Don) Murray is the chairperson oj the Baytown
2015 City (harter Review Committee and former
Baytown City Council member
Brad Meltzer’s History Channel
show, called “Lost History,” last
week touched on topics such as lost
camera footage of the D-Day in-
vasion. President Kennedy’s brain
from the autopsy and missing “w”
keys from White House computer
keyboards. The “w” keys disap-
peared shortly after the inauguration
of W (President George W. Bush).
Meltzer also drew attention to
Hitler's personal photo album once
owned by a World War 11 veteran.
Where is the album now?
Perhaps Meltzer should come to
Texas to investigate mere missing
items of historical value.
For example: Whatever happened
to the Independence Flag waved by
Capt. William Scott’s Lynchburg
Volunteers in the Texas Revolution?
This military unit, organized and
trained in Baytown by Scott on the
shores of Scott Bay, took the battle
flag to the Siege at Bexar in Decem-
ber 1835. Some historians specu-
late that the flag waved lastly at the
Alamo, while others say they don't
know where in the world it went.
The Baytown Historical Museum
Owns a replica of the flag, and it is
a thing of beauty . Made of blue silk,
it shows a white star and the word
"Independence.” Charles Zanco. a
painter from Denmark and a mem-
ber of the Lynchburg Volunteers, de-
WAN DA
ORTON
signed and painted
the flag while fel-
low soldier James
McGahey made
the staff. Mrs.
Nathaniel Lynch,
wife of the found-
er of Lynchburg,
sewed a piece of
domestic material
to the silk to pro-
tect its edge from fraying. Scott do-
nated the four yards of silk.
Although generally known as the
Independence Flag, it also has been
called the Scott Flag and the Lone
Star Flag. By whatever name, it's
long gone. It never waved o'er the
battlefield of San Jacinto.
Zanco was one of the soldiers
who remained in San' Antonio af-
ter the Siege at Bexar. Promoted to
lieutenant, he served as an assistant
to the garrison's ordnance chief. He
entered the Alamo on Feb. 23, 1836,
and was killed on the last day of bat-
tle, March 6. He was the only Alamo
martyr from Denmark.
Did Zanco have the flag with him
when he died? Another question: Is
his name Zanco or Lanco?
it’s spelled both ways in various
articles, but the Z name appears to
be more prevalent.
More famous than the missing
Independence Flag is the disappear-
ance of the Twin Sisters, the cannons
donated to Texas by the citizens of
Cincinnati. After a splendid perfor-
mance at the battle of San Jacinto,
the cannons were shown oft' at var-
ious special events and eventually,
with the advent of Texas statehood,
landed in a federal arsenal in Loui-
siana. Had it not been for concerned
Texans, the Twin Sisters would have
joined a scrap metal pile.
To the rescue!
Texans brought the treasured
six-pounders back to Texas.
Along came the Civil War, and the
Twin Sisters went into action, firing
away at the Yankees in the blockade
of Galveston.
After the Civil War, some believe
the Twin Sisters were buried in Har-
risburg.
Why bury them? Why not keep
show ing them off at events or, even
better, in a permanent museum spot?
Another question: WhatY the cor-
rect plural cannon or cannons?
1 looked it up and read that either
way is correct, with or without the
plural s.
Well, at least we solved that mys-
tery.
Wanda Orton is a retired manag-
ing editor of The Sun. She can be
reached at viewpoints@baytownsun:
com. Attention: Wanda Orton.
Dressing up for the homeless fund-raiser
Many people - mostly family -
compare me favorably with famed
fashion designer Giorgio Armani. I
agree.
It's a given that the press box
crowd at Stallworth Stadium would
strenuously disagree. But what do
they know?
; It came to pass last week that. I
needed Giorgio’s help. (Because of
my status as a leading columnist/
fashionplate. I’m allowed to call him
Giorgio.)
Wife Margie and 1 were to attend
the fantastic Mane Event, which ben-
efits Bay Area Homeless Services
(BAITS). I needed to look my best.
(Wife Margie needs no help in that
area.)
We would be wining and din-
ing with the creme de la creme of
Baytown, which puts River Oaks to
shame.
Appearance-wise, the pressure wqs
intense since 1 was also to be a roast-
er at this important event (I’m told
I replaced Brian Williams). Philan-
thropist Jay Eshbach would be our
target,
Sharon Rogers and Sheri White
would also be honored.
So, no question 1 needed to dress
suavely. But I have this slight prob-
lem.
I have this rather obtrusive apri-
cot-like bulge on my neck. It became
a permanent fixture almost five years
ago when doctors cut a hole in my
head and removed a squamous cell
carcinoma thingy.
They covered the hole with a big
chunk of my personal thigh, which
now resembles the aforementioned
apricot.
JIM
FINLEY
Thusly, I look a
little out of balance
(fruity?). More im-
portantly, 1 can’t
wear a tie.
So what to do?
Competition for
Best Dressed Dude
among my. coun-
terparts would be:
fierce.
Obviously. I
can't name them all. But in the huge
crowd were such hunks as Goose
Creek CISD Supt. Randy O'Brien,
Lee College President Dennis
Brown, and BAHS Executive Direc-
tor Bill Eckert.
I chose a lavish gray suit and a
marvelous dark green shirt.
Since 1 couldn’t wear a tie, 1 decid-
ed instead to get one of those pocket
hankies. Green, of course.
1 figured Mayor Stephen Don-
Carlos, the master of ceremonies,
wouldn’t be wearing a pocket hankie.
I was- correct.
The mayor did an excellent job. He
was far better and funnier than the
stunningly unfunny and gross Neil
Patrick Harris was when he hosted
the recent Oscars. I've seen toenail
fungus funnier than Harris. ’
My problem was where to find the
pocket hankie.
I began at Landi’s Apparel. They
didn’t have green.
1 was also worried about Pete Al-
faro, current Lee College regent and
former mayor, who I suspect is also
Batman in his spare time. 1 knew he
would be dressed nicely since wife
Lupe chooses his wardrobe.
Stylish Pete, who chaired the Mane
Event Fundraising Committee, is
BAHS hoard president.
Meanwhile, I also looked for my
.hankie at Macv’s, Penney's, and
Kohl's, but couldn’t find what 1 need-
ed. 1 was forlorned.
Adding to my woes, I knew those
at our table - Jay and Kay Esh-
bach, Jack and Jana Hall, and Tony
and Caroline Polumbo -- would be
dressed to the nines. Jack and Tony
were also roasters.
Then, thankfully, I finally found
my hankie. What a blessing!
At a pre-dinner reception, 1 felt
even more fortunate that my Hankie
Search was successful because 1 ran
into Lee College Regent Ronn Had-
dox and he was simply divine in a
breathtaking shirt-tie selection.
Moreover, Deacon John Singer,
who delivered the invocation, looked
'stunning as well. Amen!
In the end, it was a spectacular
night for a great cause and netted ap-
proximately $60,000. The silent and
live auctions alone raised more than
$27,000 - $7,700 of which was for
five pies baked by famous pie-maker
Helen Smith.
Apparently, Baytown folks not
only have a generous heart, but also a
large sweet tooth.
By the way, if you’re wondering
where I finally found my hankie, it
was at - are you ready? - Boot Barn.
I paid $2.60 for it. \
Giorgio might want to add Boot
Bam to his list of fashion houses.
Jim Finley is a retired managing
editor of The Sun. He can be reached
at viewpoints@baytownsim.coin, At-
tention: Jim Finley.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On March 8, 1965, the United States
landed its first combat troops in South Viet-
nam as 3,500 Marines arrived to defend the
U.S. air base at Da Nang.
On this date:
In 1862, during the Civil War, the iron-
TODAY IN HISTORY
clad CSS Virginia rammed and sank the
USS Cumberland and heavily damaged the
USS Congress, both frigates, off Virginia.
In 1944, two days after an initial strike,
U.S. heavy,bombers resumed raiding Ber-
lin during World War II.
In 1971, Joe Frazier defeated Muham-
mad Ali by decision in what was billed
as “The Fight of the Century” at Madison
Square Garden in New York.
In 1983, in a speech to the National As-
sociation of Evangelicals convention, Pres-
ident Ronald Reagan referred to the Soviet
Union as an “evil empire.”
Thought for Today: “There are things
known and there are things unknown, and
in between are the doors of perception.”
— Aldous Huxley
English author (1894-1963)'
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Bloom, David. The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 95, No. 41, Ed. 1 Sunday, March 8, 2015, newspaper, March 8, 2015; Baytown, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1066678/m1/4/: accessed August 15, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Sterling Municipal Library.