Bishop L. J. Guillory, Ombudsman General Meeting With Hon. Mayor John Monaco, President -Elect of The Texas Municipal League

Bishop L. J. Guillory, Ombudsman General Meeting With Hon. Mayor John Monaco, President -Elect of The Texas Municipal League

TML President-Elect
John Monaco
Mayor
City of Mesquite, Texas

About Texas Municipal League

The Texas Municipal League exists solely to provide services to Texas cities. Since its formation in 1913, the League’s mission has remained the same: to serve the needs and advocate the interests of its members. Membership in the League is voluntary and is open to any city in Texas. From the original 14 members, TML’s membership has grown to 1,116 cities.

Over 18,000 mayors, city council members, city managers, city attorneys, and city department heads are member officials of the League by virtue of their cities participation. In addition, the League has over 400 Associate Members from private sector companies, organizations, and individuals striving to provide quality services and products to municipal governments in Texas.

History and General Information on the Texas Municipal League

In the summer of 1913, Austin Mayor A.P. Wooldridge issued a call to the cities of Texas to come to Austin to consider the creation of an association to allow officials to confer on municipal issues. He invited representatives of all Texas cities to a convention in Austin on November 4, 1913.

Thirteen cities answered his call-Coolidge, Cuero, Dallas, Denton, Greenville, Houston, Marshall, Mart, New Braunfels, Paris, San Marcos, Wichita Falls, and Yoakum.

At that First Annual Convention of the League of Texas Municipalities, Mayor Wooldridge said, “I know this, that you all need the League as badly as I need it. I am right here at the capitol, and yet I need to touch elbows with my neighbors all over the State, and your lot and condition is no better than mine. These, in very brief words, are the purposes of this meeting.”

At that meeting, representatives approved a modest annual membership fee for member cities ($5 for cities under 5,000 in population and $10 for cities over 5,000 in population) to fund the League, and adopted a constitution to govern the association.

The idea of a municipal league caught on, and during the next 35 years, the League grew rapidly. In the early years, the League's services were few: publishing a magazine, conducting an annual conference, and responding to miscellaneous requests for assistance.

After World War II, Texas evolved into an urban state, and the needs of Texas cities grew. As a result of this evolution, the League prepared to expand its services and staff. The 1958 annual conference produced a new name and a new constitution and organization with a strong legislative program. The name of the association was changed from the League of Texas Municipalities to the Texas Municipal League. The new constitution set up a departmental and regional form of representation on the TML Board by establishing departments of affiliated members and sub-state regions.

The convention of 1958 was a pivotal event for the Texas Municipal League. The organization, which had survived on a minimal staff, was about to undergo a great growth process. Staffing was increased, dues were raised, and the new TML took on a programmatic approach to service. This period of growth and refinement of services has been ongoing and continues today.

During the 1970's, TML member cities called upon the League to establish insurance pools specifically designed to meet municipal needs. In 1974, the League established the TML Workers’ Compensation Joint Insurance Fund. A statewide group life and health insurance program was established in 1979, and in 1982 a liability and property insurance fund was established. From the beginning, those insurance funds, today known as risk pools, have been governed by boards of directors separate from the TML Board.

In 1988, the Texas Municipal League reorganized its service delivery system, resulting in three separate entities: TML itself and two risk pools. A close administrative relationship still exists among all three entities.

The League exists solely to provide services to Texas cities. Since the first day of its existence, the League’s mission has remained the same: to serve the needs and advocate the interests of cities and city officials. Indeed, the TML Constitution states that the purpose of the League is "to render services which individual cities have  neither time, money nor strength to do alone." In practice, that mission translates into the following services:

1.         To represent the interests of member cities before legislative, administrative, and judicial bodies at the state and federal levels.

2.         To sponsor and conduct an annual conference and other conferences, seminars, meetings, and workshops for the purpose of studying municipal issues and exchanging information regarding municipal government.

3.         To provide administrative services to the Texas Municipal League risk pools so that quality coverages at reasonable and competitive prices can be made available to member cities and their employees.

4.         To publish and circulate an official magazine and other publications, reports, and newsletters of interest to member cities.

5.         To serve as a repository of literature, analyses, research, and data related to municipal operations and make that information available to member cities.

6.         To alert member cities of important governmental or private sector actions or proposed actions which may affect municipal operations.

7.         To promote the interests of League affiliates (departments) and regions by providing organizational and technical assistance as directed by the Board and consistent with financial resources.

8.         To promote constructive and cooperative relationships among cities and between the League and other levels of government, councils of governments, the National League of Cities, educational institutions, and the private sector.

9.         To provide for and conduct training in relevant and timely topics related to municipal government

10.      To provide in a timely manner any additional services or information which individual members may request, consistent with the member cities' common interests and the League's resources.

Today, more than 1,115 Texas cities are members of the Texas Municipal League. The League is governed by a Board of Directors made up of:

·         president and president-elect;

·         regional directors, one from each of the League's sub-state regions;

·         affiliate directors, one from each of the League's 21 affiliates;

·         eight at-large directors, one from each of the state's eight largest cities;

·         all past presidents still in municipal office; and

·         two ex officio directors, one from each risk pool.

·          

The League’s Executive Committee, which is empowered to take any actions which may be in between meetings of the full TML Board, includes the president, the president-elect, the past presidents, two other Board members appointed by the president and the Executive Director.

The Board appoints an Executive Director to manage the affairs of the League under the Board's general direction. Today, the League employs a staff of 35 and is organized into five departments: Membership Services, Administrative Services, Legal Services, Legislative Services, and Program Development.

The Bishop L. J. Guillory, is seen here enjoying a minute with Meagan Good

The Bishop L. J. Guillory, is seen here enjoying a minute with Meagan Good from Eve's Bayou. As Good was so young when she began to pursue acting, her parents had some doubt as to whether or not this career represented her future.

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In 1997, Good got the part of Cisely Batiste, the rebellious daughter of Samuel L. Jackson's character in Eve's Bayou. The critically-acclaimed film became Good's coming-out party as the 16-year-old dominated the screen.

As critics sung her praises, Good was finally convinced that acting was in her blood. She completed her high school studies -- she had been home schooled due to her frequent acting commitments -- and moved on to the TV series Cousin Skeeter and The Jersey.

As Good matured into a beautiful young adult, her roles began to change significantly, as she was able to take on more mature (and sexier) characters. These types of roles began with the film The Secret Life of Girls in 1999. One year later, Good injected some sensuality into the little-known comedy 3 Strikes, and then signed a two-year deal to star opposite Bob Saget in the sitcom Raising Dad.
Meagan Good in a 50 cent music video

In 2003, Good's career really took off thanks to significant appearances in the films Biker Boyz, Deliver Us from Eva (co-starring Gabrielle Union and LL Cool J) and Ride or Die, in which she shared the screen with Vivica A. Fox. That same year, Good provided the eye candy in 50 Cent's video for "21 Questions." She was subsequently featured on the cover of King magazine and appeared in five episodes of My Wife and Kids.

2004 saw Meagan fulfill our fantasies in the film D.E.B.S., in which she dressed in a sexy schoolgirl outfit and played the leader of a group of all-female crime fighters. Good's next two projects that year, The Cookout and You Got Served, helped establish her as a bankable supporting actress.
Her continued productivity -- catch her in Brick, the horror flick Venom, Roll Bounce, and Crenshaw Blvd. in 2005 -- and overwhelming hotness leave little doubt that her presence in Hollywood will not be short-lived. Furthermore, the movies she has on tap, including 2006's Waist Deep, will explore the depth of her acting ability.

BISHOP L. J. GUILLORY SPEAKS OUT ABOUT SAGGING AND DISAGREE THAT FINES ARE THE ANSWER TO TEACH RESPECT TO OUR NATIONS YOUTH

BISHOP L.J. GUILLORY SPEAKS OUT ABOUT SAGGING TO A FULL ROOM OF MEN AND YOUNG MEN WHO HAD A LOT TO SAY!

Tuesday in Longview, a Christian's men's group came together to discuss...fashion.

The Longview Community Men's Group met at the Longview Public Library to discuss this one trend that does not seem to fade. 

Some cities have put an end to sagging by passing an indecency ordinance. Now, wearing your pants below the waistline can carry a hefty fine or a jail sentence. 

This controversial issue has raised concerns amongst the Longview Men's Community Group who tell us sagging is much more than a fad.

"You have the young men who might not understand where it comes from, what it stands for, and how it looks," member James Taylor explained. 

Pastor Taylor said sagging originated in prison, and like the other members in the group, he agrees that it sends out a negative message.

"It is a cross-cultural issue that needs to be addressed, hopefully stopped or at least slowed down," member Branden Johnson told us. 

Everyone agreed that sagging was a problem, but the next question was how to approach such a controversial issue.

"Some people will make their decision to move further with maybe getting an ordinance passed. Also, we have people who want to be active and go out into the streets when they see someone and effectively communicate with a young person, so that they're able to understand what it means to actually means to look and present yourself in a decent and orderly way," Johnson explained.

The overall consensus was to lead by example, something this group thinks should happen before moving forward with an ordinance.

We want to know what you think. Should an ordinance be passed to prevent sagging, or do you think the idea is unconstitutional; ridiculous even?

OPRAH AND BISHOP L. J. GUILLORY AND THE 2012 ELECTIONS

WILL OPRAH AND OTHERS WHO MADE THE 2008 ELECTIONS A SUCCESS MAKE THE SAME OUTCOME IN THE 2012 

In the 2008 presidential election, Oprah Winfrey publicly endorsed a political candidate for the first time, hosting a fundraiser for Senator Barack Obama and appearing with him at campaign events. It is widely believed that her support was crucial to his winning the Democratic nomination -- and the Presidency itself. In that election year, she also announced plans for a new broadcasting venture with the Discovery Health Channel, to be renamed Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). In a 2010 interview on the Larry King program at the end of that year, she announced her decision to end her run on The Oprah Winfrey Show. The final broadcast took place on May 25, 2011, after 24 seasons and over 5,000 broadcasts. The end of the syndicated program was not the end of Oprah Winfrey's broadcasting career.

She now hosts a nightly program, Oprah's Lifeclass, on the Oprah Winfrey Network. Oprah Winfrey makes her principal home on a 42-acre ocean-view estate in Montecito, California, just south of Santa Barbara, but also owns homes in another six states and the island of Antigua. The business press measures her wealth in numerous superlatives: the highest-paid performer on television, the richest self-made woman in America, and the richest African-American of the 20th century. More difficult to calculate is her profound influence over the way people around the world read, eat, exercise, feel and think about themselves and the world around them. She appears on every list of the world's leading opinion-makers, and has been rightly called "the most powerful woman in the world." Her wide-ranging philanthropic efforts were recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2011 with a special Oscar statuette, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.

 — with Oprah Winfrey.

BISHOP L. J. GUILLORY, OMBUDSMAN GENERAL TAKES TIME TO THANK MAGIC JOHNSON

Bishop L.J. Guillory, Ombudsman General takes time to thank Magic Johnson for his hard work to help inter-city young people on the most paramount lessons of his life.
Earvin Johnson was even more than a revolutionary player, who, at 6-9, was the tallest point guard in league history. His sublime talent elicited wonder and admiration from even the most casual basketball fan.

Johnson accomplished virtually everything a player could dream of during his 13-year NBA career, all of which was spent with the Los Angeles Lakers. He was a member of five championship teams. He won the Most Valuable Player Award and the Finals MVP Award three times each. He was a 12-time All-Star and a nine-time member of the All-NBA First Team. He surpassed Robertson's career assists record, a mark he later relinquished to John Stockton. He won a gold medal with the original Dream Team at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.

Johnson enjoyed all-star success as a businessman. He started paying attention to his money early in his career, after watching fellow teammate Abdul-Jabbar lose millions to crooked business advisers. By 1996 he had a net worth of more than one hundred million dollars. Like other star athletes, Johnson endorsed (appeared in ads giving support for) products and gave speeches for big fees. He led his Magic Johnson All-Stars around the world, playing exhibition games against foreign basketball teams for large profits. He also briefly hosted a television talk show.

One of Johnson's major investments was in large-scale property development. Among his successes were movie theaters and shopping centers in inner-city areas where no one else wanted to invest. In June 1995 Johnson opened the twelve-screen Magic Theatres in a mostly black section of Los Angeles. In 1997 Johnson opened another movie complex in Atlanta, Georgia. Magic movie houses were under construction in other cities, including Brooklyn, New York, where the historic Loews Kings Theater was restored at a cost of $30 million.