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OUTGOING: Former police commander back in Sunnyvale after serving in Austin
Republicans can debate "What if?" all day when it comes to the last election in State House District 101.
What if Sen. Barack Obama had not been running for president and swept in straight-ticket voting Democrats across the ballot?
What if former Mesquite Mayor Mike Anderson had lost the Republican primary to incumbent Thomas Latham?
What if the race had been Latham vs. Democrat Robert Miklos?
If Latham had been on the Nov. 4 ballot, would Republicans still hold the House seat?
Latham, the former Garland Police Commander and Sunnyvale Town Council member, will be turning his seat over to Miklos as the 81st Legislature takes office in 2009.
The stories people tell about Latham often have the same theme. Latham helped people. Whether it be a kid from Vietnam who rose up to become a successful businessman to other elected officials, Latham left his service mark.
Verlon R. Bryant had a huge problem when Social Security benefits were suddenly denied. Latham stepped in and found answers.
"His assistance with my precious and profoundly handicapped daughter has enabled us to continue to properly provide for her needs," Bryant said. "Without warning or reason, Social Security benefits stopped and after losing the battle on a federal level, I turned to my State Representative. Within a matter of days, her benefits were reinstated."
Bryant said that Latham did the right thing.
"He voted no to a beer and wine referendum," Bryant said. "He was an advocate for educators, and he felt a commitment to the security of this district. These and many other issues affected my family and my grandchildren. He and his staff have impacted my life and the life of my family in a positive way, and we will miss his leadership."
LATHAM'S LEGACY
Rep. Latham left his mark in a short time on police and fire issues in the state capitol.
He is still being consulted by other state representatives and senators on police, crime and fire issues.
He helped create a training facility near Austin that will teach officers across the state how to perform in high speed chases.
State senators and representatives say they will be in touch with Latham, whose knowledge and ideas about law enforcement will continue working in Austin.
WHAT IF?
Latham's career was shaped on a tragic day in Texas history.
He decided to pursue a career in law enforcement on Aug. 1, 1966, known in history as the day Charles Whitman climbed the University of Texas tower in Austin and opened fire on innocent people below.
Latham once told his uncle: "Someone has to be willing to go up in the tower [and apprehend the sniper]."
SERVING AT HOME
Commander Latham worked for 30 years in the Garland Police Department after starting in 1971.
He "retired" only to begin a new career. He won election to the Sunnyvale Town Council and the Sunnyvale Board of Adjustments, and was re-elected to both in 2005.
In 2002, he was appointed to the Sunnyvale Planning and Zoning Commission. In 2003 he broadened his commitment to public service and joined the Dallas County Sheriff Reserves. He was selected to serve on the North Central Texas Council of Governments' Criminal Justice Policy and Review Committee in 2004.
In 2006, Latham ran as a Republican and won the State House seat to represent District 101. Latham pulled in 76.2 percent of the vote. That percentage was better in 2006 than others at the top of the ticket did in the district. Among Mesquite, Balch Springs and Sunnyvale voters in 2006, Gov. Rick Perry drew 38.9 percent, Congressman Jeb Hensarling 57.6 percent and U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison 60.7 percent. State Senator Bob Deuell won 76.7 percent among area voters and 78.7 overall in his senate district.
As the state representative, Latham was concerned about bigger government and more taxes.
"We must reduce taxes by cutting spending and limiting the size of government," Latham said. "As a Councilmember for the Town of Sunnyvale, that’s exactly what I did. My fiscally conservative approach reduces government waste and keeps Sunnyvale’s budget lean and responsible. As a result, our tax rates remain among the lowest in North Texas.
"In contrast, it seems that some are always talking about higher taxes n especially a state income tax n and more spending," Latham said. "I strongly oppose efforts by liberal politicians to increase the size of government and raise taxes to fund unnecessary and wasteful programs."
HOUSE RECORD
As a member of the Texas House of Representatives, Latham was assigned positions on the Law Enforcement and Urban Affairs committees. He was vice chair for law enforcement, which was chaired by Rep. Joe Driver of Garland.
EFFECTIVE
State Sen. Bob Deuell, Driver and Latham teamed up on bills in the 80th State Legislature.
When Deuell authored and Latham sponsored Senate Bill 123, the bill relating to excepting from required disclosure under the public information law certain personal information maintained by a municipality that pertains to a minor worked its way through and became effective May 17, 2007.
The Latham- sponsored SB 295 relating to the administration of polygraph examinations to certain officers and employees of the Department of Public Safety of the State of Texas also became effective June 15, 2007.
Latham and Driver sponsored SB 740 that related to personnel records of commissioned officers of the Department of Public Safety of the State of Texas. That became effective May 4, 2007.
SB 318, authored by Deuell and sponsored by Latham, related to Medicaid incentive payments for direct nursing care provided by nursing homes. That bill, also sponsored by Driver and three others, made it to the General State Calendar in May 2007.
HIS BILLS
Latham authored 26 bills in the last session. Latham teamed with Sen. Deuell on three that became effective on Sept. 1, 2007:
*** House Bill 1346 relating to continuing education for truancy magistrates in certain counties.
*** HB 2667 relating to certain insurance-related matters involving rural volunteer firefighters, volunteer police force members, or emergency services districts.
*** HB 3613 relating to identification cards issued to peace officers, reserve law enforcement officers, and honorably retired peace officers by a law enforcement agency or other governmental entity.
Latham co-authored seven bills, with these going into effect Sept. 1, 2007:
*** House Bill 649 relating to the fraudulent use of a child's identifying information.
*** HB 1887 relating to the punishment for and prevention of the offense of burglary of vehicles.
*** HB 2151 relating to the prosecution and adjudication of the offense of graffiti and to the payment and use of a juvenile delinquency prevention and graffiti eradication fee.
If a man can be known by the company he keeps, Latham can be known for those he honored on the State House floor. His resolutions ranged from commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Mesquite Championship Rodeo in 2007 to honoring Hazel Edgar Thomas on her 80th birthday and his interns.
His 2007 House session resolutions commended and congratulated the Mesquite Fire Department, including Engine 4 and 91, Engine 6 and 92 Rescue, Keith Hopkins, Billy Petty, Dana Jasper, Homer Phillips and David Baker.
His resolutions also honored principals Shirley Jane Rollins and Andrew Bauer, teachers Judy Heaps and Fran Terry, PTA volunteer Laurie Ball, volunteer Hank Bivins, and the Mesquite Skeeters on reaching the 5A semifinals of the UIL 2007 Boys Basketball State Championships.
FAMILY SERVICE
Old timers remember that Latham served as a mascot for the Mesquite Fire Department as a kid.
"When I was growing up, our community was a place where we could count on our neighbors, often as much as we could count on our own families," Latham said. "Kids could ride their bicycles down the street and folks would call out to say hello or tell them to get home. Adults knew whether kids were where they were supposed to be…or not.
"The Mesquite of my childhood was a place of family and community, where people had respect for each other, and for authority," Latham said. "If you asked a child to draw a picture of something he wanted to be when he grew up, he’d draw a police officer, a fireman, a soldier or an astronaut. Children revered people who served and sacrificed; courageous people with strong moral compasses. Those were my values and my heroes growing up."
The kid who went to school in Mesquite has been serving the area for a long time.
His Army career started in 1968 in Europe, where he served in the NATO/SHAPE Support Group.
Latham volunteered to serve in Vietnam and jumped for the 101st Airborne Division.
His nephew, Nick, received a Bronze Star for Valor from the Army for his service in Iraq.
FAMILY TRADITION
"I am a proud, dedicated pro-family conservative," Latham said.
A retired teacher, his wife Mary serves on the board of directors for the Sunnyvale Education Foundation.
Both husband and wife volunteer for Friends of Texas Public Schools, a non-profit organization that is devoted to improving public schools through positive reinforcement and public recognition of school success stories.
Nine members of his family are involved in public education - in positions ranging from teachers to administrators.
Daughter Leslie Latham-Milder teaches government in public schools in the Dallas area. She and husband Scott have three children: Thomas, Grace and Mandy.
"To compete in the global marketplace for good jobs and smart citizens, we need to better finance education n not the band-aid approach promoted down in Austin," Latham said. "That means listening to the people on the front lines n- teachers and local administrators, parents and students n and working with people on both sides of the aisle to develop reasonable, practical solutions to fairly support and improve our schools. To succeed, we need people with the courage and leadership to listen and act. The first step is to reduce the state’s reliance on local property taxes, giving tax relief to Texas homeowners."
Latham said what's important for education is maintaining local control of schools, cutting paperwork on teachers, ensuring more state resources end up in local classrooms and rewarding innovation and excellence in schools.
Immigration remains one of the biggest problems faced by residents in Dallas County and across the state, Latham said.
"The politicians in Washington have not done their job of protecting Texas' borders, so it's our responsibility to take charge and protect our families," he said. "Currently, illegal immigrants are overwhelming our public schools, hospitals and social services costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. Whether it is with troops on the border or prison time for illegals, we need to do whatever it takes to protect our borders. And, we need to develop a more efficient manner of managing LEGAL immigration, to best help those who come here legally to contribute to our society, help our business community, pay taxes and assimilate into our culture. Since Washington has failed, Texas needs to get tough on ILLEGAL immigration. It's a matter of personal, state and national security."
Photos courtesy of Thomas Latham.
