There is a little white house on Pennsylvania Avenue where David Wallace, past
mayor of Sugar Land, would like to serve his nation and fulfill his ultimate
goal. With his experience and the momentum he is generating, most agree it is
definitely a possibility.
Wallace mentioned he has always been a stringent goal setter. One of those goals
is to be sitting in the oval office after the 2024 presidential elections.
However, there are a number of political offices along the way he is looking at
filling, with the mayor of Houston
’s chair as the first stop.
“Right now, I’m considering and exploring the first steps toward a run for Houston’s mayor,” Wallace said.
A number of influential community leaders have continued to approached him to
consider the office. However, if he decides to move forward with running for
Houston
’s mayor, he won’t toss his hat into the ring for another couple of years.
The very first step for Wallace and his family though would be to put their name
on a Houston mailbox.
“My wife and I have not taken steps to leave Sugar Land and move to Houston, even
though discussions with many Houstonians are continuing, so we
’ll have to see how things develop,” Wallace says.
The Momentum is Growing
Joanne Herring, Houston socialite turned fund-raiser, and as portrayed by Julia
Roberts in the film
Charlie Wilson’s War, is one of Wallace’s dedicated supporters, and continues to sing his praises after witnessing his
successes as mayor of Sugar Land.
“We need someone like David Wallace in Houston. Look what he did for Sugar Land
when he was mayor. David pulled in Minute Maid
’s corporate office and all Houston got was a (baseball) park. Look what all
Houston has to brag about. We have education, arts and culture, and so much
more. But somehow David locked them into Sugar Land; now that gives many people
something to think about,
” says Herring.
Herring added, Houston needs someone who understands business and running a
city, Wallace has that.
According to Sugar Land Mayor James A. Thompson, when Wallace sat in the city’s top chair, he was active in all levels of government to ensure the city
received the resources to be successful. He worked with business leaders to
ensure that Sugar Land
’s economy led the region and many global corporations moved to the city.
Some of those highly publicized companies are Minute Maid’s corporate headquarters, Sunoco Logistics, Industrial Information Recourses,
Thermo Fisher Scientific, Bechtel Equipment Operation, Advanced Polybag and
many others.
National Attention
Wallace also brought national attention to the once small, bedroom community of
Houston.
“During his tenure, Sugar Land received numerous awards, such as being named
third in
“Best Places to Live” in America by MONEY Magazine and CNN/Money, America’s Fifth Safest City by CQ Press, one of the 100 Best Communities for Young
People for three consecutive years and the nation
’s first Community of Respect by the Anti-Defamation League,” says Thompson.
Wallace Has the Experience
Wallace’s resume, at a youthful 48, is longer than most politicians who have spent three
times the number of years in public service. His resume includes Board of
Directors
– Texas Economic Development Corporation, Investment Advisory Board – Texas Treasury Safekeeping Trust Company, Investment Advisory Board – State of Texas Comptroller, Member and Chairman – Texas Energy Center Task Force, Founding Treasurer and Director – Margaret Thatcher Foundation, United States Conference of Mayors – Trustee Member: Executive Committee, and serves on boards of directors and
leadership positions in numerous public and private companies. Moreover, the
list of nonprofits he has served in different capacities fills a couple of
pages. Wallace has also won a number of awards from Fort Bend County to
national honors.
Wallace served three terms as mayor of Sugar Land and declined to run a fourth
time; instead, he opted to fill the chief executive officer and co-founder of
Wallace Bajjali Development Partners, L.P., a real estate development firm
specializing in single-family lot subdivisions, commercial land development,
mixed-use town centers, vertical retail and office development.
As CEO of Wallace Bajjali, Wallace pulls on his extensive education in domestic
and international real estate, 30 years of business experience and terms as
mayor of Sugar Land.
Prior to his foray into politics, Wallace was a business man and turnaround
specialist, working in the process of acquiring and or creating over 100
companies and partnerships in a wide range of industries, from petroleum
products to telecommunications.
“I worked with investors, lenders and employers. Also, I worked with bankrupt
companies in an attempt to turn them around and save jobs. We also would go
into troubled companies and have to think outside the box for solutions, which
is the same thing mayors do,
” says Wallace.
Wallace’s Work Continues to Benefit Texas
Today, Wallace continues his public service work behind the scenes to bring jobs
to the Lone Star State as the president-elect of Texas One Economic Development
Corporation. The board of this corporation was appointed by the governor and
its mission is to promote business and commerce in the state of Texas.
Recently, Wallace was in Chile and Brazil with the secretary of state meeting
with site selectors and more than 150 chief executive officers of companies
articulating the virtues of conducting business in Texas and moving their
headquarters to Texas or opening a divisional office in the state. A month ago,
he was on a similar mission to Boston.
“It is our goal to use local and state incentives to motivate these companies to
come to Texas and open for business. For example, the Texas Enterprise Fund
provides dollars through the Governor
’s Economic Development Department to create jobs in Texas. In one day, we had
several meetings with the U.S. ambassador and executives from very large
companies,
” Wallace says.
On these trips, a number of those he was traveling with, many from Houston’s leadership and political community, asked Wallace to consider a move to
Houston, and his reply,
“I’m giving it a great deal of thought.”
Philanthropist and author Dr. Carolyn Farb, h.c. recently completed two
record-breaking events for the Houston-area nonprofits Children at Risk
and Stages Repertory Theatre. With our noticeably challenged economy, these
successful events are a testament to her fundraising skills, creativity and her
continued giving spirit to the community.
At this time, however, there are no new fundraising projects on the horizon for
Carolyn. Next up is a children
’s book about the life and times of her beloved pup, Lucas.
“Lucas came into my life at a very sad time, right after I lost my only son and
my beloved dog, Bogie, passed away.
” Lucas arrived from Manchester, England. A friend brought him back from a trip
overseas.
“When Lucas arrived, he was five weeks old and shaking all over,” Dr. Farb recalled. “Lucas was the ball of energy that revitalized my home.”
Lucas is a Lucas Terrier, a rare British breed. According to the Lucas Terrier Club of
American Association Web site, in the late 1940s, Sir Jocelyn Lucas of Great
Britain, feeling that the Sealyham Terrier was too big to work efficiently and
concerned about the increase in whelping deaths, crossed Sealyham Terrier
females with Norfolk Terrier males, creating the Lucas Terrier.
The book will focus on Lucas’ entertaining trip to America and adjusting to life in America. “Lucas is a very intelligent young man. I think he knows how to tell time. He
knows when it is time to go for a walk and when it is time for dinner. And he
lets me know. He also likes to wear his raincoat when he goes walking,
” Farb said.
Dr. Farb studied philosophy and journalism at the University of Oklahoma. She has crafted expert press releases and marketing materials for
fundraising events,
and she writes a number of articles for a host of different magazines. She has
written two successful books,
The Fine Art of Fundraising and How to Raise Millions Helping Others Having a Ball. As a mother and a successful author, the children’s book is a natural next project.
“I wrote the fundraising books to help people trying to make a difference in
their communities. I provided them with a template to achieve success,
” Farb said.
The children’s book will entertain, but it is meant to provide guidance on the changes in our
lives, and how to adjust to the evitable.
Carolyn’s creative spirit abounds, from fundraising, to her jewelry and clothing
designs, to her home d
écor and art collection, her life is a reflection of her progressive and free
spirit.
Carolyn loves mentoring—and being mentored.
“There are many new fundraisers working with different charities, who remind me
of myself when I was just beginning to work as a volunteer,
” she said. “That is thrilling to me.”
She also enjoys speaking with non-profit organizations to offer advice and
strategies on how to raise funds to fulfill their missions.
Carolyn learns something from every event she undertakes. But the most important
lesson that she has always known is people like to be appreciated. Those who
have worked with her note they not only felt appreciated, but also valued and
respected.
A final bit of advice from the master of fundraising: “Manners are important, and I believe the definition of good manners is making
everyone feel comfortable and valued. Respecting boundaries and asking
permission or checking with others before moving forward is also very important
because it shows people they are important, and they are especially when you
are working on a team,
” Farb said.
Hermann Park’s Multi-Million
Dollar Lake Plaza Renovations
Houston’s beloved Hermann Park revealed its $11 million transformation to the Lake Plaza
area on the eastern edge of McGovern Lake with a ribbon cutting ceremony and
celebration. Facilitated by Hermann Park Conservancy, a non-profit citizens
’ organization dedicated to the improvement of Hermann Park, in conjunction with
the Houston Parks and Recreation Department, the Lake Plaza project includes
several components: a newly constructed Kinder Station (the Hermann Park train
’s main station), The Tiffany & Co. Foundation Bridge, Little Bigs café, dining terrace, public restrooms, gift shop, boathouse and volunteer building.
The newest improvements, completed over the past year, offer magnificent views
of the 7.5-acre McGovern Lake and boast newly landscaped grounds for park
visitors, train passengers and diners.
Open Door Mission Joins in Record Services to Needy
A slow economy, job losses and home foreclosures are combining to cause hungry
and homeless people to seek more help than ever before from North America
’s rescue missions, according to a study by the Association of Gospel Rescue
Missions. In 2008, AGRM member missions provided 48.4 million meals
—enough to feed the entire population of Texas twice—an increase of 5.9 percent from the previous year.
In Houston, Open Door Mission served 175,517 meals in 2008, taught 20,055
classroom hours in the Education Center, helped 15 people earn a GED, 13 people
earn Microsoft Office certification, had 61 men graduate from the Alan and Ann
Craft Drug/Alcohol Recovery Program, provided a safe, compassionate
convalescence in the Russell M. Scott Jr., M.D. Convalescent Care Center to 466
men recuperating from surgery, injury or illness and made 63,715 social service
interventions.
“We’ve seen many more people coming to the mission for help,” said Open Door Mission Executive Director Richard H. Hill Jr. “And what we have experienced in Houston is replicated in cities across North
America. I expect the 2009 numbers to increase as well.
”
