ROCKWALL COUNTY, TX (November 5, 2014) Rockwall Area Chamber of Commerce members and guests were treated to a special Q&A session with some of the community’s newly elected officials just a day after the Nov. 4 General Election.
Hosted by the Rockwall Chamber and sponsored by Atmos Energy at the Hilton Dallas Rockwall Lakefront, the “HobNob” Elected Officials Reception featured an opportunity for those in attendance to shake hands, ask questions and hear first-hand from newly elected officials on various issues facing the county and the state.
Chairman of the Rockwall County Republicans Tim Hartley led a Q&A session with honorable guests John Ratcliffe, Republican, Congressman-Elect 4th Congressional District; Bob Hall, Republican, Texas State Senate elect District 2; David Sweet, Republican, Rockwall County Judge-Elect; and Rockwall Mayor-Elect Jim Pruitt. The officials touched on several important topics, including state education funding, border control and the tremendous amount of growth of Rockwall County.
“There’s every kind of business in the world that wants to come to Rockwall right now,” said Pruitt. “We haven’t had to give very much as far as incentives to get those businesses here because they know that the people are here so they’re going to come. To increase the sales tax that we have, we’re going to have to get those kinds of businesses that will come with tax money and do those things themselves. I don’t think you’re going to see that the council is very interested in spending a lot of taxpayer money to give incentives for people to come in because they’re already coming in.”
Sweet said with the large amount of growth Rockwall has seen in recent years, those who make Rockwall their home can expect to see more spending on infrastructure in order to service local businesses and keep up with development of the county.
“My commitment to you as County Judge is that I will watch spending, but I do understand that there are needs in this community and I’m committed to making sure that we provide the tools and resources necessary for you to receive service on the county level,” Sweet said.
Following the session, attendees hit up the hors d’ oeuvres and cash bar while getting the exclusive chance to network among the Chamber partners and elected officials. According to Chamber President Dana Macalik, networking is precisely what “HobNob” is all about.
“This is a great opportunity for our partners to meet face to face with those people who work on issues that sometimes have a great impact on local businesses,” Macalik said. “It’s a valuable opportunity to interact with many of the community business leaders, legislators and local officials.”
She added, “This type of event is new to our Chamber. The objective is to demonstrate that the Chamber is actively engaged in being the voice of business by encouraging members to participate in the political process.”
Story and photo by Austin Wells, Blue Ribbon News reporter.
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