Walter Cooke Endorsed by Senator Tommy Williams

THE WOODLANDS – Walter Cooke, a candidate for Position 5 on The Woodlands Township Board of Directors, is pleased to announce the support of Senator Tommy and Marsha Williams.

Elected to the Texas Senate in 2002 from District 4 which includes The Woodlands, Senator Williams retired from the Senate in 2013. While in the Senate, he served as Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.

The Woodlands residents will remember Senator Williams as the architect of the Regional Participation Agreements with Houston and Conroe. In these agreements, Houston and Conroe agreed not to take any steps to annex The Woodlands until after 2057. These agreements are the cornerstones of the legal framework which allows the residents of The Woodlands to determine the future governance of The Woodlands free of outside pressure and interference.

At the time these agreements were executed, Texas law allowed Houston to annex The Woodlands without the consent of the residents of The Woodlands. As a result, these agreements bought The Woodlands valuable time to allow The Woodlands to mature as a community before having to make a decision on incorporation or annexation.

Texas law currently does not permit Houston to annex The Woodlands without the consent of the voters of The Woodlands. Houston can only annex The Woodlands if a majority of the registered voters in The Woodlands vote to approve the annexation by Houston. This change in the law should not diminish the great value of the Senator’s work in shepherding these agreements through execution.

Walter remarked that “Senator Williams demonstrated an excellent example of how an elected official can serve his constituents. I appreciate his support and will do my best to live up to Senator Williams’ high standards if elected to the Township Board.”

For more information about Walter Cooke and why he is running, contact the Cooke Township Campaign at wcooke@cookefortownship.com.

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