Guest commentary: Foundational Black Americans support Mayor Dedrick Johnson – galvnews.com

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Updated: September 12, 2025 @ 3:25 am
September 12, 2025
Rev. James E. Daniels

Rev. James E. Daniels
As we continue to endure the drama going on in Texas City and La Marque, you must ask yourself when will it all end.
There seems to be constant attacks to undermine all the progress these two Settlement Communities have accomplished. As a community we have never had to endure so much negative rhetoric before.
Even during Jim Crow and segregation we never saw people from the outside try to dictate who should or should not run or govern our municipalities.
I am a Foundational Black American who has lived here all my life, and I have never seen anything like this. Internal problems were handled internally.
It is sad that now we’ve come to a place just like other municipalities.
I worked for the city of Texas City for more than 20 years and five administrations and never saw any mayor being publicly attacked like Mayor Dedrick Johnson Sr.
There was always respect for the office of the mayor, and if there were perceived problems they could always be settled at an election.
But now there are those who want to use their individual platform to divide the citizens. There are prescribed ways to deal with municipal problems without dragging public officials’ names through the mud.
Just for example, Texas City has an election in May but there were some who were pushing for a recall election. That does not make any monetary sense at all.
Two elections in an eight-month period would be a total waste of taxpayers’ dollars. The mayor was elected by a majority of the people, and he has a right to face the people that he serves, not a small fraction of the people.
I know that a recall election has the premise of an election, but a small fraction of the people signed the petition.
Some of the petitioners said the people have spoken. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Texas City’s population is 60,000 people. The average voter is not going to vote in a recall election, but more will come out and vote in a regular election.
This is one reason why we foundational Blacks feel that there are underlying reasons for this rush initiative. There is an underlying sentiment below the surface of the fiasco.
Being a Black man, I will probably be accused of playing the race card, but it is just common sense. We support the position that Johnson holds. Since 1911 this is a first.
We support the fact that Texas City elected its first African American man and that just happens to be Dedrick Johnson Sr.
And now there are those who are trying to insinuate it was wrong.
I have known the mayor and chief of police all their lives. They both come from God-fearing families.
No matter what you allege that they may or may not have done, they deserve the dignity and respect that goes along with the positions they hold.
We Foundational Black Americans want it known that we love Texas City and La Marque.
The Rev. James E. Daniels is the founder and Chairman of The Eagles Nest Community Organization and vice president for The Public Sector of The United Steelworkers Local 13-1.

Rev. James E. Daniels
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Gilliam Nii Lighter

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