Sean Roberts for Congress: Mission Announcement

Over the past year I’ve been asked by many community and business leaders to consider serving our community in a more official and public way.  As a Houston attorney and one who has served on various boards and community projects, and as an individual who has worked within the Democratic process to help elect the most qualified candidates to represent us, I take elective office very seriously.  Serving our community is a responsibility that no one should take lightly or feel entitled to.  It shouldn’t be used as a bargaining chip for private interest or as a tool for media exposure.  It is the most noble of aspirations that requires hard work, dedication, vision, and a plan to improve the quality of life for those you serve.  So before committing family and friends to this journey, I want to make sure my decision is not just right for me, but also for the people of the district in which I graduated from college and law school, where I first worked as a new associate at Vinson & Elkins, and where I’ve invested in the economic revitalization with the formation of my own law practice. 
 

Last year this time, like so many of you, I was doing my part to change the direction of politics in this country.  Like so many in our community, I too felt a shift in both the direction that this country needed to go, and also the mindset needed to take us there.  The candidates for whom I worked the hardest - threw fundraisers for and campaigned with, including President Barack Obama, all had one thing in common – a keen awareness that old school politics and divisive tactics no longer have a place for the new challenges we face.  Instead, a call was made for a different type of community, an inclusive style of politics, and a progressive minded leader.  Someone who can set an agenda, and work with people of all backgrounds to implement policy that puts people first – even when the cameras aren’t there to capture the hard work necessary to get it done.

The contributions from those present and past, that have led to this revolutionary change in psyche should remain a source of inspiration and hope as we move forward; and as I’ve spoken to many who work and live in the district that’s given me so much, I’ve been struck by how eager we all are to take make sure those contributions produce actual results  - things that we can see and quantify – community revitalization, economic development, educational advancement, policies that protect the vulnerable and those needing a helping hand - single parents, seniors, those suffering from mental illness or other disabilities, and those who desire equity on the job and in society.  So like President Obama, I’ve also spent time thinking how I could advance the kind of change and progress we so desperately need.

The leaders of our past were needed for the circumstances that we faced in the past, but now we face new decisions that require a new temperament, vision, intellect and ability to work with various entities and individuals, even those that don’t always see us eye-to-eye, in order to bring progress and the change we all desire, back to our neighborhoods – back to our own door-steps.

The times we face are challenging, and we can not move forward on healthcare, lost pensions, college tuition, employment, and global issues such as energy dependence, with those who support and continue to proffer small-minded politics or political opportunism. 

I will listen to the ideas of those who are vested in seeing the 18th Congressional District improve and grow, and I will encourage all those who want a candidate who can set an agenda and deliver on more than rhetoric, to join with me in seeing that we are part of the movement that can deliver real opportunity and real progress.   

In the meantime, I encourage you to contact me and invite me to join you, as we move forward to restore integrity, a hard work ethic and a real sense of unity and progress to the 18th Congressional District.