Bay Area Houston

The video of the forum for House District 129 between Albert Wittliff and former CCISD Trustee Scott Bowen will be posted soon. Until then, if you attended the event and would care to post a comment please do. You can post anonymously by commenting on this post.

Don’t take my word for it—attend the candidate forum hosted by the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership and see for yourself.

For at least the last 30 years, House District 129 in the Bay Area has been represented by a Republican, including John Davis for 16 years and Dennis Paul for 12. With Paul now running for State Senate, the seat is open. Former CCISD Trustee Scott Bowen and Albert Wittliff are vying for the position, and the contrast between them couldn’t be starker—not just in party affiliation, but in their leadership experience and ability to represent our community.

Albert Wittliff 
Beyond being exceptionally personable, Albert brings deeply relevant experience to the role. A retired Homeland Security officer, he spent his career protecting world leaders, including three Secretaries of State. On his website, he notes:

“Later, I returned home to Texas to serve as a Senior Special Agent in Homeland Security Investigations, spending over a decade with the Joint Terrorism Task Force in Houston… Beyond investigations, I served as a Team Leader on our Rapid Response Teams, helping people during devastating disasters like Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria.”

In addition to serving in Iraq, providing diplomatic security, fighting terrorism, and leading disaster recovery teams, Albert owns a local security firm serving the Bay Area’s aerospace industry. He holds strong ties to CCISD and the business community, carries a commanding presence, and speaks articulately. Crucially, he is willing to talk to anyone regardless of political affiliation—a negotiating strength essential for a State Legislator. But again, don’t take my word for it.

Scott Bowen 
By contrast, Scott Bowen lacks the qualities needed for effective representation. Where Albert is commanding, Scott is awkward. Where Albert seeks common ground, Scott is abrasive. During his two terms on the CCISD board, Scott won his second term with under 50% of the vote before ultimately losing his seat by eight points to a well-qualified conservative candidate.

His tenure brought continuous disruption to the board, including recruiting and funding primary challengers against his own colleagues using out-of-district PAC money. As a trustee, he even sponsored a party resolution supporting school vouchers on behalf of the Texas Republican Party. He was even caught on video testifying against public education.His record is defined by chaos and ties to extremist groups. You can review a documented history of his record at bayareahouston.net/ScottBowen, but the best step is to attend the forum and decide for yourself.

We have a choice in the Bay Area. Make one. You can RSVP to the forum here: costello@bayareahouston.com

This ought to be real interesting! RSVP to Michele Costello at Costello@bayareahouston.com.

The Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership is hosting a candidate forum for the upcoming State Representative race featuring former CCISD Trustee Scott Bowen and candidate Albert Wittliff. This election presents a critical opportunity for the district. The Bay Area has been represented by Republicans for over three decades, yet residents continue to face pressing challenges, including soaring property insurance rates, high electricity costs, and an underfunded public education system. Addressing these persistent issues requires capable, independent leadership.

A comparison of the candidates highlights a clear distinction in experience and approach:

• Scott Bowen: Having previously served on the CCISD board, Bowen’s record reflects partisan approaches that do not serve the broader community, including support for school voucher programs and alignment with extreme party factions. His approach lacks the collaborative and negotiation skills required to advocate effectively for the district at the state level. You can read Bowen’s well documented record of failure here.
• Albert Wittliff: Wittliff brings extensive, practical leadership experience as a local small business owner, a Homeland Security retiree, a former security specialist for diplomats, and a manager of hurricane recovery efforts. His professional background demonstrates the strong, grounded leadership needed to represent the community effectively.

Because this forum will not be live-streamed, attending in person is the best way to evaluate both candidates firsthand before casting your vote.

All PAC, No Cattle (Thanks D for the title idea!)

Former CCISD Trustee Scott Bowen is following in the footsteps of current State Representative Dennis Paul by heavily relying on out-of-district PAC money to finance his campaign.

As noted in a previous post, Bowen raised an impressive $89,000—far exceeding any single-period total from his predecessor. However, $65,000 of that came from just three Political Action Committees: Texans for Lawsuit Reform ($40,000), Texans for a Conservative Majority ($15,000), and—surprisingly—the Texas Trial Lawyers PAC ($10,000). That coalition raises obvious questions.

Looking at his broader fundraising numbers reveals an even clearer pattern: Bowen’s war chest is packed almost entirely with outside capital. Out of $190,884 raised in his latest report:

• Out-of-District PACs: $150,549 (79% of total funds)
• Individual Donors: $40,335 (21% of total funds)
• In-District Support: Only 19% of total funds, coming from just 25 donors.

Struggling to secure financial support from the very community you seek to represent speaks volumes.

By contrast, his opponent, Albert Wittliff, raised 68% of his funds directly from within the district, with PAC contributions totaling just $452 (less than 1%). Wittliff remains an exceptional candidate for State Representative—commanding, articulate, highly experienced, and battle-tested through his service protecting diplomats in hostile environments.

Bowen, on the other hand, comes across as awkward, carries a record of failed policy initiatives as a CCISD Trustee, and lacks the fundamental political skills required for state representation. He is effectively the district’s new “PAC-MAN,” destined to fall in line with leadership rather than advocate for local constituents.

Wa-ka-wa-ka.

The arrogance of this guy.

According to Scott Bowen, the former CCISD Trustee who was thrown off the board, the race for State Representative is in the bag. On his Facebook page Bowen posted a pic from the State Capitol after being given a tour of the facility and a freshman orientation. He hasn’t been elected and hopefully he won’t be.

Bowen has to be one of the worst candidates for State Representative the Bay Area has seen in decades. Previous Representative, John Davis, owned a successful roofing business. Current Representative Dennis Paul owns an Engineering firm. Bowen’s primary opponent was the President of Bay Area Economic Partnership. Bowen is an employee of a chemical company. He has a failed record of leadership causing chaos and division with the CCISD Board as well as the community. In 2025 he got his ass whooped and thrown off the Board and for good damn reason.

Now he thinks he is entitled to the seat and is flaunting it. Bowen is the new PACMan of the area raising money from PACs outside of the district. Bowen is up against a very well qualified Democrat, Albert Wittliff. Albert owns a security firm. He has an extensive history of applicable experience. He is a commanding individual unlike Bowen is is about as awkward as someone clapping alone in a crowd. Bowen has proved he does not have the skills to interface with the business interests of the area or the community.

Hopefully November will see his entitled ass eat some crow. If you want to learn more about Scott visit bayareahouston.net/scottbowen.

The video to the left tells it all.

Albert Wittliff is running for State Representative in the Bay Area, House District 129. I recently wrote “Bay Area’s Texas House District 129 and Why It’s Important to You” if you want to take a few minutes to read. I recently attended an event for Albert and took this 16 minute video of his introduction. The video could be better but Albert is spot on. I think you would agree that he has the experience to do the job, is very articulate, and has the ability to negotiate which is what Representatives do. He covers a number of topics that are important to the Bay Area.

Albert is running against former Trustee Scott Bowen. Our district has been represented by the Republican Party for over 30 years and Scott believes he is the apparent heir to this throne. Unfortunately Scott has a disturbing political past as documented here. He is one of the worst candidates to run for this office with little if any political skills. As a Trustee he brought political chaos to the School Board. He recruited candidates to challenge sitting board members and raised thousands of out of district money from extremist billionaires out of Dallas. Now his campaign is being funded by out of district PACs including Texans United for a Conservative Majority which is funded by Bowen’s Billionaire Buddies. Take a minute to read about Scott here.

The district deserves better. In over 30 years our elected officials have NEVER met with their constituents, with us. Albert will change that. With home insurance out the roof and the cost of living in the Bay Area skyrocketing we need competent leadership, no matter which party they are from.

The elections is in November. BTW I have donated and volunteered for Albert.

Local politics. It’s important to your life. And wallet.

You might be wondering about the political signs with someone running for House District 129. It’s an important position and can affect your wallet. Texas is divided into 150 State House districts. House District 129 or HD129 is fully within Harris County and includes the Bay Area. You can see the map below. HD129 runs from Friendswood to Seabrook, from the Harris/Galveston County border to Beltway 8. There are 50 voting precincts within HD129.

HD129 has been represented by a Republican for over 30 years. The district has been gerrymandered to maintain that representation no matter who is running in the Republican primary. Because of this the winner of the Republican primary usually will win the general election but this year may be different for a number of reasons. The district was redrawn in 2020 with about a 10 point advantage for the republican candidate. With the recent unrest in the district and the country this 10 point difference might not be enough for a win by a Republican especially by a horrible candidate.

Over that 30 years the district has been represented by John Davis for 16 years, and Dennis Paul for 12 years. Both elected officials never met with their constituents. Both neglected what was impacting homeowners in the district. Because of this neglect HD129 has some of the highest home insurance premiums in the State. Our schools continue to be underfunded. Both supported school vouchers. John Davis actually sponsored a voucher bill when he was in office. Paul literally sat on the Insurance Committee as he watched our premiums go out the roof and insurance companies fled the district. Besides insurance, the cost of electricity is shocking, the cost of health insurance is out of reach for many, the general cost of living is also just simply out of control.

In November of 2026 the voters in HD129 will have a choice between former CCISD Trustee Scott Bowen and Albert Wittliff. You might want to check your wallet and vote. Here are the election results since 1998.

Mitchell beat out Bowen on fundraising for his 8 day out report. Mitchell raised $102,869 of which only $2025 came from within the district. $86,194 came from in-kind contributions. The donation from the major donors are listed below.

Two PACs the Associated Republicans of Texas Campaign Fund and Houston Region Business Coalition donated the $86,194. $11,500 came from other various PACs including $4,000 from the Texas Sands PAC an organization spending millions to promote gambling in Texas. Other PACs include Conservative Citizens’ Club PAC funded in part by Senator Money Mayes Middleton, HillCo PAC, Houston Police Officers Union PAC, ILA Local 24 Political Action Fund, and PAC of the Texas Hospital Assn. $2025 or about 2% came from donations within the district.

Between Bowen and Mitchell the PACs outside of the district are dominating the Republican race for the Bay Area State Representative.

You would think more people in the district would be supporting him. They are not.

In his 8 day out report Bowen received most of his money from PACs and outside of the district donors. He raised $89,000 which is a considerable amount and much more than his predecessor ever raised in one period. Of the $89,000, $65,000 came from 3 PACs, Texans for Lawsuit Reform ($40,000), Texans for a Conservative Majority ($15,000), and surprisingly Texas Trial Lawyer PAC ($10,000). That doesn’t make cents.

Texans for a Conservative Majority is the PAC formerly named Defend Texas Liberty. DTL was disbanded after they were caught meeting with Nick Fuentes, a well known white supremacist. This PAC is funded by two billionaires out of the Dallas area.

Of the remaining $24,000, only $3,700 came from within the district.

Tame when compared to other republican primaries.

Bob Mitchell, former President of the Bay Area Houston Economical Partnership took a swipe at Scott Bowen with one of his mailers. “35 years old, unmarried, lives alone”. Hum. To be fair that is what people said about him when he was on the School Board. He was a partisan hack running to take over the board. He had no experience in education besides graduating from Clear Lake High School. He had no children. He wasn’t married. He lived alone. Luckily his attempt to take over the board was stopped. Mitchell’s push card claims Bowen lost his school board race because of his support of the mask mandates. I think it was his support of school vouchers which made him lose by 8 points. I believe Mitchell is also in favor of school vouchers.

Bowen has struck back claiming Mitchell lives outside of the district and comparing him to Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo. It is a stretch claiming Mitchell’s support for policies supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the work place. Many companies actually embrace diversity in the workplace. It makes cents. It’s a lame attempt at a smear but it works on republicans.

Republican voters, especially those in the business sector, should know Mitchell is far more capable of representing the district. He has experience working with elected officials. He is the adult in the room. He has the support of the business community. Bowen has a history of failed leadership on the School Board. He has a history of taking a knee and doing the bidding of his party and Greg Abbott. He will be Abbott’s boy doing what he is told to do.

Early voting is ongoing.

Former CCISD Trustee Scott Bowen, seen here taking a knee to Greg Abbott, and former President of Bay Area Economic Partnership, Bob Mitchell, are raking in outside special interest money for their race to represent the Bay Area.

Scott Bowen and Bob Mitchell are running for the Republican nomination for State Representative of the Bay Area. Both have raised significant amounts of money for the primary election to be held March 3. You probably have seen the Bowen and Mitchell signs littering the district. Most of their money is coming from outside of the district and from Political Action Committees (PACs)

Scott Bowen has raised about $213,000 with $108,000 coming from Texans for Lawsuit Reform. Only $19,774 of all of Bowen’s donations came from within the district. TLR was created by David Weekley, a homebuilder, and his brother to limit lawsuits against those who harm consumers. Another $25,000 came from Texans United for a Conservative Majority PAC. This PAC is funded by the two billionaires out of Dallas, Timothy Dunn and Farris Wilks both featured on CNN (How two Texas megadonors have turbocharged the state’s far-right shift). They used to be called Defend Texas Liberty until their leadership was caught meeting with Nick Fuentes, a known extremist, white supremacist. (Go ahead and google him) Bowen recruited Defend Texas Liberty to fund candidates running for CCISD Trustee. They all lost. Defend Texas Liberty also financed the campaign for Bryan Slaton. Slaton was caught providing alcohol to an underaged staffer and having sex with her. He was the first House Representative to be removed from office.

Bob Mitchell raised $145,000 with $107,000 coming from the Associated Republicans of Texas Campaign Fund. About $18,331 came from within the district. Early voting starts Tuesday.

If you choose to attend to hear the Republican candidates for State Representative for the Bay Area discuss Sharia Law, expanding school vouchers, and Immigration. Hosted by the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership.

This should be interesting. I45Now is sponsoring a forum between the two republicans for State Representative of the Bay Area. Come learn how they intend to abolish property taxes, end Sharia Law, and expand the school voucher program. You can submit your questions here: https://form.jotform.com/i45NOW/SH129GOPForum

There are two Republicans running in the Texas House District 129 primary who will face a Democrat in November. I’ll cover the Republicans today.

For the last 10 years the Bay Area has been represented by State Representative Dennis Paul. The cost of living in the Bay Area has skyrocketed with insurance rates going out the roof including home, auto, and healthcare. Paul, who sat on the Insurance Committee, did nothing to curb the increases. He is now running for State Senate. We deserve better.

Scott Bowen. CCISD voters probably remember former CCISD Trustee Scott Bowen. They voted him out of office last year and the district has been better for it. He brought division, chaos, and bigoted attacks on parents, teachers and students. I have nothing good to say about Bowen. Not only does he wear suits 2 sizes too small, he is an awkward individual and has proven to be unable to govern or lead but he will be able to follow orders from Greg Abbott. He will do what he is told and nothing else. If elected I see Bowen going no where and providing no relief to us. He will simply take a knee to Abbott. (literally) Republicans in the Bay Area deserve better.

Robert Mitchell. I was taken back a bit when I saw Mitchell’s campaign sign advertising himself as a “Trump conservative”. I’m not sure if that is going to work in his favor but then again, WTF do I know, Republicans voted for him three times already! Unlike Bowen, Mitchell has the background to legislate. From his website:

Bob Mitchell, former president of the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership, is a Republican candidate for Texas House. Bob is a strong conservative, trusted community and business leader, two-time Governor Abbott appointee, graduate of Dobie High School, and a proud lifelong resident of House District 129–the Bay Area of Houston encompassing parts of Clear Lake, El Lago, Friendswood, La Porte, League City, Nassau Bay, Pasadena, Pearland, Seabrook, Shoreacres, Taylor Lake Village, and Webster.

I have to agree. I don’t believe the business community is behind Bowen. If they were he would still be a CCISD Trustee but is that enough for Mitchell to win? I thought this race would be Conservatives vs MAGAts but his campaign signs make me think differently.

It would be nice if the real Conservatives would take back their party. Everyone in HD129 deserves better!