Members of the Lewisville Noon Rotary turned out in full force at the Lewisville Chamber of Commerce Gala last week to remember long-time club member RL Crawford, whose profoundly positive impact on the local community was celebrated at the event.

 

The Chamber's Legacy Award, sponsored by Bank of the West, now will be called the RL Crawford Legacy Award, in honor of the devoted philanthropist and life-long Lewisville resident. In addition to his 50-year career as a financial advisor, RL made a significant impact in the local community through his active engagement in numerous non-profit organizations and his past leadership role with the Lewisville Chamber of Commerce. (Click here to see a 2012 video commemorating the Chamber's 50th anniversary, in which RL speaks at length about the history of Lewisville.) He served on the UNT Board of Regents and the UNT Foundation Board of Directors, and was a member of the Mean Green Club and the UNT Alumni Association. Brenda Crawford and the couple's son Trey accepted the award on behalf of the family at the Chamber gala, as attendees applauded at length to honor a true pillar of the community.

 

 

Sonia Quezada, daughter of club member Sally Quezada, last week presented the May 2022 Vocational Service award to Officer Chessa Cassels of the Lewisville Police Department. Officer Cassels serves the Department and citizens of the City of Lewisville as a School Resource Officer (SRO) and as a member of the department’s Honor Guard. The police department’s Honor Guard team represents the highest standards of the law enforcement profession and routinely participates in high profile events around the city and state. Officer Cassels has been a member of this team since its inception in 2006.

 

After recently being selected to the role of SRO, Officer Cassels immediately had a significant impact at her assigned school. School Resource Officers help bridge the gap between students and law enforcement, and all School Resource Officers throughout the district are hand-selected to ensure that they have a desire to mentor students and answer their questions. SROs must be able to speak to students and staff on safety matters and they must have a desire to see students succeed and become good citizens. Officer Cassels quickly took on the role of leader and mentor to students and appropriately enforced the law at the school. She has arrested and detained dangerous suspects, stopped fights at the school, removed guns from students, and initiated a no-nonsense approach to the SRO position. On April 22, 2022, Cassels was named LISD's School Resource Officer of the Year for 2021-2022. The school district appreciates Officer Cassels for her caring and courageous heart, and her intelligence, respectfulness, and wisdom.

 

Officer Cassels was joined at the Lewisville Noon Rotary meeting by fellow law enforcement personnel Captain Craig Barnhart, Assistant Chief Jay Powell, and Sgt. Gordon Blair, along with club member Officer Rachel Roberts.

Incoming LNR club president Dennis Song (left) and current president Dirk Dahlke last week presented new club member Kelly Blackall with her welcome packet for the Lewisville Noon Rotary club. A longtime resident of Old Town Lewisville, Kelly has been the owner/operator of Blackall Photography for 14 years and is married to retired firefighter Tony Blackall. She is actively engaged in the community and with local charities, and the club is delighted to have her as our newest Rotarian!

The Lewisville Noon Rotary last week was pleased to host as its speaker Merrill Matthews, Ph.D., a resident scholar with the Institute for Policy Innovation, a research-based public policy think tank based in north Texas. An award-winning political analyst for USA Radio, Dr. Matthews shared his insights on several seemingly contradictory statements released in recent months by the Biden administration, and the impact that the inconsistencies have on our nation's economy.
 

“If you are confused about some of President Biden’s policies, you are not alone,” Dr. Matthews said at the opening of his talk. For example, in press briefings, President Biden has boasted about creating more jobs in the first month of his presidency than any previous U.S. president, adding that American workers are empowered with higher wages and more opportunity. Yet, despite claims that the Biden Economy is the best in modern history, the Department of Education recently put forth a statement that the economy is so bad, the federal government will have to extend the pause for repaying student loans, at a cost of $4 billion/month.

 

Similarly, President Biden recently commented that our nation still is in the midst of a health pandemic and is pushing for continued mask mandates. But, the public health emergency is evidently not so severe to continue former president Donald Trump’s policy of deporting immigrants who cross the border illegally or mandate vaccination, Dr. Matthews noted.

 

Dr. Matthews covered several more conflicts, including the push to reduce our nation's reliance on fossil fuels while also increasing drilling. (President Biden cancelled the Keystone XL pipeline project, which would bring crude oil from Canada to the Gulf Coast, imposed more restrictions on refineries, and pushed back on oil and gas industry investors. Yet, the Biden administration likewise wants oil and gas companies to increase production, so the federal government can increase taxes on windfall profits, the speaker explained.) Ultimately, businesses need stable economic policies, Dr. Matthews said, so companies can respond and strategize accordingly. The unstable policies are making it difficult for the economy to actually experience steady and consistent growth, he noted.

 

To learn more about the Institute for Policy Innovation and read the latest blog posts on issues related to economic growth, innovation, and limited government, visit ipi.org.