Don’t let running for local office scare you! Here are some success secrets from a Winner:
Our guest this week is Laura Fillault of The Woodlands, TX. Near Houston, she is one of the Township Directors of The Woodlands, A City Councilman by another name.
I met Laura several years ago at one of the RedState.com Gatherings here in Fort Worth and have enjoyed tracking her political involvement ever since. She’s someone who was comfortable as an activist and mom but felt called to step up and run for office herself two years ago.
Laura is one of my favorite people to hang out with when I’m down in the Houston area and is a wonderful person. She’s a rock-ribbed conservative that has learned so much about politics through her efforts to serve her community and make it a better place to live.
Laura Fillault’s Profile from Empower Texans:
After living in wildly different environments from Brazoria County to France, and ultimately settling in The Woodlands, Laura Fillault has come to despise socialism. It has fueled her dedication to taking her country back from those who wish to undermine our citizen-led system of governance.
Fillault’s move to The Woodlands three years ago was part of the ExxonMobil migration. She says she wasn’t always a political person, but “voted Republican because my parents did.” It wasn’t until seeing then U.S. Senate candidate Ted Cruz speak in The Woodlands that she started to develop an interest in politics. She soon joined the Texas Patriots PAC, a Tea Party organization in The Woodlands
Fillault quickly became a staple in Montgomery County politics and was tapped by then State Rep. Steve Toth to handle his Texas Senate campaign. She originally turned down the offer, but Toth’s insistence prevailed, ultimately leading to her “baptism by fire” in campaigns and Texas politics.
Over the past few months, Fillault’s name was elevated to a higher profile in Montgomery County after becoming an instrumental figure in helping to defeat a $350 million, highly divisive, Montgomery County bond proposal. Using her background in engineering she was able to factually inform the residents of Montgomery County about the impact of specific projects in the bond. Through grassroots activism Fillault, along with many other passionate activists, was able to turn out more than enough votes to defeat the project. She says she was adamant on defeating the bond because of the lack of community input when the commissioners court compiled the list of necessary projects.
Her passion for local politics is fueled by her desire to build a better country for children, future grandchildren, and even herself. “I am fighting to improve our local and state government now so that I can too enjoy the benefits of returning to a constitutional republic,” says Fillault. She is also dedicated to fighting the cronyism that is all too known in local politics. She is working hard to get good people in leadership roles so that they can effect change nationally.
Besides being a member of Texas Patriots Pac, Fillault is also involved in The Woodlands Republican Women’s Club, and the Montgomery County Tea Party.
A natural writer, Fillault blogs for: RedState, Pocket Full of Liberty, and Right Straight from the Heart. When not actively defending freedom and personal liberties, Laura spends time with her husband Pierre, and their two kids. She says she loves reading and just added Charles Cooke’s Conservatarian Manifesto to her pile of books.
Fillault was originally born in Kingsville and was raised in an unincorporated area of Brazoria County along the Brazos River. After graduating high school she attended Texas A&M where she earned a degree in Industrial Engineering.
Following college she met her husband, an expat from France. When his contract expired they moved to a Parisian suburb for three years. Fillault says when she couldn’t stand to be away from Texas any longer they moved and settled back in the Houston area.
Links from the podcast:
Connect with Laura Fillault on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or her Campaign Website!
Important Time Stamps and Notes:
[00:00:00] Shoutout to My Campaign Coach and Fort Worth City Councilman-Elect, Dr. Brian Byrd
[00:00:54] Podcast Intro
[00:01:20] Laura Fillault Bio and Introduction
[00:02:46] What got you started in politics and how did you move towards running for office? How Laura got plugged in with conservatives across the movement, Managing Steve Toth’s State Senate Race.
[00:17:44] Digging Into Local Politics and Killing Bonds
[00:20:34] Getting approached about running for office and considering the decision…
[00:28:18] Pulling the trigger and Running for Office, plus, Lessons Learned During the Campaign!
[00:56:48] Working the Election Polls and Earning Votes at the Finish Line
[01:06:56] Coping with Winning and Losing
[01:16:04] Always tell voters the truth + Making Tough Votes
[01:24:30] Wrapping up and where listeners can find Laura online!
