Milton Rister
Georgetown, TX
Re: Response to Public Remarks by Former Texas Railroad Commissioner Milton Rister
Dear Milton Rister:
My name is Petra Olivia Reyes, and I am running for the Railroad Commission of Texas. I am writing this letter in response to public comments made by you at the most that misrepresented my voting record and commitment as a card-carrying member of the GOP, belittled my ambitions to enhance the economic vitality of Texas energy industry and criticized my age. Which can be found on VoteForPetra.com. This letter is meant to address the foregoing and tell you and other Texans why “A Vote for Petra is a Vote for Petro”.
“. . . never voted in a Republican primary.”
I have been a member of the Republican party since 2020 and voted in Republican primaries. In fact, while laid-off during the downturn in July 2020, I used my savings and paid almost $3,000 for a luncheon ticket for a chance to meet President Trump in Odessa, Texas. This was during a time of survival for the oil and gas industry. This luncheon was what I felt was the only hope to see whom is here for us, American energy. In addition to my Republican party membership, voting record and campaign donations, I align with traditional conservative Christian values and am a champion for the core issues that religious members of the GOP really care about.
Like many young Catholic Latinos, I had to learn for myself how my faith impacts everything that I do and is the bedrock foundational principle of who I am. Fortunately, I had help. During Dr. Ben Carson’s Midland LLC annual dinner in 2020, he told a story about a family’s faith in bringing an inoperable child to him. Dr. Carson said this family kept saying “But God”. So many doctors had told them the child could not be saved “But God” is what the parents would say. Dr. Carson studied, prayed and ultimately ended up saving the inoperable child. When I asked him in front of a room full of fellow Midlanders; “I was raised Catholic, and I share the same street of the childhood home of not one but two presidents in Midland, TX. For so long the Democratic Party had this narrative that they were for Latinos and the women of this country. I noticed my true traditional values were not lining up. A career in oil and genuine faith revealed what I had been searching for all along. What do I tell my peers that are unsure where they stand today? The young adults of our future that have been lied to and told a narrative in college that led us astray. Is there hope?” Dr. Carson responded that I was already on the right track by turning to God and told me “if these are people of faith, and they wonder where they stand you say; ‘But God’”.
“just friends with Miss Stogner” If that were the case, that would mean I voted in the Republican primary. Which I did.
While my father cannot offer you special section baseball tickets like other RRC candidates, I can invite you over to my family home in Midland, Texas for a traditional Mescalero Apache/ Mexican/ Puerto Rican dinner where you can learn more about my reasons for running for office and my family better. I am running for Commissioner of the 130-year-old Railroad Commission of Texas to support the Texas energy industry, foster innovation and the electrification of oil and gas fleets, build critical natural gas infrastructure to protect our power grid and enhance the economic vitality of Texans and American companies operating in the Great State of Texas. Further, I am running for office to live up to my family’s great Texas legacy and namesake Petra Ramirez (Fuentez), my grandmother.
The Reyes family has called Midland home since it was a water depot “Midway”, the midway point between El Paso and Dallas. My grandmother was the first Latina woman to receive (and pay back with interest) a small business loan from the First National Bank in Big Lake, Texas in order to start her small business. In America during the 1950’s, it was customary for non-white customers to enter through the back door of most white owned establishments. My grandmother was known to walk in the front door, sit down and be served. Her blood, together with her courage, confidence, bravery, leadership, spirit and strength of will, runs through my veins. For the next time someone asks you who I am, make sure to mention my grandmother Petra Ramirez (Fuentez) and feel free to also mention my father U.S. Marine, Sirildo Reyes III.
“. . . in her early thirties.”
It is true, of course, that when you first met Christi Craddick at the Republican National Convention in 1992, I was yet to be born. It is true that the average Texas lawmaker – on both sides of the isle – is more than two decades older than I am. But who is to say whether these (mostly) men have encouraged the greatest possible economic returns, achieved highest levels of success and improved the fate of the Texas energy industry. And as the passage of time removes these men from the scene, who is set to replace them.
Our world is changing. The energy industry is changing. Old ways will not do. Oil & Gas is a global industry and to stay competitive, Texans need to innovate and stay on the cutting edge of technology. Time has come for a new generation of leaders with new ideas and enthusiasm to see around the corner to address new problems and uncover new opportunities. I have looked to the Lord for guidance, and in all humility – I am proud to say that He has answered. There is a new world to be won, and I want Texas to play a fundamental role in its future.
Next time, when asked about my voting record and commitment to the GOP, my policy agenda and platform or my age, I would kindly ask that you stop and say “But God” and remember Dr. Carson’s kind words. Reference Matthew 16:18, as my name means more than rock but rather a foundation divinely appointed to lead. And I will say to you, if the people of Texas select me as their next Railroad Commissioner in November 2024, I will be ready. A vote for Petra is a vote for PETRO.
Sincerely,
Petra Reyes