U.S. Rep. Jeb Hensarling

A packed house at Lakewood Country Club Tuesday heard U.S. Rep. Jeb Hensarling outline his concerns about the federal budget during a special monthly lunch meeting of the East Dallas Chamber of Commerce. Hensarling also handed out the annual “Hensarling Award for Business of the Year”, which recognizes an outstanding neighborhood business, to C.C. Young retirement center, specifically recognizing the Overlook, a new six-story retirement facility on Mockingbird at White Rock Lake. Check out our slideshow of attendees here or view it below.

Also recognized during the event were State. Rep. Kenneth Sheets, who received a “Taxpayer Champion Award” from Texans for Fiscal Responsibility; Reena Morris and Darren Boruff, who chaired the recently concluded White Rock Centennial celebration; Ebby Halliday Realtor and chamber board member Dick Clements, honored with the Chairman’s Award for outstanding community and Chamber support; and yours truly as Entrepreneur of the Year.

About 30 protestors gathered outside the country club’s gates to protest what they said was Hensarling’s intention to severely cut social service programs. The crowd was peaceful and polite, and Hensarling addressed their concerns during his comments, saying that he was open to a variety of ideas to reduce the current and future budget deficits. Hensarling told the crowd inside that he intended to support a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced budget, expected to be brought before the House and Senate sometime this fall.