The stats say you've been missing us, though we are pretty sure it was Mary Kelleher on the Water Board you were actually missing.
Look, we know you had high hopes-
Mary was reelected, there were some newbies on the board and Jim Oliver's 30 year reign was over. But alas...we've learned except for Mary's return, it's more of the same. The ousted President, Jack Stevens, (Kay Granger's candidate that came in dead last by the way) made his last act an embarrassing one by signing over $360,000 of your money to Jim Oliver and JD Granger. Supposedly, unbeknownst to the board (there is some question as to when Marty Leonard knew).
The board voted to stop the payments and Tarrant County residents breathed a sigh of relief, that they finally had a board representing THEM.
Then came Dan Buhman, the new GM, who was trained by WHO? You guessed it, Jim Oliver. The voters had questions on how the process worked when there were no mention of the other candidates and all the emails lead right back to the plan of Dan taking over the show.
And last but not least, when Oliver leaned he wasn't getting his payment, he threatened to sue the board for age discrimination - "one of the things threatened in lawsuit". Many thought the newbies would stick to their guns and not give the taxpayers money away on another frivolous lawsuit. Some of the old school knew better. The vote was once again 4-1. Welcome back, Mary Kelleher. We, the taxpayers, have missed you.
The TRWD has never been afraid to spend your money on a lawsuit. From employee harassment cases, eminent domain cases, suing Oklahoma to take their water, the IPL pipeline...the list goes on and it's long and very expensive. So if you run into TRWD board members out and about ask them what they were really afraid of. YOU deserve to know.
And if you're not reading the Fort Worth report, you're missing out. They've blown the doors of that Startlegram "news" rag.
The reason no one takes the Star-Telegram anymore is because they are nuts. Like Bat Sh*t Crazy Nuts.
Let us count the ways -
A week ago we got a call about hiring block walkers for the TRWD race. For three candidates. Living the Fort Worth Way, one would assume the status quo, the three incumbents. But no, hold up. They want two of the incumbents and one of the ones the establishment continues to run. If you're wondering why, he's in real estate. Duh.
And here we are a week later and we are sure no one finds it odd, that the ST just came up with these same three candidates all on their own! (If you buy that, we have a bridge to sell you.) They are endorsing candidates who have not made any waves or stood up for their constituents during their time on the board. Looking at one of the incumbents signs, it seems they aren't even clear what the board they serve on is called. This is the same candidate that happens to be the treasurer for a certain Fort Worth Mayoral Candidate. Apparently the ST is okay with that, too. It's Fort Worth, it's all relative.
We understand not backing the president of the board again, though the ST's excuse for that doesn't hold water. They feigned shock over his "arrogance" and unwillingness to listen to the voters. Um, are they new? Have they ever been to a meeting? This is who he is and what the water board does. Granted other local papers have done a much better job on reporting that over the years. Did the ST forget they’ve always endorsed him? (see pic above).
The ST has a reputation for being derogatory and dismissive when it comes to the People's Candidate, Mary Kelleher. The one time they did endorse her, they called her "the squeaky wheel". When she won a seat on the Tarrant Regional Water District, a food critic at the Star-Telegram insulted all Texas women and beyond by saying her win had something to do with her being the only woman on the ballot. It couldn't be because she's a highly intelligent, caring, hard working citizen, could it? This time they label her as a "disruptor". Well, sign us up! We're voting for the disruptor and asking you to do the same. Had the ST been focused on disrupting the Fort Worth Way that the TRWD has practiced for years, the taxpayers wouldn't have wasted $40 million to date on the Billion Dollar Boondoggle.
We hope she’s more thorough while doing Mrs. Parker’s campaign finance reports.
