Collect Call from District 4 - Fort Worth

After the post concerning Danny Scarth (credit belongs to the Fort Worth Weekly, we just share the word) we received an email from one of his constituents.

Seems the voters don't like being sold down the river.  Or to the gas drillers, whatever the case may be. 

They ask good questions too - WHY didn't anyone know before the election?  Welcome to the team, Mallard Cove Resident.

Another neighborhood needs help.  They probably thought it couldn't happen to them either.  WHO's next?  YOU?

Dear Editor,

I am so happy to read your website which uncovers what Danny Scarth has done and I am so regretted about not reading it before the election. He is now our District 4 councilman and he is very likely to vote yes on building a large scale gas compressor station right next to our Mallard Cove neighborhood at Randol Mill Road in Fort Worth. I feel so unfortunate that our district representative does not represent us.

Barnett Shale will hold a open house meeting on Sept 27 (Tue) from 6 to 7:30pm at Comfort Suites Hotel (643 Northeast Loop 820, Fort Worth, TX 76118).

Zoning Commission Hearing will be held on Oct 12 (Wed) at 10am at FW Council Chambers at City Hall.

City Council Meeting will be held on Nov 1 (Tue) at 7pm at City Hall.

I hope your team will cover this matter and stop greedy council men from destroying the Fort Worth.

Mallard Cove Resident

Again?!

Fort Worth, City Council, taxes, Danny Scarth...

The same council member who's son was wrapped up in a conflict of interest/ethics last year. 

Read about the latest in the Fort Worth Weekly.  Don't miss the comments from the readers.  Seems Lone Star isn't the only one thinking the FBI should come visit Cowtown.

So boys, what's it going to take?

But afterward, Scarth wasn’t so eloquent — and not nearly as long-winded — when Weekly muckraker Jeff Prince asked him about the $2,632 in overdue property taxes that the elected official owes. The sum represents about $2,017 in unpaid taxes from 2010, plus $614 in late charges.

The conversation went like this:

Prince: Why do you owe unpaid taxes?

Scarth: Just do.

Prince: Do you plan on paying them?

Scarth: Yes.

Prince: Do you have a plan in mind?

Scarth: Sure do. Thank you.

Scarth then rolled away in his wheelchair before Prince could ask his last question: Should an elected city official be behind on his taxes?

So the reporter instead posed the question to Peter Fletcher, an Eastside resident who lives in Scarth’s district. Fletcher thinks it’s “a shame” that someone who’s helping balance the city budget can’t or won’t pay taxes (this isn’t the first time Scarth has let his tax bill go overdue).

“He seems to have done this sort of thing a good deal over the years,” Fletcher said. “This raises the question, how he can be expected to be involved in ‘leading the city’ in regard to the city budget and other fiscal matters? In just three months he has added 30.47 percent to the amount he owes. No wonder little gets done for District 4 if he can’t get his taxes paid.”

Bad "News"

Some letters to the editor today in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram from THE PEOPLE point out the "news" got it wrong on their recommendations for the Fort Worth elections.  Again, please tell us WHY a supposedly unbiased news outlet would support anyone for office?  Shouldn't they report facts on the candidates and let THE PEOPLE decide?  What do they have to gain by shilling for incumbents?  ASK.

One letter concerns Sal Espino, funny, seems we mentioned some of this as well.  Did the "news" not know claims were false?  How is that?  ASK.

Another reader has some good points concerning Scarth as well.  Let's not forget about his son.

Remember, if you're not happy with what you've been getting, voting for the same old isn't going to help that.  The "news" writes all year long about the scandals and shortcomings of the city and its leaders, then come May says, reelect them...ASK - What the hell?

Fort Worth council

I'm an 82-year-old Fort Worth native and have spent most of my life living and working in east Fort Worth. I am very concerned and disappointed in the Star-Telegram's recommendation of Danny Scarth for District 4 on the City Council.

Scarth has not done anything for his own neighborhood, and he has done even less for others in the district. He's instead brought us the only toxic waste dump in the city and has never seen a high-impact gas well he didn't support, which has caused real estate values to plummet.

Let's vote for jobs and new businesses in east Fort Worth, not flooding in Riverside and Gateway parks. Let us also begin to move forward with positive improvements in District 4 by electing Lupe Arriola as our next council member.

-- Dean Hatch, Fort Worth

I have to disagree with the Star-Telegram's recommendation of Sal Espino for Fort Worth City Council District 2. In my opinion, Espino has done nothing to endear himself to the community. I find it disturbing that he is trying to take credit for the 2004 bond improvements and development along the Alliance corridor, both of which were in the making prior to his election.

Since he is proud of the improvements in Rockwood Park from the drilling money, why couldn't he have been vocal or used some of the drilling money to keep the Marine Park swimming pool open?

Perhaps he needs to look up the meaning of constituent service. If you call his office at City Hall, you will hear a long message on his voice mail detailing all the reasons why you will not get a return phone call anytime soon, if ever.

-- Lucy Aguilera, Fort Worth

Catching up in Fort Worth

Or not.

Over the past couple of days the Fort Worth Star-Telegram has started sharing part of the stories that the FW Weekly put out last week.  The Fort Worth Ethics Committee fiasco and the latest Housing Department questions concerning Councilman Danny Scarth's son. 

WHY would they not tell all of the info?  What happened to reporting?  Oh, we forgot, it's not about the truth, it's just business.

Read about how the Ethics Committee went ahead with their meeting even though there were not enough members present.  Keep in mind, the firing and hiring of the Ethics Committee was not done by the laws of the Charter either.  Think there isn't an ethics problem in Fort Worth?  Think again.  It's the Fort Worth Way.  Those of you non-Texans reading this - send help.  Hurry.

Not in YOUR backyard?

Unless you live in Fort Worth.

Read the letter from Jim Ashford to the Fort Worth City Council, Mayor and staff. YOU can't afford not to.

Fort Worth City Council

It is my opinion the proposed Salt Water Disposal Facility is a terrible idea. I fail to understand why this item is allowed to continue being drug through the permitting system primarily by one Council person. It was a bad idea when it was proposed, and the more that is known about the chemicals in produced water, the worse it gets.

The thought of 1200 barrels* of produced water being evaporated into the atmosphere every day for the residents of Fort worth to breath is a scary thought. The chemicals which will be heated and evaporated include some the deadliest elements in the produced water, that being the benzines, toluenes, lead, mercury, uranium, radium 226 and 228 along with other deadly chemicals. These chemicals can not be filtered out of the water completely or satisfactorily. A more complete list of some of the chemicals that are in produced water is attached.

I have also attached a paper describing what produced water is from the Department of U.S. Energy. You will note the difference from the description of produced water in the attached information than presented by Chesapeake Energy. It is not just saltwater. I have highlighted some of the important sections in yellow relating to Natural gas, specifically, pages 4, 6, 7, 8, 9,15, 16, 18, 67.

Council person Danny Scarth (District 4), who has promoted this item like it was his own and often refers to "WE" when talking about Chesapeake, has suggested it will reduce Nox in the air by reducing truck traffic used to dispose of the water. What he is neglecting to mention in promoting this project, is the gas compressors needed to evaporate the 50,400 barrels of water every day into nearby neighborhoods include four massive 1400 horsepower engines. These industrial motors and their emissions are regulated very little in any form. The large trucks which haul the water, on the other hand, have a great deal of regulation in their emissions control and the type and quality of fuel they must use.

This site in East Fort Worth has even been promoted as a recycling facility of produced water by the City and Chesapeake, even though there is no water being reused. It is not a recycling facility but it is a cheap method for Chesapeake alone, to dispose of toxic waste.

Why would the city promote a site such as this that recycles no water, when other local companies recycle up to 80-90 percent of the water at their sites. There are even other companies that report a near 100 percent recycle ability.

The City has already proposed allocating funds to study the air quality at this experimental project for hydrocarbons. There is no money, however, to study the air for the radium 226 or 228 or the natural occurring uranium, lead or mercury.

Why is anyone promoting this experimental project so adamantly when its impact on District 4 is not good for the people? Only Chesapeake benefits from this, not other companies or the citizens and the people who live nearby.

*(1 barrel = 42 gallons)

Jim Ashford