Welcome back, Fort Worth Weekly

Nice work on the run down. Now explain a 50 year TIF...

Buddy, Can You Spare A Billion?

Billion Dollar Bridges

Or not---

Stormy Look At Zero Panther Island Bridge Motion Progress.

How dumb can some people be?

Wait, don't answer that.

Nowhere in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram article (probably the bill itself either) did we see that part of the reason Kay Granger wants to keep Trinity River Vision funding in the bill is to keep her son employed.

And isn't the Trinity River Vision, formerly known as Trinity Uptown, Central City, blah, blah, now called the Panther Island District?

With an East Island, West Island and a Houseboat District?

Let's see, TRV Boondoggle vs. Flint, Michigan water crisis.  These shouldn't even be in the same ballpark, let alone the same bill.  We're curious as to how our frequent Washington blog visitor sleeps at night.

Flood control my Fat Aunt Fanny.

And a special welcome, Rep Veasey.  We look forward to your next election!

Democrats threatened to hold up the spending bill if funding to resolve the Flint, Mich., drinking water crisis wasn’t somehow provided. Republicans agreed to let Flint funding be considered in the water bill.

The local funding appeared at risk earlier in the week because Rep. Pete DeFazio, D-Ore., was upset that a provision impacting a harbor maintenance trust fund was removed. So he asked for an amendment to cut the Army Corps of Engineers funding for the TRV because the project included recreation facilities.

This $526 million of federal funds is a key part of fully funding and completing the project. Critics maintain this project is not about flood control, but about economic development.

Fort Worth lawmakers working to protect Trinity River Vision funding

Woodard says....

Dozens of citizens lost their property to the Trinity River Boondoggle. They had the will to preserve their property but did not have the wherewithal to continue the fight.

Eminent Domain! It’s been around a very long time. Its use is recorded in the Bible in the story of Ahab and Jezebel, who coveted and seized poor Naboth’s property. (KJV 1st Kings – Chapter 21).

Dozens of our citizens through the use of eminent domain lost their property to the nepotistic Trinity River Boondoggle which they believe was more for economic development than for flood control. They had the will to preserve their property. They did not have the wherewithal to continue the long fight against their government. They fought bravely, but like the defenders of the Alamo their meager provisions ran out and they were financially slaughtered.

Now comes along Monty Bennett, a man of wealth will who will not be bulldozed or bamboozled by those who hold the levers of authority in their hands. He supports Craig Bickley and Michele Von Luckner for the Water Board. The incumbents are running big ads that blare forth: DON’T LET A DALLAS BUSINESSMAN TAKE CONTROL OF TARRANT’S WATER BOARD.

Bennett’s answer, as reported by a local newspaper: “The entrenched incumbents continue to try and scare the voters with grandiose stories about an evil Dallasite trying to steal their water. This is absurd. For the record, I have no interest in Fort Worth’s water, or the Trinity River Vision or the Integrated Pipeline project. I’ve successfully blocked the TRWD from snatching my mother’s family land in east Texas. My only interest now is to help Mary Kelleher continue the fight against a heavy handed government agency with numerous allegations of corruption, cronyism, and self-dealing, that treats citizens, including me, very poorly while neglecting its core duties of water provision and flood control.”

Bennett is disparaged by his opponents as a Dallas hotelier. True, but the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce could well take note of the fact that Bennett is also a Fort Worth hotelier. He owns the Hilton and Ashton hotels in downtown Fort Worth. Monty Bennett a Dallasite? Horrors! The Chamber might also consider that the Fort Worth Star-Telegram is printed in Dallas but the Fort Worth Chamber reads it just the same.

Texans rose up when the governor of Texas a few years ago proposed a grand multi-lane boulevard all across the state. Its construction would have uprooted farms, ranches and homes from the Gulf to the Red River. Like those Texans at San Jacinto on April 21, 1836, today’s Texans fought and defeated Rick Perry’s land grab, and the Perry super highway was consigned to the dust bin of history.

Even now, ranchers and farmers are up in arms over a proposal to build a bullet train railroad from Dallas to Houston. They are ready to do whatever it takes to preserve their property.

In the 1700s, William Pitt, the prime minister of England, stood up to King George III. Pitt is remembered for his powerful defense of the rights of American colonists. One of his memorable “a man’s home is his castle” speeches that bespeaks the limits of eminent domain rings down the halls of history:

“The poorest man may in his cottage bid defiance to all the forces of the Crown. It may be frail – its roof may shake – the wind may blow through it – the storm may enter – the rain may enter – but the King of England cannot enter – all his force dares not cross the threshold of the ruined tenement!”

Don Woodard is a Fort Worth businessman and author of Black Diamonds! Black Gold!: The Saga of Texas Pacific Coal and Oil Company.

Drowning in Fort Worth

The Tarrant Regional Water District just keeps on giving.  Not only do they give your money away, they give writers worth their weight all kinds of fodder.

Durango tells you about the latest (probably Fort Worth Star-Telegram driven) attack on Mary Kelleher.

And Don Woodard has been keeping the masses informed by sharing Committees of Correspondence.  Many folks sharing their thoughts on the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle and the TRWD daily.

We'll share one of the more colorful ones here.

Shame on you, Don! 

Criticizing all of those folks just because they’ve found a way to get rich through slick governmental maneuvers regarding the Trinity basin, or the Panther Plain or Rip-Off Acres. Whatever you want to call that area -- and related projects.

That’s called entrepreneurship.

Sounds as if you are jealous that you haven’t dipped into that money bucket. After all it is only taxpayers’ money and so what if none of us had a chance to say yea or nay about these multi-million (soon to be billion) dollar expenditures as they rampaged over the various small businesses that had the fun of being displaced—like it or not. Those Folks know what’s best for us and, of course, it’s just coincidental that it happens to be good for them, maybe you might say, even overwhelmingly good for them…and their relatives and buddies. Like building bridges over water that doesn’t exist—and may never exist!. And anyway, who says bridges have to be built over water. But you should be pleased, because as a taxpayer you’ll be able to cross  over them to get to NoWhereVille. And use them instead of the perfectly adequate bridges that already exist – but aren’t shining, new and sexy—and unexcitedly, are already paid for!

So, Mr. Woodard, rather than complain, why don’t you do something positive—like getting into the action. Just offer the city a contract to build another bridge to go no where and where there is no water. (When you think of it, it makes a lot sense because it is easier to build a bridge where there is no water.) And you must have some brother or son or third cousin once removed you could assign to draw pictures of the bridge-to-be. And they certainly shouldn’t do it for free. And others to be consultants and managers. And every project needs a supreme director with at least a half dozen assistant directors. You certainly must have a son or daughter that would accept an appointment to that position. And, remember, a perquisite definitely is: no experience necessary.

So here’s my advice to you young man:

Simply stated: Rather than complaining, join the gang…oops, sorry about that. I mean…join the civic group, and as a good parent should do: hire your sons, daughters, uncles, aunts, godfathers and godmothers, second cousins once and twice removed. I hope this helped you to see the light! Now get busy and get rich. And don’t bother to clutter up citizens’ minds and the news media with announcements letting them know what you are proposing. And definitely don’t let them give their opinions and by no means should they be able to vote on such boondoggles…Oops again! I meant to say: “such civic projects.”

P.S. Belated thought: Besides taking care of relatives, don’t forget your friends…and I think of myself as one of your good friends and admirers. That fourth bridge you would be designing could be a toll bridge and
because I thought of it, you could make me chief toll collector (so,OK, OK…I’ll give you a percentage kick back). Just a thought.

Tale of Two Boondoggles...

That's the title of Don Woodard's latest dissertation in the Fort Worth Business Press.

YOU should pay attention, YOU can't afford not to.

And all you Merle Haggard fans, be sure and check it out.  Don't say you weren't warned.

The tollway was built over the objections of many farmers in the area whose land was legally taken for a highway by eminent domain. For the Trinity River Vision boondoggle, dozens of property owners were forced off their land not to build a highway but for economic development. A large area centered by White Settlement Road, which once flourished in taxpaying businesses, now lies nude and barren waiting for multimillionaire land developers to move in like carpetbaggers. Waving the banner of "flood control" – the promoters acquired this property of "the little people" by eminent domain – or the Sword of Damocles threat thereof.

But it's NOT primarily for flood control. The lion's share, $425 million, is for economic development. The Corps of Engineers has estimated that only $10 million is required for flood control. The Eminent Domain Economic Development Juggernaut of 21st Century Texas, unlike the tanks of China, takes neither pity nor note of the poor little property owner standing in defiance.

Woodard: Fast lane to failure – a tale of two boondoggles?

A boondoggle by any other name -

Is still a boondoggle.

Changing the name of the Trinity River Vision because of its negative connotations won't get them funding either.

The article in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram asks Could the TRV become Panther City Island, maybe?

The article then goes on to tell you it's pretty much a done deal.  (So do the new mailers from the TRVA).

It says they are gauging the new name but in it's closing sentence, it negates all that.  

“This plan is known by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) simply as ‘Central City,’ but to most of the public it is called ‘Panther Island’ (formerly Trinity Uptown).”

By the way, we don't know anyone who calls it that.  They have much more colorful names for it.

Hail Mary!

Don Woodard has done it again. You don't want to miss it. It's too much fun.

And truthful. Guess we don't have to mention that it's in the Fort Worth Business Press.

An excerpt:

"The silence of the water board, city council, commissioners court and our congresswoman, aided and abetted by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, has been deafening.

The Star-Telegram has been the star abettor in the property-snatching, squatter-like scheme. I knew Amon Carter, Sr. and Jr. They would have side-tracked this runaway earmark 10 years ago. They published the truism far and wide that the confluence is where Fort Worth and the West began. Go down to the confluence and read the monument for yourself."

Click on "One giant leap" image above to enlarge to readable size.

Truth, Justice and the Fort Worth Way

We've been playing catch up with all the election emails we've received. Seems folks are very interested in the Tarrant Regional Water Board election.

And it looks like we're not the only ones playing catch up. In the past two days the TRWD incumbents and their crew have started sending out mailers.  We hear even some in the halls of Austin are being approached about this quiet little election.  Water Board Member, Marty Leonard's NEGATIVE email and letter was first.  Then they sent one for mail in ballots to seniors. (BNK already did that). Some Seniors reported their precinct and voter ID number were in the wrong spots. They wondered if it was a ploy by TRWD or just more sloppy work. Then the "Clean Water Committee" (is that an oxymoron?) PAC sent one showing Mayor Price on one side and the ballot on the other (BNK - been there, done that too). That mailer also mentioned the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. (More on that connection to come...)  Jim Lane left a couple of interesting voicemails around town and of course, a ST employee is shilling for him.  (Shouldn't Jim be concerned with his own race?  The one the downtown crowd doesn't want him to win?)

Kay Granger also sent out an email to her "friends" accusing many people of many things. She made it clear she wants things to stay the same. Since her son is employed by the water district, one would guess so.  One would also guess this was made clear to everyone (and their employees) from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram all the way to the Bank of Texas. 

Mayor Price and Congresswoman Granger both held fundraisers in the past couple of weeks, one for the incumbents and one where they handed out information for the incumbents.

Riddle us this Batman, WHY would local and federal elected officials be so engrossed in the TRWD campaign? Have they met all the candidates? (Aside from Mary Kelleher addressing City Council)? Have they heard all of the candidates speak? There has been no debate (unless you count the conversation between a water district employee and a candidate at a local restaurant). BNK shows up to talk to the voters, the incumbents do not. One incumbent did show up to a recent meeting, after the crowd was finished, we're guessing he wished he hadn't.

WHO do YOU want in office? Someone that will get out among the voters or those WHO YOUR elected officials want to keep in their place? Literally. 

VOTE BNK!  John Basham, Timothy Nold and Mary Kelleher for the Tarrant Regional Water District!

Once a Watchdog,

Always a Watchdog.

Dave Lieber, the 20 year Fort Worth Star-Telegram reporter, who was laid off, is still watching out for you.  On his Facebook this week he posted the following:

Pet peeve: When officials running for reelection use public money to send out a glossy 12-page "annual report" that arrives one week before the election. That's what the Tarrant Regional Water District did. Campaigning disguised as public business. And these are the same dudes that postponed their own election for a year. Unchallenged power on an issue of major importance. WRONG.

To be honest, maybe it's a good thing Dave doesn't work for the paper anymore. 

The Fort Worth Weekly had the best article on Dave's departure.  We noticed we got a shout out over there from a reader.  Thanks, LA!

Thank heavens for the F W Weekly and the Star Telegraph website – you both are the best source of real news happening in this area.

And another one had a great point about the paper and politics -

The Weekly continues to surge past the Startlegram as the voice of the people. Time for the Star Telegram to recognize that its political intrigues on behalf of the Fort Worth power structure has caused it to go the way of the dinosaur.

WHO'S suing WHO?

Ed Bass and other "land owners" sue Cheseapeake. 

Now someone is suing the Tarrant Regional Water District. 

Is justice coming to Fort Worth?  To Tarrant County??

Maybe there's something in the water.

Wonder WHO's next? 

WHO broke the story?

Durango.  WHO else?

This Should Be Fun....

We can barely stand the wait to hear JD Granger give us an update on his Trinity River Vision with its river walk, pond and waterfront neighborhood...

Two Town's Flood Tales

Durango makes some interesting comparisons between the flood control projects in his old hometown and his new hometown. And asks some interesting questions.

Read it all in A Tale of Two Town's Flood Control Projects: Fort Worth & Mount Vernon.

Below is a blurb....

Now, how is it that Fort Worth and its bizarro Trinity River Vision Boondoggle has gotten millions of federal dollars for an un-needed flood control project that will build a likely ridiculous looking, un-needed flood diversion channel, so that the levees that have stopped flooding for decades can be removed?

Meanwhile, Mount Vernon, which has an actual, real, flood problem, that has caused problems for decades, scrambles to find the money to build a permanent fix.

Is this a function of the fact that the congressperson who represents the district in which Mount Vernon is located is not a corrupt politician willing to finagle shady deals to channel federal money Mount Vernon's way, whilst Fort Worth is represented by a corrupt congresswoman who stands to make financial gains from the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle which she has helped to fund, which, in addition to providing her financial gain, also provided her son, J.D. Granger, the job of running the project, a job for which J.D. Granger has absolutely zero qualifications?

The installing her son to run the TRV Boondoggle is sufficient cause to attach the "corrupt" label to this corrupt politician, let alone all the other reasons.

Why do not more people find the TRV Boondoggle's wastefulness and lack of need to be perplexing, particularly when there are locations in America where money could be spent to fix an actual flooding problem?

Places like Haltom City and Mount Vernon.

Would YOU get in the Trinity River?

Would Congress?

Durango asks some interesting questions about last night's first Trinity River Vision Rockin' the River Happy Hour Inner Tube Float of the year.

One edited excerpt...

"Rockin' the River perplexes me for many reasons. I know the Trinity River Vision Authority is not a public agency, and so laws about transparency do not apply. But, I can not help but wonder how much these Rockin' the River Happy Hour Inner Tube Floats cost. And will J.D. Granger and his mama be floating with the feces, garfish, snakes, turtles, alligators and litter tonight....?"

Trinity River Bridge

The best thing about this article, in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, is the comments....

Wow. three million for a bridge to downtown that does not really dump into downtown. I guess the bridge at Henderson that connects to the old Tandy parking lot (downtown) was not pretty enough. Oh wait, I forgot, that bridge is being torn down for lake kay

3 million?  Ridiculous.  Where's Mayor what's-her-name who was going to stop all this unnecessary spending and get the budget in line?  That's right, she's busy spending the $3 million the federal government just gave her to strip 200 houses of lead paint.

If someone wants a bridge across the river let them pay for it.  If someone wants lead paint removed from their home let them pay for it.  Whether it's city, state, or fed money it's still taxpayer money.  Quit spending it frivulously.


HOW much is it?  And WHO pays?  You already know the answer.

Federal grants administered by the Texas Department of Transportation provided $2.3 million while the city kicked in $459,000 and Streams and Valleys raised $200,000 from private donors, said David Creek

On the road again

Now that Durango has a new set of wheels, he's been checking out the Trinity River Vision flood control project.

We'll let him tell you.  Sometimes you gotta see it to believe it. 

Well before the Woodshed opened, the visionary J.D. Granger foresaw the need for the more than 700,000 citizens of Fort Worth to have the opportunity to participate in the water sport of wakeboarding in dirty, polluted water.

This coming summer the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle will see the opening of the first new drive-in movie theater in America in decades.

Truly visionary.

Cowtown Wakepark's landscaping appeared to be designed to look totally natural, like most of Fort Worth's freeway exits. Tall grass and weeds. A smattering of litter, for color. A general unkemptness to the look.

It is this weird mentality, in my opinion, that gives rise, in this town, to strange aberrations from the way a normal town operates, giving rise to abominations like the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle. A plan hatched by the Good Ol' Boy Network, in cahoots with the local corrupt congresswoman, who got her ne-er do well, unqualified son, the job of running the almost billion dollar project.

Fort Worth Mud Run Participant dies...

In the Trinity River. No explanation as to how yet, just unanswered questions.

Our thoughts go out to the family.

We were surprised more people were getting in the Trinity River.

Are these people from here?

Did they not see the one newscast where someone finally tested the water? If the Fire Department spokesperson questions the decision to get in the river,  what does that tell you?   "...it's murky, there's a lot of stuff in this river and... I don't beliveve that I would take a swim in it."

Constable Candidate

If you don't know WHO Glen Bucy is, you should.  He's a Fort Worth resident that has been involved in local politics for the past several years.  He's a TCU Political Science graduate, he survived the Wedgewood Church shooting in Fort Worth, and a combat tour in Afghanistan, he is also an Arlington Police Officer.  He's running for constable in precinct 6 and we have a question for those of you "in the know" out there...

WTH could Bud Kennedy have against an all American guy like Glen Bucy?? 

Seems at a recent forum, one of Glen's opponent's stood and made the claim that he was endorsed by Congresswoman, Kay Granger.  Bucy went on to explain why he did not want such an endorsement.  Once again, on Facebook, Bud Kennedy weighed in on Bucy -  about the congresswoman being "criticized--by a constable candidate?"

WHO else is supposed to call them out?  The "news"??

Since when can constituents not comment on their elected officials and their spending?  If we left that to the "news" paper, no one ever would. 

Here's what Glen had to say earlier in the week about the endorsements. 

And pork is pork, no matter how they serve it in Fort Worth. 

While at the Southwest Republican Club, one of my opponents stated that he was the only... candidate in the room that was unequivocally endorsed by Congresswoman Kay Granger,(the most powerful endorsement you could possibly have in Tarrant county according to my opponent.) to which I responded in my final two minute closing statement "The only reason I do not have Kay Grangers endorsement, is because I did not seek it out. I have spoken publicly in the past about several issues that I had with Congresswoman Granger, most importantly, that she is a Pro-Choice Republican, and I am a Pro-Life."

While I agree that Kay Granger has done some good things for Fort Worth, I cannot condone her pro-choice stance on abortion. On matters of fiscal responsibility, Granger fails the test again being one of the largest pork barrel spenders in congress. With projects like the Trinity River Vision and its $909 million dollar price tag, Kay doesn't do our party any favors when we talk about cutting back in Washington spending. As Republicans, we need to be taking the lead in matters of fiscal responsibility/accountability and that is exactly what I plan to do in Constable's office.

"Boneheads"

A letter writer in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram makes some interesting points. 

What it all really boils down to is, they can't add.  Well, they can, they are just betting on YOU not doing the math.  WHAT would happen if YOU started adding it up?  WHO would the city councils and "news" answer to then?

Ask where YOUR money is going.  Then ask, WHY?

In addition to the letter, here are more examples of questionable math -  having to be pointed out by THE PEOPLE.    Isn't that what a newspaper should do?

From Durango and a letter writer concerning streetcars -

The TRV Boondoggle Drive-In propaganda promoters are saying they anticipate around 300,000 TRVBDIT (Trinity River Vision Boondoggle Drive-In Theater) movie goers a year.

That works out to about 822 paying customers a day.

That sounds believable. Sort of like how the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and its propaganda co-horts claimed 7 to 8 million visitors a year to the Fort Worth Cabela's sporting goods store would make Cabela's the top tourist attraction in Texas. With apparently no one doing the math to see how unlikely was a daily average of around 22,000 visitors to a sporting goods store.

_____________________________

Granger could have said 10 developers; it would sound better. He also said they expect 15,000 to 25,000 residents. Why not say 250,000? That's a number pulled out of the air, too.

Another Monday article said 40 units were sold in the past year within blocks of the Trinity Project. (See: "Rising to the challenge," Monday) How do you get from 75 people to 15,000? Oops; it's "streetcars."

_____________________________

Z Boaz costs

The Wednesday story by Bill Hanna had some frightening money facts. (See: "Council votes 6-1 to close Z Boaz")

The bonehead move by the Fort Worth City Council will cost taxpayers millions of dollars.

How? Follow the money. The current annual loss for Z Boaz is $250,000 per year. The capital cost to convert Z Boaz to some kind of park is at least $6 million.

The cost to run the park will be $150,000 annually. Amortize all that over 30 years, and here is what they have done to you: The 30-year cost for a park will be $10.5 million. The 30-year cost for Z Boaz as a golf course would be $7.5 million. The increase is $3 million.

Spread that cost increase over the same 30 years and note that your City Council just saddled you with $100,000 per year in extra costs.

Well done, politicians. And they wonder why we voters say, "Throw the bums out!"

Maybe the Fort Worth voters should let their council member hear their voices.

-- Ken DuBoise, North Richland Hills

Duh...

A new study called Family Affair, details the rampant nepotism in Congress.  Which isn't "technically" illegal, but how to YOU feel about paying for it? 

Recently there was the article about how much YOUR Congressperson is bringing home.  Now here's one about how much of YOUR money they are funnelling to their family. 

Guess WHO made the list? 

Even the Fort Worth Star-Telegram gave it a little notice.  YOUR billion dollars got a two sentence mention. 

Two-thirds of the Texans serving in the U.S. House of Representatives -- including three from North Texas -- have relatives who financially benefited from having a legislator in the family over the past four years, according to a report released this week.

The report, titled "Family Affair," was released by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, which reviewed documents for nine months. It shows that relatives of 248 members received payments or otherwise benefited because of the lawmaker in their family.

Some payments were not made directly to relatives but may have come through federal funds earmarked to institutions or nonprofit organizations where they work. Or family members may have served as lobbyists or in government relations, actions that are "not illegal, but ripe for abuse," according to the report by the nonprofit ethics group.

Granger was named because she earmarked $30 million in federal funds for a river redevelopment plan in Fort Worth. Her son, J.D. Granger, heads the Trinity River Vision Authority, which is working to make Kay Granger's vision a reality.