Vote em' out!

If anyone knows, it's Adrian Murray.  He ran for the Tarrant Regional Water District last time (the election before the one they voted to cancel).   They went after him the same way they are Timothy Nold.  They aren't very original as they are going after John Basham for the same thing this time, too.  Exerpt from Durango:

Meanwhile, John Basham, an actual contributor to American society, was injured while serving his country, with the consequence, as happens to way too many who serve, of John Basham running into financial woes, whilst recovering from his injuries.

Below is what Adrian has to say about the late taxes, (NOT unpaid).  Any reliable "news" source could have found that information.  Wonder why the ST didn't?

My disdain for the methods of the TRWD board is well known. I have read years worth of board meeting minutes where it is so obvious to anyone with a pulse that the board does not act as an impartial board overseeing the interests of the pu...blic, but is nothing more than a sham, an agent for the private companies they are shelling out money and favors to, a mouthpiece for an extravagantly well-compensated staff who stumbled upon a gold mine known as the Barnett Shale and concocted schemes to share this bounty among themselves and some friends. Whether the members of the board personally gain from this is doubtful and really immaterial. That they look the other way in their marathon sessions voting unanimously to approve everything the staff puts before them is enough to disqualify them from ever being in a position of public trust.

Now, for the first time ever, there is a serious threat to the syndicate which operates out of a sprawling and expanding Taj Mahal on Northside Drive. When I ran for this board in 2010 along with John Basham, we were woefully underfunded and could only scrape together enough money for two mailers. We never really had a chance, but we did open some eyes as to the dirty deeds taking place on the banks of the Trinity River.

But our meager possibilty of actually dethroning Marty Leonard and Jim Lane did not stop stop their campaign team from going all out slime on us. On the day before election day, a mailer hit voters' mail boxes in the district stating that I had recently moved to the area from California "leaving behind a string of tax liens." never mind that the statement was patently false. There simply was no chance at all to refute it as the final vote was the very next day.

They are very good at this, these sultans of slime. They did it last week with Andy (Timothy) Nold. On Monday of last week a letter appeared in mailboxes throughout the area, ostensibly written by Marty Leonard, stating that one of the challengers was a tax deadbeat being sued by the district. (Oddly, this charge came in a letter decrying the tactics of the challengers who were, if they did not stop, about to make our dear sweet board of directors cry.) This was followed a week later by the incumbents with a repeat of the tax deadbeat line.

Of course, none of it was true, as you can see from this pic. It was made up out of whole cloth by a cabal desperate to keep its secrets from being revealed. They'll do and say anything, defile anyone in any way they can, to keep the people out of their vault.

Vote 'em out.

You can take that to the BANK

When a long serving city councilman/community leader, fire fighting, plane flying, purple heart earning man says something, LISTEN.

Just had a brief conversation with Marty, the pot calling the kettle black, Leonard.

Ms. Leonard is a member of the board of the TRWD. Marty sent a letter to voters decrying the qualifications and character of challengers, Basham, Nold, and ...Kelleher and she complained of their "negative" campaigning.

I reminded Marty the she was no more qualified than B, N, & K when she first ran. Her claim to worthiness was that she read and saved a lot of articles on water. Whoopee!

She didn't get upset over the threat of eminent domain against a couple of her wealthy neighbors, to use their land for Trinity Uptown though she criticizes a BNK backer for wanting to keep a TRWD pipeline off his property. It seems to irritate Marty and the rest of the board that the challengers are complying with TRWD and state ethics commission requirements for candidacy. Frankly, I'm tired of their whining and complaining because they can't have a free ride to re-election.

Go vote Saturday for Basham, Nold, and Kelleher. Share this with your voting friends.

Voters Beware! Outside interest in the TRWD water board election!

"Voters beware" is what a campaign mailer from the water board incumbents read.  Mayor Price was concerned that outside interests were trying to take over your water supply! 

First of all, WHAT water supply?

Second of all, has Mayor Price seen the incumbents campaign donations?   The incumbents are getting money from Dallas (GASP!) and Austin and cities all over Texas.  Are these the outside interests you were warned about?  Or is it the donors to the incumbents from out of state you should be concerned with?  We hear there are donations from Colorado, Arizona and that state next door we are suing in Federal court to take their water, Oklahoma. 

If they haven't noticed, there is no money in Fort Worth.  That well ran dry.  THEY spent it all.  Maybe some of those campaigns donating should hang on to their money.  They may need it.

Vote BNK.  Today.

The Water Board Stinks...

That's what one "associate" of the TRWD says about them, he also says "Just hold your nose and do it".

WHAT?

Is that an endorsement??  Smells almost as bad as the Trinity River in summer.  (The same one the water board encourages you to "jump on in".  Right after you sign their waiver that says even if they neglected to tell you it could kill you, they aren't responsible...we knew that...)

Don't believe their lies about the candidates, but do believe what they say about the current board.  With "friends" like these...

By the way, have you noticed you don't hear from these "friends" unless they need money or are spending it?  If they are begging you to vote for incumbents that they know have "gone astray", WHAT is in it for them?  ASK.  Same goes for YOUR employers.

Here's YOUR chance to protect YOUR water and money. 

VOTE for Basham, Nold, and Kelleher.  NOW. 

Below is the surprising "endorsement" from a TRWD associate...

Friends-

I know that many of you may think like I think. This TRWD group have gone astray and are doing things they should not do and spending money on things they should not. But in this case, the alternative is much worse.


I ask you to go out and vote early and vote often! Pass on to your husbands and wives, and also send to friends.

Just hold your nose and do it.

The alternative is not good for the future growth of Fort Worth.

Says WHO?

Note - we wanted to see what it felt like, so we took the liberty of editing as we saw fit.  We didn't change any sentences, we just removed some.  Don't worry, we are not going to turn into the Startlegram.  We just wanted to see how it was done.

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!

Fort Worth, Dallas on Line 1

Finally.

The Dallas Morning News writes about the Tarrant Regional Water District. 

Read what the Water District spokesperson had to say.  YOU can't afford not to.

Kudos to Dallas for having a real "news" paper.  Y'all come back real soon!!

And for the rest of you, there's an election coming up.  Pay attention!

Bennett’s lawsuit alleges that the real debate and discussion of water district business — decisions on the pipeline route and awarding of multi-million-dollar design, engineering and construction contracts — takes place not in the public meetings of the board of directors but in secret committee meetings.

Notices about the time, place and agenda of those committee meetings are neither posted publicly ahead of time nor do they appear on the water district’s web site, according to Chad Lorance, a spokesman for the water district.

A little background is in order here for readers unfamiliar with local governments in Texas.

The Texas Attorney General has ruled repeatedly that a governmental body such as a tax-supported water district cannot create committees to deal with a public issue and then allow the committees to meet in secret and make decisions in secret.

I asked Lorance for a legal rationale for why the water district’s committees should not be subject to the state open meetings law. He did not answer directly.

Instead, he cited another statute found in the Texas Water Code. It says, “A meeting of a committee of the board, or a committee composed of representatives of more than one board, where less than a quorum of any one board is present, is not subject to the provisions of the open meetings law.”

One could infer from Lorance’s citation that the water board committees purposely structure their meetings to include less than a quorum to avoid violating the open meetings law. But he did not say that.

“All 339 actions were unanimously adopted by the board,” the lawsuit concluded.

And the Winner is...

Ms. Hopkins.  Again.

The Loser?  YOU.

Read Ms. Hopkins latest letter in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.  It's got everything from tragedy to comedy, from the Trinity River to Santa Claus.

Bravo, ma'am.

TRV lease

"I'm shocked, shocked!" that anyone is shocked that J.D. Granger granted a no-bid lease on the might-as-well-be-a-million-dollar Woodshed Smokehouse restaurant that his "fiefdom," the Trinity River Vision, has built. (See: "Eatery deal is debated," Sunday) Remember that's how "Mama's Boy" Granger got his own "no-bid" job? Granger, the Trinity River Vision's executive director, is nepotism's biggest beneficiary since the Borgias.

What does the Tarrant Regional Water District get in this $970,000 sweetheart deal? A mention of the proposed restaurant on a television cooking demonstration. Plus -- in lieu of paying rent -- the Woodshed will "ensure ... a specified number of beers ... on tap" and a promise that cyclists and joggers can use the restroom. Plus, if the Woodshed closes before the end of its lease, "the district would get some $400,000 of restaurant equipment."

Used restaurant equipment should come in handy; water board members can become short-order cooks when our 50-year drought dries up the river. Meanwhile, who's minding the store? It took a Star-Telegram Texas Public Information Act request to find out anything about this boondoggle. There's more going around in the dark than Santa Claus.
-- Guelma B. Hopkins, Fort Worth